http://www.movements.org/ en Copyright 2012 2012-05-16T14:41:27+00:00 http://www.movements.org/blog/entry/bahrain-activist-says-charge-over-tweets-vindictive/ http://www.movements.org/blog/entry/bahrain-activist-says-charge-over-tweets-vindictive/ Prominent Bahraini rights activist Nabeel Rajab told a court on Wednesday that a charge that he tweeted insults against the government were "vindictive," as dozens of lawyers turned up to defend him. 2012-05-16T13:41:27+00:00 http://www.movements.org/blog/entry/vietnam-bloggers-battle-tightening-censorship/ http://www.movements.org/blog/entry/vietnam-bloggers-battle-tightening-censorship/ When riot police broke up a recent protest over a forced eviction, Vietnam's bloggers were ready -- hidden in nearby trees, they documented the entire incident and quickly posted videos and photos online. 2012-05-10T16:14:43+00:00 http://www.movements.org/blog/entry/global-innovations-for-digital-organizing/ http://www.movements.org/blog/entry/global-innovations-for-digital-organizing/ Movements seeking to harness the collaborative potential of rapidly advancing technology require an understanding of established organizing principles, the capabilities of tools, and the context in which they will be applied. This four-week online professional development certificate course will evaluate case studies where new technologies have been employed for effective change and what factors and contexts are most influential on outcomes. The final project for this course will instruct participants to collaboratively construct an integrated online web presence that includes tools for social media, fundraising, contact management, blog, RSS, and analytics. 2012-05-08T14:46:48+00:00 http://www.movements.org/blog/entry/how-the-obama-administrations-narrative-about-chen-guangcheng-unraveled-one/ http://www.movements.org/blog/entry/how-the-obama-administrations-narrative-about-chen-guangcheng-unraveled-one/ When Chen Guangcheng departed the U.S. Embassy in Beijing on Wednesday with apparent guarantees that he would lead a safe and productive life in his native land, it seemed that a major international crisis had been averted. 2012-05-04T17:20:18+00:00 http://www.movements.org/blog/entry/sending-a-message-to-iran-on-world-press-freedom-day-2012/ http://www.movements.org/blog/entry/sending-a-message-to-iran-on-world-press-freedom-day-2012/ 2012-05-03T19:25:53+00:00 http://www.movements.org/blog/entry/social-media-reaction-to-afghan-attacks/ http://www.movements.org/blog/entry/social-media-reaction-to-afghan-attacks/ Kabul and several other cities in Afghanistan were rocked by gunfire and explosions on Sunday, April 15, 2012 as the Taliban launched one of the largest co-ordinated attack on national and foreign targets in their 11-year insurgency. 2012-04-27T12:43:43+00:00 http://www.movements.org/blog/entry/despite-official-ban-facebook-accessible-in-china/ http://www.movements.org/blog/entry/despite-official-ban-facebook-accessible-in-china/ Chinese Internet users took advantage of an apparent glitch in the country's extensive web censorship program Tuesday by accessing Facebook, which is usually blocked in the tightly controlled communist country. 2012-04-25T17:43:02+00:00 http://www.movements.org/blog/entry/iranian-blogger-on-kindergarten-repression/ http://www.movements.org/blog/entry/iranian-blogger-on-kindergarten-repression/ Iranian children are now banned from singing and dancing in kindergarten. 2012-04-17T13:49:43+00:00 http://www.movements.org/blog/entry/rumor-lies-and-weibo-how-social-media-is-changing-the-nature-of-truth-in-ch/ http://www.movements.org/blog/entry/rumor-lies-and-weibo-how-social-media-is-changing-the-nature-of-truth-in-ch/ When the message appeared on the Weibo account of Xinhua, China's official news agency on April 10, announcing charges against the family of high-profile party leader Bo Xilai, it ended many days of public speculation on China's largest political crisis in decades. But it also left Chinese web users even more deeply confused about the distinction between political truth and rumor, one that has always been hazy in China but is now blurred even more by social media. 2012-04-16T14:37:14+00:00 http://www.movements.org/blog/entry/flash-mob-activists-break-into-dance-for-saudi-women/ http://www.movements.org/blog/entry/flash-mob-activists-break-into-dance-for-saudi-women/ On March 8, 2012, Amnesty International celebrated International Women’s Day by campaigning for reforms in Saudi Arabia regarding women’s right to drive and the guardianship system. 2012-04-12T12:47:17+00:00 http://www.movements.org/blog/entry/syrian-revolution-breaks-the-israeli-taboo/ http://www.movements.org/blog/entry/syrian-revolution-breaks-the-israeli-taboo/ Decades of brainwashing in Syrian schools, universities, and in the media have depicted Israel as the entity to blame for all of the country’s domestic troubles. 2012-04-11T13:20:47+00:00 http://www.movements.org/blog/entry/23-years-in-prison-and-more-to-come/ http://www.movements.org/blog/entry/23-years-in-prison-and-more-to-come/ Nasrin Sotudeh, an Iranian lawyer, publicized an unjustified case of imprisonment via social media while herself in prison. Sotudeh relayed information about the case to her husband during his visits. Shortly after, her husband posted the case on his Facebook page which went viral. 2012-04-10T19:32:49+00:00 http://www.movements.org/blog/entry/the-arab-spring-youth-freedom-and-the-tools-of-technology/ http://www.movements.org/blog/entry/the-arab-spring-youth-freedom-and-the-tools-of-technology/ Wielding mobile phones and computers, the young activists across the Middle East have altered the way the world approaches popular mobilization, social networks and Internet freedom. The Internet can be a transformational force for societies and individuals, allowing for organization on a mass scale and the free flow of information. 2012-04-06T15:21:41+00:00 http://www.movements.org/blog/entry/two-tunisians-sentenced-to-7-years-in-prison-for-posting-caricatures-of-the/ http://www.movements.org/blog/entry/two-tunisians-sentenced-to-7-years-in-prison-for-posting-caricatures-of-the/ The Court of First Instance of Mahdia sentenced two men to seven years of prison for charges relating to their posting of caricatures of the Prophet Muhammed on Facebook. The decision is subject to appeal. 2012-04-05T21:25:25+00:00 http://www.movements.org/blog/entry/proposed-internet-legislation-in-iraq-and-lebanon-concerns-free-speech-advo/ http://www.movements.org/blog/entry/proposed-internet-legislation-in-iraq-and-lebanon-concerns-free-speech-advo/ Proposed legislation on the table in both Iraq and Lebanon has free speech and human rights watch groups on alert. The proposed laws — which deals with press freedom and online publishing — could use draconian methods and punishments to grossly limit freedom of expression in the two countries, and rein in internet usage at a time when Middle East governments are still wary about last year’s Arab Spring protests. 2012-04-03T13:17:12+00:00 http://www.movements.org/blog/entry/palestinian-woman-held-for-alleged-facebook-insult/ http://www.movements.org/blog/entry/palestinian-woman-held-for-alleged-facebook-insult/ Rights activists say a Palestinian university lecturer has been detained on accusations that her Facebook page insulted President Mahmoud Abbas. 2012-04-02T15:02:08+00:00 http://www.movements.org/blog/entry/how-ghana-is-using-social-media-to-promote-voter-registration/ http://www.movements.org/blog/entry/how-ghana-is-using-social-media-to-promote-voter-registration/ Ghana’s general elections are coming up this December, and to help streamline the voter registration process, the country is now implementing its first-ever biometric voter registration — in other words, using fingerprint technology to help verify identity. Ghana is also using social media to publicize the process, correct misconceptions and increase overall attention about the upcoming elections. 2012-03-28T17:37:41+00:00 http://www.movements.org/blog/entry/wacky-iranian-tv-commercial/ http://www.movements.org/blog/entry/wacky-iranian-tv-commercial/ A wacky TV commercial from Mellat Bank, Iran’s National Bank, spread like wildfire on the Internet among Iranian netizens. Iran’s government-sponsored bank launched a TV commercial for the Iranian New Year holiday based on the music video produced for Jennifer Lopez’s “Papi” single. 2012-03-27T14:47:23+00:00 http://www.movements.org/blog/entry/digital-storytelling-and-women/ http://www.movements.org/blog/entry/digital-storytelling-and-women/ Since 2004, social media has grown to become a determining factor in the reporting of any story we come across. Without it, one wonders what might have happened over the last 16 months in the MENA region, or if the Arab Spring would have occurred at all. Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Wikipedia, Reddit, Digg – social media is what brings many of us together. And despite the sweeping changes taking place in the Middle East, one thing remains the same: there are not as many women using social media tools as men.     Collaboration, Development, Digital Activism Daily, Middle East and North Africa, Technology and Social Movements, Social Media 2012-03-26T16:03:35+00:00 http://www.movements.org/blog/entry/lebanese-internet-regulation-act/ http://www.movements.org/blog/entry/lebanese-internet-regulation-act/ Lebanese activists recently began a “Stop LIRA” campaign in response to a new electronic media law drafted by the Lebanese government. The new law, called the Lebanese Internet Regulation Act or LIRA, will require every website owner to register their name and street address with the government. 2012-03-25T15:15:33+00:00 http://www.movements.org/blog/entry/tunisian-pirate-party-gets-legal-approval/ http://www.movements.org/blog/entry/tunisian-pirate-party-gets-legal-approval/ The Tunisian interior ministry just legalised Africa's first anti-censorship political party. The Tunisian Pirate Party, approved on March 13th, is a branch of the worldwide cyber-activist movement. 2012-03-23T19:07:56+00:00 http://www.movements.org/blog/entry/egyptian-blogger-calls-out-to-west/ http://www.movements.org/blog/entry/egyptian-blogger-calls-out-to-west/ For the past six years, I have been fighting for democracy, individual freedom and human rights. I oppose racism, war, militarism and discrimination. For these views, I have been arrested five times and beaten. Last March, Egypt's postrevolutionary interim military government sentenced me to three years in prison for "insulting the military"—meaning blogging about its violations of Egyptians' human rights. 2012-03-21T14:47:06+00:00 http://www.movements.org/blog/entry/peace-minded-israeli-reaches-out-to-everyday-iranians-via-facebook/ http://www.movements.org/blog/entry/peace-minded-israeli-reaches-out-to-everyday-iranians-via-facebook/ It is not possible to dial an Iranian number from an Israeli telephone. It will simply not go through. That lack of communication stems from the government level, where there is no dialogue between the two countries aside from public speeches meant to carry weighty threats of war to each camp. That is why it was so difficult for Ronny Edry, an Israeli graphic designer based in Tel Aviv, to get his message across to the people of Iran. 2012-03-20T16:17:30+00:00 http://www.movements.org/blog/entry/the-first-post-after-filtering/ http://www.movements.org/blog/entry/the-first-post-after-filtering/ An Iranian blogger known by the pseudonym, Vakil al-Raoaya, has a new post titled, “The First Post After Filtering.” Al-Raoaya’s blog had previously been targeted by filters, which the Iranian government frequently uses to block public access to websites that express criticism toward the regime. Blogging, Censorship, Citizen Media, Digital Activism Daily, Freedom of Expression, Internet Freedom, Social Media 2012-03-12T17:40:09+00:00 http://www.movements.org/blog/entry/al-assad-forces-on-facebook/ http://www.movements.org/blog/entry/al-assad-forces-on-facebook/ As expatriated Syrian activists use Facebook and other social networking sites to express their thoughts and keep in touch with Syrians on the ground, the Assad regime continues to harass them both in real life and online. Blogging, Censorship, Digital Activism Daily, Freedom of Expression, Internet Freedom, Middle East and North Africa, Social Media, Facebook Activism, Twitter Activism 2012-03-06T20:15:45+00:00 http://www.movements.org/blog/entry/pakistan-builds-web-wall-out-in-the-open/ http://www.movements.org/blog/entry/pakistan-builds-web-wall-out-in-the-open/ Many countries censor the Internet, but few spell out their intentions as explicitly as Pakistan. The government published a public tender last month for the “development, deployment and operation of a national-level URL filtering and blocking System.” Technology companies, academic institutions and other interested parties have until March 16 to submit proposals for the $10 million project — but anger about it has been growing both inside and outside Pakistan. Censorship, Social Media, Website 2012-03-02T18:53:53+00:00 http://www.movements.org/blog/entry/jordanian-blogger-stabbed-after-post-that-criticized-royal-family/ http://www.movements.org/blog/entry/jordanian-blogger-stabbed-after-post-that-criticized-royal-family/ REPORTING FROM BEIRUT-- As blogger Enass Musallam of Jordan was leaving a cafe in the nation's capital last week, a man wearing a mask and gloves grabbed her from behind. 2012-03-01T20:56:19+00:00 http://www.movements.org/blog/entry/iran.ir-email-is-an-anonymous-remailer/ http://www.movements.org/blog/entry/iran.ir-email-is-an-anonymous-remailer/ A guest blogger under the name Armin wrote a post on Osyan blog, a famous Persian blog that covers Internet-related products and belongs to Iranian journalist Nima Akbarpour. Armin posted about Iran’s national email that ends with ‘@iran.ir’. The Iranian state has been advertising on it; some say especially after blocking Iranians from access to Gmail and Yahoo.     2012-02-23T22:03:25+00:00 http://www.movements.org/blog/entry/email-threats-to-iranian-journalists/ http://www.movements.org/blog/entry/email-threats-to-iranian-journalists/ Several Iranian activists and journalists were threatened in an anonymous email received on February 14, 2012. According to the Society of Iranian Journalists’ Facebook page, the emails were titled “Warning,” and the sender indicated that they have information and documents that would implicate a list of people who are actively working "for the goals of foreigners" and who support seditious activity. 2012-02-17T15:28:24+00:00 http://www.movements.org/blog/entry/lebanese-activists-fear-skype-surveillance/ http://www.movements.org/blog/entry/lebanese-activists-fear-skype-surveillance/ Lebanese activists recently raised concerns online after an article published in the daily newspaper, An-Nahar, revealed the country’s changing telephone surveillance policies. In an interview with a representative from the committee responsible for regulating telephone surveillance, the newspaper reported that, “Monitoring Skype is illegal except in the case of persons considered to be dangerous or part of a conspiracy.” 2012-02-14T20:06:27+00:00