CyberLaw Blog

Archive for October 3rd, 2008

Legal Crackdown Jams Michael Moore’s ‘Slacker Uprising’: “Takedown letters go out after the documentary, distributed online as a free gift to the filmmaker’s fans, shows up on torrent sites.

(Via Wired News.)

Over 1,000 Web sites banned in Turkey since November 2007: “The head of Turkeys Telecommunications Board has stated that 1,112 Web sites have been banned in the country since November 2007 following complaints by individuals over inappropriate content on these sites.”

Speaking to the Anatolia news agency, Telecommunications Board President Tayfun Acarer said a center was established within the Postal and Telecommunications Directorate (PTT) on Nov. 23, 2007, allowing people to report Web sites on which they have complaints. He said people also have the option to report their complaints by email or telephone.

“This center has received a total of 24,598 complaints since its establishment last year. Following these complaints, 1,112 Web sites, 861 automatically and 251 with judicial decisions, were banned.”

Acarer said the number of Internet users in Turkey is close to 30 million and, as is the case with all useful things, the Internet can also be used for dishonorable aims. “The duty of the state is to protect its citizens and warn them against harmful Internet content.”

He noted that Web site bans are necessary to prevent the public from falling victim to sites with criminal or ignoble intent, noting that the Transportation Ministry established a Web site, www.guvenliweb.org.tr to this end.

YouTube clips removed

Acarer said complaints were filed for the removal of 202 video clips on the popular video-sharing site YouTube mainly because they insulted Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of the Turkish Republic.

It is illegal in Turkey to insult Atatürk, a revered figure whose portrait still hangs in nearly all government offices almost 70 years after his death in 1938.

According to Acarer, 12 Web sites were banned because of prostitution, 51 for insulting Atatürk, 79 for gambling, 415 for exploitation of children and 390 for obscenity.

03 October 2008, Friday: TODAY’S ZAMAN

(Via Today’s Zaman, your gateway to Turkish news: News.)

An Egyptian blogger is out of jail provided that he stop blogging: “

After being in jail for more than 2 months, the Egyptian blogger Mohamed Refaat was set free.

Mohamed told Add-Dostour daily newspaper that the state security officers insisted that he will not go out of his detention custody till he sign a paper saying he will never update his blog neither heis Facebook account , nevertheless dealing with humanitarian NGOs or journalists.

Refaat has being in jail since July, though the editor of the blog Matabbat was ordered to be realesed. The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information and Hisham Mubarak Law Center reported in a statement:

The state security apparatus had raided Mohamed Refaat’s home early in the morning on 21st of July 2008 in his absence, and seized his PC, and many of his books, and when Mohamed Refaat approached the officer ‘ Hisham Tawfik’ in the morning in the state security offices, he shocked by the fabricated charges of ‘inciting to strike on the occasion of 23rd July’, he was then referred to the state security prosecution office in the case no. 1143 for the year 2008.

Mohamed Refaat’s blog did not include any thing about this alleged strike. The Egyptian detained blogger used to write hid dairy , and write postings about love, life in Cairo and some personal stuff. Refaat was accused of ‘offending the state institutions, destabilizing the public security, and inciting for demonstrations and strikes via internet’ and these charges need no evidence.

“

(Via Global Voices Advocacy.)

BT’s Phorm small print: It’s all your fault: “

‘Daddy needs to tell you about an exciting new service called WebWise’

BT subscribers who are invited to take part in its new trial of Phorm’s internet monitoring and advertising system will be responsible for telling anyone who uses their computer that they could be being tracked online – whether they opt in or not.…

“

(Via The Register – Comms.)

More on Skype surveillance in China…

Skype spies give pause for thought in China: “Most Chinese who use Skype – or at least its Chinese version TOM-Skype – were
thrilled to find a way to make free phone calls. There were also a few who
were delighted to find a way to chat while circumventing the all-seeing eye
of the state security. But today those few were scurrying to find a new way
to communicate after it emerged that Skype’s Chinese partner had been
archiving politically sensitive words and messages – and possibly even the
identities of those whose conversations could be deemed sensitive.”

(Via Tech and Web from Times Online.)

Girls Aloud murder fantasy prompts arrest and charge: “A man has been arrested and charged over a blog post detailing the imaginary kidnap, torture and murder of the members of Girls Aloud. He has been charged with the publishing of an obscene article, police said.”

(Via OUT-LAW News.)

Ofcom fines Barclaycard over silent calls: “Ofcom has fined Britain’s biggest credit card company Barclaycard £50,000 over silent phone calls made on behalf of the company. The telecoms regulator called Barclaycard’s behaviour ‘the most serious’ silent calls case it had ever investigated.”

(Via OUT-LAW News.)