human rights

Soul Searching in Silicon Valley

Stevie Converse — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 09:19:44 -0500

Full article: Financial Times
April Dembosky
In the wake of social uprisings around the world this year, technology companies are responding to international human rights organizations' call for better facilitation of social movements in varying degrees. Some have begrudgingly reshaped internal policies to account for their wider role in society and a few are interpreting them as a strategic opportunity.

Political Repression 2.0

Stevie Converse — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 10:27:12 -0400

Full article: New York Times
Evgeny Morozov
Amid the cheerleading over recent events in the Middle East, it's easy to forget the more repressive uses of technology. In addition to the rosy narrative celebrating how Facebook and Twitter have enabled freedom movements around the world, we need to confront a more sinister tale: how greedy companies, fostered by Western governments for domestic surveillance needs, have helped suppress them.

Google vs. Facebook: Should Human Rights Factor into Your Choice of Social Network?

Stevie Converse — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 09:14:21 -0400

Full article: Huffington Post
Timothy Karr
What could billionaire Mark Zuckerberg lose by refusing Chinese demands that he censor Facebook? And what does Google Plus have to gain by Google's refusal to buckle to Chinese censors?

Media Minutes: June 10, 2011

Candace Clement — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 17:25:49 -0400

Verizon disabled tethering applications in the Android market but offers its own service for a hefty fee. Free Press is calling for an investigation to see if Verizon has violated open Internet rules for its mobile broadband network. And the United Nations has declared that Internet access is a basic human right.

Senator Queries Facebook, Skype on Human Rights in China

Lindsy Embree — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 10:51:56 -0500

Full article: Ars Technica
Nate Anderson
Senator Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) has some questions for Apple, Twitter, Oracle, Amazon, AT&T, Cisco, Facebook, Skype and eBay. What are their "human rights practices in China"?

Lawmakers Criticize China on Internet, Human Rights Policies

Stevie Converse — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 11:44:53 -0400

Full article: The Hill
Ian Swanson
A new congressional report criticizes China's efforts to control the Internet by blocking access to domestic and foreign Web sites based on their religious and political content. And the report scolded the government for its requirement, which was later withdrawn, that all computers in China be sold with pre-installed censorship software.

Rights Activists See Double Standard in Twitter Arrest

Lindsy Embree — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 10:26:43 -0400

Full article: Reuters
Michelle Nichols
The arrest of a New Yorker for using Twitter to alert protesters to police movements at a meeting of world leaders in Pittsburgh last month would be deemed a human rights violation if it happened in Iran or China, rights activists charge.

Helping Iran Target Iranians

Stevie Converse — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 11:16:18 -0400

Full article: Huffington Post
Timothy Karr
When network operators use Deep Packet Inspection, the privacy of Internet users is compromised. But in government hands, invasion of privacy can lead to human rights violations. Before DPI is more widely deployed, the U.S. government ought to establish criteria for authorizing the use of such surveillance technologies.

Human Rights and the Media

Stevie Converse — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 11:24:46 -0500

Full article: StopBigMedia.com
Megan Tady
On the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, we can marvel at this extraordinary declaration to protect the rights of every individual. And we can lament the fact that the very infrastructure of corporate media leaves many important stories of abuse and impugnity untold.

Human Rights and the Power of the Internet

Lindsy Embree — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 09:15:38 -0500

Full article: SavetheInternet.com
Megan Tady
While the mainstream media routinely ignore human rights stories, people across the world have been able to harness the Internet to tell important but underreported stories and launch successful human rights campaigns.