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Anonymity Online Under Attack: China And Australia
For the most part, the US has recognized that the right to be anonymous is a form of protected free speech -- and yet, anonymity is constantly under attack. Of course, the right to be anonymous is not absolute, but there is value in allowing anonymous speech to occur. With the right to anonymity under attack in the US, it's even worse in other countries, where such rights aren't even seen as vital as it is in the US. China, for example, is now requiring news websites to force all commenters to reveal their real identity. Apparently, the government issued a directive demanding such info from all commenters, though, they don't want to admit it. Even though the newspapers are claiming that they're doing it to increase "civility" and "social responsibility," quietly they admit that it's the government. As for why the gov't won't just come out and say it's for civility and social responsibility (even if it's to quiet critics), apparently the government is afraid of public backlash:
"The influence of public opinion on the Net is still too big."I guess that's why the idea is to silence them.
Meanwhile, as reports came in last week suggesting that Australia's latest plan to censor the internet is just about dead, Slashdot notes that Scientologists down under are asking the Australian gov't to implement severe restrictions on what they refer to as "Religious Vilification" (which, one assumes, means any anti-Scientology comments, among other things). The proposal also suggests that any such site should not be allowed to be operated anonymously. Apparently, Scientologists took the name of the group "Anonymous" that organized protests against the group quite literally.
via techdirt.com
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China Fires City Leader Following Protests
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| Chinese troops move into position along street of Urumqi, the capital of the Xinjiang Uyghur autonomous region, 05 Sep 2009 |
The official Xinhua news agency did not give a reason for the removal of party head Li Zhi, who was replaced by Zhu Hailun, and Liu Yaohua, head of the regional public security department, who was replaced by Zhu Changjie.
Thousands of mainly Han Chinese took to the streets of Urumqi this week, demanding better security following a series of bizarre attacks involving syringes.
The protesters also criticized authorities for being too slow to punish those responsible for July's ethnic violence between mainly Muslim Uighurs and Han Chinese that killed nearly 200 people in the capital of the Xinjiang region.
Officials say five people were killed Thursday during demonstrations.
Saturday, Urumqi returned to an uneasy peace under the watch of thousands of security forces, who patrolled the streets and set up security checks throughout the city. There were reports of troops using tear gas to break up a group of people gathered near city government offices.
Urumqi's deputy mayor, Zhang Hong, told reporters Friday that 21 Uighurs had been detained, including four who were indicted for alleged involvement in the syringe attacks. State media reported the majority of attack victims were Han Chinese.
China's Public Security Minister Meng Jianshu was also quoted by state-run Xinhua news agency as saying ethnic separatist forces were to blame for the nearly 500 needle attacks.
Official media reports say only 89 people showed obvious signs of being pricked by a needle, and no deaths, poisonings or infections have occurred.
The Uighurs see Xinjiang as their homeland and resent the millions of Han Chinese who have come to the region in recent decades.
The Uighurs say the Han have unfairly benefited from the riches of Xinjiang, a strategically vital Central Asian region with significant oil and gas deposits.
The Han believe the Uighurs are unfairly favored by set-aside quotas for government jobs and university placements.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.
via voanews.com
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Will Japan become a Chinese colony?
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On Sunday, the Democratic Party of Japan swept the ruling Liberal Democratic Party from power, capturing 308 out of the 480 seats in the lower house of the Diet. Its allies will have 32 more. The LDP and its camp will number a mere 140.
At first glance, this lopsided lineup means that Yukio Hatoyama, who becomes prime minister Sept. 16, will be able to do what he wants. And what he wants to do is reverse the policies of his predecessors. So look for him to take a step back from what he and others have derided as "market fundamentalism." Hatoyama seemed, in a now-famous opinion piece on the New York Times Web site, to deride this concept both as belonging to the era of former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi--and as American in origin. "There you have the makings of a very appealing political platform," says Berkeley's Steven Vogel.
via forbes.com
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