CyberLaw Blog

Archive for May, 2009

Police retention of photos of innocent man breached his right to privacy, says Court of Appeal: “Police should not have kept photos taken of an arms trade protester, the Court of Appeal has ruled. The retention of the photos long after the peaceful protest was a breach of the man’s right to privacy, the Court ruled.”

(Via OUT-LAW News.)

Beijing blocks Yanhuang Chunqiu website days before Tiananmen anniversary: “The online version of one of China’s most radical magazines has been closed by
the censors who patrol the Great Firewall of China. The move comes days
before the twentieth anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown.”

(Via Tech and Web from Times Online.)

I have a few busy weeks with conferences, and here is the schedule and topics if anyone is interested:

I was first in Istanbul, Turkey for the 6th Gathering in Istanbul for Freedom of Expression which took place between 22-24 May, 2009 (see the media coverage). My speech for the conference was entitled Racist content, hate speech, and discrimination on the Internet: Implications for freedom of expression. I also chaired two panels on the second day of the conference.

Next stop for me is Reykjavik, Iceland. I am invited speaker for the Council of Europe organized Forum on Anti-terrorism legislation and its impact on freedom of expression and information which will take place on Wednesday, 27 May, 2009. The aim of the forum will be to exchange experiences on the impact of anti-terrorism legislation and its implementation on freedom of expression and information in Europe. My paper for the conference is entitled To Block or Not to Block: European Approaches to Terrorist Use of the Internet, and Implications for Freedom of Expression and Information. While in Reykjavik I shall also attend the 1st Council of Europe Conference of Ministers responsible for Media and New Communication Services as an observer. This conference will take place between 28-29 May, 2009.

I will then travel to Bonn, Germany between 02-05 June, 2009 for the Deutsche Welle Global Media Forum: Conflict Prevention in the Multimedia Age. I am speaking at a panel entitled “Suppressed websites – will censors lose the race?,” organized by the Committee to Protect Journalists. The panel will take place on Friday, 05 June, 2009. I shall be speaking about issues related to Internet censorship in Turkey.

That’s all for now…..

BBC NEWS | Middle East | Iran ‘blocks access to Facebook’

Iran’s government has blocked access to social networking site Facebook ahead of June’s presidential elections, according to Iran’s ILNA news agency.

ILNA suggested the move was aimed at stopping supporters of reformist candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi from using the site for his campaign.

Facebook, which claims to have 175m users worldwide, expressed its disappointment over the reported ban.

So far there has been no comment from the authorities in Tehran.

‘Access not possible’

“Access to the Facebook site was prohibited several days ahead of the presidential elections,” ILNA reported.

It said that “according to certain Internet surfers, the site was banned because supporters of Mir Hossein Mousavi were using Facebook to better disseminate the candidate’s positions”.

CNN staff in Tehran reported that people attempting to visit the site received a message in Farsi that said: “Access to this site is not possible.”

Facebook expressed disappointment that its site was apparently blocked in Iran “at a time when voters are turning to the Internet as a source of information about election candidates and their positions”.

Mir Hossein Mousavi, a former prime minister, is seen as one of the leading challengers to incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in the 12 June elections.

His page on Facebook has more than 5,000 supporters.

Bates: Cops to defy courts over return of indecent material: “

Who really defines ‘public interest’?

A police chief would rather face the prospect of jail than obey a court order requiring his force to return computer hard drives to their owner. At issue is the big question of who ultimately makes the law in the UK: the police or the courts.…

“

(Via The Register – Public Sector.)

Retailers want to retain consumers’ right to reject faulty goods, say law commissions: “Businesses as well as consumers have backed the UK Government’s attempts to retain shoppers’ right to return faulty goods for an immediate refund. A consultation has found that retailers as well as shoppers back the stance.”

(Via OUT-LAW News.)

Harvard professor says downloading is ‘fair use’: “Downloading music without the permission of the copyright holder should qualify for copyright laws’ exemptions for ‘fair use’, a Harvard academic has said. Partial responsibility lies with the music industry itself for failing to adapt, he said.”

(Via OUT-LAW News.)

Government rejects Lords’ surveillance criticism: “The Government has rejected claims that it is conducting too much surveillance on citizens and has said that it has got the balance between surveillance and liberty right. It has rejected many recommendations recently made by the House of Lords.”

(Via OUT-LAW News.)

Billy Bragg calls three-strikes lobbying ’shameful’: “Record labels have given up on copyright law and are trying to make internet service providers (ISPs) fight their battles for them in a ’shameful attempt to pass [on] responsibility’, singer songwriter Billy Bragg has said.”

(Via OUT-LAW News.)

ITU – Guidelines proposed for Child Online Protection (COP) initiative: “(ITU)
Guidelines for the protection of children in cyberspace were presented as drafts for discussion on 18 May in connection with the theme for the 2009 World Telecommunication and Information Society Day. The draft guidelines will be reviewed at the Strategic Dialogue on Safer internet Environment for Children in Tokyo, 2?3 June. The final Guidelines on Child Online Protection will be issued at ITU TELECOM WORLD, 5-9 October 2009 in Geneva, Switzerland. Comments will be accepted until 30 June 2009. see Draft Guidelines for Children; Draft Guidelines for Parents, Guardians and Educators; Draft Guidelines for Industry; Draft Guidelines for Policy Makers. See also ITU Press Release.

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(Via QuickLinks Update.)