Category Archives: Censorship

GreatFire.org, the website with the aim of delivering uncensored news to China, has been hit by a massive DDoS attack. The attack started on March 17 but the anti-censorship site has only just gone public about it and made a call for help.

The organization believes that the attack -- which it calls "censorship by brute force" -- could be a response to an article in the Wall Street Journal. With a peak of 2.6 billion page requests per hour, servers were simply unable to cope with the traffic, knocking GreatFire.org's mirror sites offline.

This is the first time GreatFire.org has ever fallen victim to a DDoS attack, and it is not the only group trying to get uncensored news through the Great Firewall of China -- Reporters Without Borders is also fighting censorship. It is not yet clear who is behind the attacks, but the fingers of blame are pointing towards the Chinese government.

Talking to the BBC, Professor Alan Woodward from the University of Surrey explained that the attackers were bombarding the sites that are normally blocked so they cannot be accessed using any form of circumvention. He said:

"It is difficult not to conclude that someone, most likely a government annoyed that Greatfire has enabled previously censored websites to neuter their censoring technology, has decided to fight back".

One theory for the reason behind the attacks -- other than ensuring blocked sites remain blocked -- is that it may force Greatfire.org to spend money on bandwidth upgrades to cope with the extra traffic and ultimately succumb to the financial pressure. But for the time being the organization has no plans to go under:

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Anti-censorship site Greatfire.org suffers massive DDoS attack

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London Kenyan activist Amran Abdundi, winner of the 2015 Index on Censorship Freedom of Expression Award for Campaigning, spoke at the ceremony in London on 18 March.

Amran Abdundi is an activist who, through various channels, has worked to make life safer in northeastern Kenya supporting women who are vulnerable to rape, female circumcision and murder. Despite death threats, Abdundi's Frontier Indigenous Network (FIN) has set up shelters along the dangerous border between Kenya and Somalia, an area where militant terrorist groups pose a threat to many. Alongside these shelters, FIN also maps out conflict areas, targets the illegal arms trade which fuels local conflict and has set up radio listening groups. As a way of reaching women in remote areas, these circles help to dispel myths about tuberculosis treatment and female property ownership, and to tackle doctrines spread by the area's terror organisations. She is the recipient of the 2015 Index on Censorship Freedom of Expression Award for Campaigning.

I want to thank the judges who selected me for this award after going through so many worthwhile and wonderful nominations that were submitted from around the world. Equally I want to thank Index on Censorship's staff. I will be eternally indebted to you all.

This award goes to marginalised women of northern Kenya whom I have worked with closely for the last ten years and who have joined hands with me in fighting outdated cultural practices that deny them the right to own property, expose them to dangerous practices like FGM, and threaten them with sexual exploitation.

The award also goes to conflict concubines who were abducted by armed youths in the height of armed violence in northern Kenya and acted as comfort women for armed militias. When these women came back from conflict zones with children born out of wedlock, they were rejected by their families. This award is for them.

Society rejected them and they live in separate makeshift areas outside normal settlement areas in northern Kenya. Working together with the conflict concubines we engaged various stakeholders women leaders, elders, local government officials, cultural leaders and youths in order to open a dialogue. This led to partial acceptance by the community in accommodating them. I am still working in engaging the stakeholders to fully accept them and still hope to integrate the conflict concubines in mainstream society.

This award also goes to women who through my organizational campaign are today enjoying their constitutional right to own property, land and livestock. This is contrary to past practice when all lands, livestocks and properties acquired by women was registered in name of their husbands. Or if the woman was single or widowed, her brother or father's name. Our campaign and advocacy managed to break that outdated cultural practice.

The award also goes to women victims of armed violence perpetrated by terrorist groups, community militias and gangs along the Kenya/Somalia border. Thugs who have used their armed power to attack, rape, gang rape and block women fleeing droughts from reaching Dadaab refugee camp in northern Kenya. We used our loud speakers to confront the attackers and we documented the abuses along the border.

I have done all these things not to win any award or recognition but because of a grave reality on the ground. A horror which moved me to join hands with other women and form a woman-led organisation called FRONTIER INDIGENOUS NETWORK.

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Kenya: Amran Abdundi - "This Award is for the Marginalised Women of Northern Kenya"

#ModTalkLeaks: Censorship by Reddit Mods, More female character costume redesign critiques Hotl...
We also discuss #changethecover, Ben Kuchera #39;s rant at Chris Mancil much more. -- Links of stories: Chris mancil Blog Post; https://archive.today/FqbLH More redesings: http://muddycolors.blogsp...

By: Roll Play Podcast

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#ModTalkLeaks: Censorship by Reddit Mods, More female character costume redesign critiques & Hotl... - Video

CHINA INTERNET CENSORSHIP CRACKDOWN China To Crack Down on Social Media Accounts 2015
SUBSCRIBE to ELITE NWO AGENDA for Latest on FREEDOM / HUMANITY / FREEDOM OF SPEECH / CHINA / CYBER SECURITY / CENSORSHIP SUBSCRIBE to ELITE NWO AGENDA for Latest on ...

By: Misha Winder

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CHINA INTERNET CENSORSHIP CRACKDOWN China To Crack Down on Social Media Accounts 2015 - Video

The NDTV Dialogues: Censorship and Democracy
Censorship and democracy - are these two concepts mutually contradictory, or indeed is censorship in some form absolutely necessary to ensure the safe functioning of our democracy? We debate...

By: NDTV

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The NDTV Dialogues: Censorship and Democracy - Video

Video Game Censorship and Freedom of Speech an Interview with Jon Festinger, Q.C.
In this video, Jon Festinger, Q.C. discusses Video Game Law, Video Game Censorship and the importance of Freedom of Speech. Below is a short summary about Jon Festinger: Jon Festinger is...

By: BasedGamer

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Video Game Censorship and Freedom of Speech an Interview with Jon Festinger, Q.C. - Video

By Justin Evans

The Maneater reserves the right to edit letters and columns for style and length.

If movies like American Sniper can make a student feel threatened, then we have a problem. We have many veterans on campus. I am one, and I have many friends here at the law school that are veterans as well. Some of those veterans did jobs that were very similar to that of Chris Kyle personal friends of mine. Films like American Sniper are a good thing for those veterans, not because they tell a heroic story, but because they tell a more nuanced story than the John Wayne flicks of yesteryear. American Sniper isnt glamorizing war or colonialism. Its telling the real life story of someone who suffered a great deal because of the political decisions of this country, good or bad. "I feel unsafe" or "threatened" has become a weapon to use when someone with a bone to pick wants to get their way. Whether or not this student likes the wars in the Middle East (obviously she'd be in agreement with plenty of non-Muslims and even veterans in that regard), it's odd to me that we have such a problem with people giving an account of what a person actually went through in a conflict. As if this movie is contributing to something that isn't an immediate political reality anyway. Does the presence of our veterans on campus offend this student or make her feel threatened? Should those students be allowed to speak with pride about their service for fear that it would make a student feel threatened? It seems to me that the real problem here that this student simply doesn't like how positively Americans respond to stories like that of Chris Kyle. And if the presence of this movie on campus is somehow a threat to her, how does she ever make it anywhere outside of the confines of the University? It was a fairly big hit at the box office, after all.

Were living in a time when academics will write letters in support of taking down the U.S. flag at a federally funded university. Why? Because of colonialism, and because of shameful moments in American history. Many of the same excuses are used by this student. But despite moments in American history that are terribly shameful, are we really saying that we have to pack it in? Dismantle our pride in America as a nation? Take down the flags, get rid of the monuments, and tell our veterans that we are afraid of them for the jobs they did? Take a step back and think its okay to be proud of a flawed institution. Its okay to be proud of Chris Kyle as a veteran, while realizing that he was as flawed as any other human being.

Finally, and perhaps most sadly, this student has chosen to lecture the entire University on the boundaries of the First Amendment while attempting to censor a point of view that she simply doesn't like. What she's really saying is that the First Amendment only extends to points of view that everyone agrees are comfortable. Sorry, but I'm thinking she may not understand that the point of the First Amendment was to protect unpopular opinions and speech. Personally, I'm not in the business of avoiding truths because I don't agree with them, nor do I reshape reality and what other people can do or say to fit my "comfort zone."

What's funny to me is that students actually considered not showing the film. Whatever your political sensibilities, it should give you pause that "cultural inclusiveness" and "tolerance" are being used more and more as a mask for blatant attempts at silencing and censoring points of view that we disagree with. And that needs to stop. We should all be willing to let one another voice their opinions, no matter if we agree with them and no matter how politically popular they are. Thats a right that our veterans understand, and Ms. El-Jayyousi should too.

Respectfully,

Justin Evans, jme337@mail.missouri.edu

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Censorship and shaming veterans needs to end

Japanese Media Self-censorship Grows in PM Abe #39;s Reign
Worries are growing in Japan about a trend of media self-censorship as journalists and experts say news organizations are toning down criticism of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe #39;s government for...

By: wochit General News

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Japanese Media Self-censorship Grows in PM Abe's Reign - Video

facebook takes first step towards censorship.....
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/16/facebook-community-standards_n_6879382.html.

By: Martin Brodel

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facebook takes first step towards censorship..... - Video

Kalki Koechlin #39;s Take On Censorship In India!
Kalki Koechlin talks about censorship and what she would like to change about the Hindi film industry. For the latest events, news and updates in Bollywood, log on and subscribe to http://www.yout...

By: officialfilmsofindia

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Kalki Koechlin's Take On Censorship In India! - Video