[Telecentres] Obama calls for free Internet in China... is Internet really free afterall ? : For Information: IGF 2009 event rattled by UN Security Office

Tue Nov 17 04:39:08 GMT 2009

the news below from telecomasia is quite interesting... actually we in 
Asia pacific should also asked Mr Obama about the issue of  wiretapping 
internet and email in USA and its allies... when Mr Obama raised the 
same question to student in Shanghai University yesterday.

Internet is not as free after all, every country in the world has 
censorship policy and wiretapping policy  of its own... an interesting 
issue discussed in IGF forum in Egypt this week

How about also free software movement... freeing people from monopoly 
licensing of proprietary (IPR) and expensive software... and Internet as 
a free, neutral and open platform ? is it possible ?

regards, rudi rusdiah - Association of Community Internet - Indonesia

  Obama calls for free internet in China

Robert Clark  |   November 17, 2009
telecomasia.net

President Obama's call for the easing of China's internet restrictions 
yesterday was predictably blocked by Chinese censors.

Obama's comments at a town hall-style meeting in Shanghai lasted 27 
minutes on NetEase's home page, /China Digital Times/ reported 
<http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/libertycentral/2009/nov/16/china-internet-censorship>. 

"I've always been a strong supporter of open Internet use," Obama said 
<http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/16/obama-walks-chinas-great-firewall/?ref=technology>. 

"I think that the more freely information flows, the stronger the 
society becomes, because then citizens of countries around the world can 
hold their own governments accountable."

"I'm a big supporter of non-censorship.... I can tell you that in the 
United States, the fact that we have free Internet --- or unrestricted 
internet access is a source of strength, and I think should be encouraged."

His meeting with 500 students was streamed online through a single 
Shanghai site, /Xinwen Zonghe/, and the White House website. It was also 
broadcast through Facebook, which is blocked in China.

The state-owned Xinhua website, which had promised live coverage, gave 
text updates and photos, /scmp.com /said.

Robin Gross wrote:
> Thanks for forwarding this story, Fouad.  I was very disappointed to 
> hear the UN Security Forces were being used to remove unsanctioned 
> content from the meeting.  However, I'm  not there, and am very keen 
> to hear from those who were present at this incident more facts and 
> impressions about what actually happened and why, as there are 
> conflicting reports, and this is a very serious incident.
>
> Thanks,
> Robin
>
>
> On Nov 16, 2009, at 1:11 AM, Fouad Bajwa wrote:
>
>> Forwarded for information:
>>
>> IGF 2009 event rattled by UN Security Office:
>> http://www.mis-asia.com/news/articles/igf-2009-event-rattled-by-un-security-office
>>
>> "If we cannot discuss topics about Internet censorship and
>> surveillance policy at a forum about Internet governance then what is
>> the point of something like the IGF," said Ron Deibert, director of
>> the Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto's Munk Centre for
>> International Studies and one of ONI's principal investigators.
>> By Rabia Garib
>>
>> KARACHI, 15 NOVEMBER 2009 - An anti-censorship group holding an event
>> Sunday at the United Nations-sponsored Internet Governance Forum (IGF)
>> in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, was disrupted by UN officials who demanded
>> removal of a poster that mentioned Internet firewalls in China.
>>
>> According to a Pakistani delegate, Shahzad Ahmed of Bytesforall.net, a
>> reception hosted by Open Net Initiative (ONI) was rattled by IGF
>> security, who objected to a poster advertising "Access Controlled", a
>> book being introduced at the event. "The poster was thrown on the
>> floor and we were told to remove it because of the reference to China
>> and Tibet. We refused, and security guards came and removed it. The
>> incident was witnessed by many," Ahmed reported.
>>
>> The poster promoting ONI's forthcoming book, "Access Controlled" was
>> removed by the IGF's organizers because a sentence in the poster
>> apparently violated UN policy. The sentence in question reads, "The
>> first generation of Internet controls consisted largely of building
>> firewalls at key Internet gateways; China's famous "Great Firewall of
>> China" is one of the first national Internet filtering systems."
>>
>> "If we cannot discuss topics about Internet censorship and
>> surveillance policy at a forum about Internet governance then what is
>> the point of something like the IGF," said Ron Deibert, director of
>> the Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto's Munk Centre for
>> International Studies and one of ONI's principal investigators.
>>
>> Deibert, one of the organizers of the reception, said he will file a
>> complaint against the censorship of the event and send it to the
>> United Nations Human Rights Commission.
>>
>> "We condemn this undemocratic act of censoring our event just because
>> someone is trying to impress or be in the good graces of the Chinese
>> government. It is ironic that while people are allowed to gather here
>> to discuss freedom of expression online, censorship and surveillance
>> practices on the Internet, we are being restricted in expressing our
>> views," said Al Alegre of the Foundation for Media Alternatives, a
>> member of the ONI Network.
>>
>> --
>> Regards.
>> --------------------------
>> Fouad Bajwa
>> Advisor & Researcher
>> ICT4D & Internet Governance
>> Member Multistakeholder Advisory Group (IGF)
>> Member Civil Society Internet Governance Caucus (IGC)
>> My Blog: Internet's Governance
>> http://internetsgovernance.blogspot.com/
>> Follow my Tweets:
>> http://twitter.com/fouadbajwa
>> MAG Interview:
>> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATVDW1tDZzA
>
>
>
>
> IP JUSTICE
> Robin Gross, Executive Director
> 1192 Haight Street, San Francisco, CA  94117  USA
> p: +1-415-553-6261    f: +1-415-462-6451
> w: http://www.ipjustice.org     e: robin at ipjustice.org 
> <mailto:robin at ipjustice.org>
>
>
>

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