Kwikdesk is only one week old, but a local version of the social messaging tool has already hit China, with the translation help of Wu’er Kaixi, the Chinese dissident known for his role in the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests. Kwikdesk allows users to anonymously send messages of up to 300 words with hashtags. They […]
Footprint-Free Social Messaging Hits China; Russia, Iran, Arab Versions Next
China Boasts Internet Clean-Up a Resounding Success
China says its campaign against what it calls “online rumors” has really cleaned up the internet. Ren Xianliang, deputy director of China’s State Internet Information Office, told reporters in Beijing Thursday, “The rumors have declined significantly, but this hasn’t affected the normal flow of information.” Last September, China expanded existing censorship laws by announcing tough […]
Will Bahrain Free Jailed Activist Nabeel Rajab on Good Behavior?
Reverend Billy and the Golden Toads: A Test of Free Speech in the U.S.?
He calls himself Reverend Billy, the pastor of the Church of Earthalujah–otherwise known as the Church of Stop Shopping Now. And when he and his “choir master” Nehemiah Luckett, appear in a New York City court on December 9th, they could end up spending a year in jail. The comic activist, whose real name is […]
Repressed: A Voice for the Voiceless
Years ago, I took a job as a radio newscaster in a country whose constitution guaranteed free speech “within the limits of the law.” A central editorial team wrote our news for us. Most news items seemed designed not to inform but to promote nationalism; they always opened with news of what the ruler […]