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IP: Middle East governments restrict Net and stunt growth --report
From: Dave Farber <farber () cis upenn edu>
Date: Fri, 09 Jul 1999 15:28:12 -0400
Date: Thu, 08 Jul 1999 23:47:23 -0400 From: Declan McCullagh <declan () well com> I wrote about this HRW report; my article is at: http://www.wired.com/news/news/politics/story/20616.html ********* From: goldstr () hrw org Date: Thu, 08 Jul 1999 11:46:41 -0400 To: <declan () well com> Declan--I'd be grateful if you could post this on the politech listserve. -- Ricky Here is information about a new Human Rights Watch report about Internet censorship and regulation in the Mideast and North Africa. HRW welcomes your comments. *** CENSORSHIP, RESTRICTIONS STUNT INTERNET GROWTH IN MIDEAST RIGHTS GROUP SURVEYS ONLINE FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION IN THE REGION (Washington, July 8, 1999) - Censorship, restrictions on access, and high prices are stunting Internet growth in the Middle East and North Africa, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. The report charges that in many countries in the region, information cannot be freely exchanged via the Internet. But the report also said efforts to block the flow of information online were doomed to fail, and noted that nearly one million people in the Arab world are already online. While claiming to protect the public from pornography, the governments of Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Bahrain, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates also block access to some human rights and political websites. Iraq and Libya, meanwhile, are not even linked to the global Internet, while Syria is the only country in the region that has a link but has refused thus far to make local access available to its citizens. Tunisia leads the region in adopting Internet-specific laws_many designed to ensure that critical speech is subjected to the same restrictions as in other media. "Authorities in this region are used to keeping tight reins on the media, but they cannot control the free-flowing Internet," said Hanny Megally, Human Rights Watch's executive director for the Middle East and North Africa. "Instead of erecting barriers that cannot stand for long, these governments should work to make online communication widely available." Many users in the region worry about high-tech surveillance of their online activities and e-mail correspondence. Such fears are understandable in a region where the police frequently wiretap the phones and fax machines of suspected dissidents, and telecommunication networks are still largely in state hands. In one instance, a Bahraini spent nearly two years in detention on suspicion of e-mailing political information to opposition groups overseas. But the development of tools to protect against censorship and surveillance online, such as encryption, anonymous re-mailing, anti-censorship proxy servers, and wireless communications, seems to be outpacing the technologies of control, noted Human Rights Watch, an international monitoring organization based in New York. People in the Middle East are already using the Internet to erode controls on information. Local human rights organizations are disseminating news more effectively than ever and newspapers are posting stories online that were censored from their print editions. Viewpoints that are restricted or taboo locally_such as pro-Islamist views in Algeria and pro-Polisario views in Morocco_are readily available to Internet users in those countries. Not all governments have been actively trying to control the Internet. Egypt and Jordan are among those that allow news and commentary online even when it has been censored or is considered taboo in the print media. Governments tolerate this paradox in part because the cost of Internet access_as high as U.S.$70 per month in some countries_ensures a small and mostly elite audience. "Internet speech may seem low on the human rights agenda in a region where torture is commonplace and a computer is beyond the means of the average household," observed Megally. "But the Internet is actually most important in repressive countries, where people now have the power to send and receive information." After a slow start, Internet use is growing in the Middle East and North Africa. Information technology receives much attention from Arab media and is the subject of frequent conferences. Cybercafés welcome the public in at least fourteen countries. But the region still lags far behind North America, South America, Europe and Asia in terms of connectivity per capita. A shortage of Arabic content and antiquated telecommunication sectors also hampers Internet growth. In the 92-page survey report issued today, Human Rights Watch unveiled policy guidelines aimed at protecting the rights to privacy, association and expression online. Among the recommendations: Censoring mechanisms, if used, should be in the hands of individual users, and not governments; Strong encryption should be available to individuals; Government surveillance of electronic communications should not infringe unduly on the right to privacy and other civil rights, and should be subject to the requirements of due process and judicial supervision; and Individuals should have the right to communicate and receive information anonymously. The report, which contains written responses from the governments of Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Tunisia, and Yemen, is available online at <http://www.hrw.org/advocacy/internet/ mena/index.htm>. For information contact: In Washington: Eric Goldstein 202 612-4326 (English, French) goldstr () hrw org In New York: Hanny Megally 212-216-1230 (English, Arabic) megallh () hrw org In Brussels: Jean-Paul Marthoz 32.2.736.7838 (English, French) -------------------------------------------------------------------------- POLITECH -- the moderated mailing list of politics and technology To subscribe: send a message to majordomo () vorlon mit edu with this text: subscribe politech More information is at http://www.well.com/~declan/politech/ --------------------------------------------------------------------------
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