Freedom of Expression

FCC Said To Signal It’s Heeding Obama’s Call For Open-Web Rules

January 8, 2015 Todd Shields and James Rowley, www.bloomberg.com Create! FCC, Freedom of Expression, Internet, Net Neutrality

The U.S. Federal Communication Commission is signaling that it intends to adopt President Barack Obama’s proposal to keep the Internet open when the independent agency votes on rules next month. FCC officials working on the issue under Chairman Tom Wheeler are asking questions they would only ask if they were taking the direction Obama is seeking, such as how to regulate wireless service, said one person involved in discussions with the agency. Obama in November called for “the strongest possible rules” to regulate Internet service, including a ban on so-called fast lanes. In doing so, he joined the ranks of Internet startups, public interest groups and more than 105,000 people who signed a petition to the White House calling for an open-Internet policy. The rules would ensure service providers treat Web traffic equally -- a concept known as net neutrality.

Spanish Government Strips Away Protesting Rights

December 24, 2014 Kevin Mathews, www.truth-out.org Educate! Civil Disobedience, Democracy, Freedom of Expression, Law

Spain is showing signs of fascism with its new anti-protest legislation nicknamed the “Gag Law.” This past week, Spain’s lower parliament okayed the law, pushing it much closer to reality. Among the restrictions cemented by the law, punishable by a $700-37,000 fine: Holding a protest without obtaining a permit from the government first, Protesting the day before an election, Insulting a police officer, Burning a flag, Photographing/filming police officers and sharing said photos/videos, Protesting at a bank, Blocking a home foreclosure, Assembling near a legislative building, Wearing hoods or masks, as they prevent authorities from identifying you.

Banning Dissent In The Name Of Civility

December 23, 2014 Chris Hedges, www.truthdig.com Educate! Freedom of Expression, Israel, Palestine

Being banned from speaking about the conflict between Israel and Palestine, especially at universities, is familiar to anyone who attempts to challenge the narrative of the Israel lobby. This is not the first time one of my speaking offers has been revoked and it will not be the last. However, the charge of Belnavis and the International Affairs Association that I do not believe in coexistence between the Palestinians and Israel is false. I oppose violence by either party. I have condemned Hamas rocket attacks as war crimes. And I support Israel’s right to exist within the pre-1967 borders. The charge that I oppose coexistence cannot be substantiated by anything I have said or written. And those of us who call on Israel to withdraw to the pre-1967 borders are, after all, only demanding what is required by international law and numerous U.N. resolutions.

Egypt Police Hail Arrest Of 10,000 ‘Terrorists, Rioters, Facebook Admins’

December 22, 2014 Passant Darwish, www.english.ahram.org Educate! Egypt, Freedom of Expression, police brutality

The Muslim Brotherhood is now facing its “final struggle,” the Egyptian interior ministry said on Saturday, citing the arrest of thousands of people in 2014 on charges related to terrorism and political violence. Police arrested 10,000 alleged saboteurs, rioters, and terrorists in 2014, assistant interior minister Abdel-Fattah Osman was quoted as saying on Saturday by state-run news agency MENA. The police also arrested 119 Facebook page admins responsible for inciting against state institutions and security personnel, and four people charged with recording “hostile videos," he said. "The terrorist Brotherhood has terrorised people on the one hand and promoted an environment of discontent on the other, whether by blowing up electricity pylons or by obstructing transportation," Osman stated, adding that security forces have managed to thwart all such "satanic plans."

Newsletter: Respect Our Human Rights Or We’ll ‘Shut It Down’

December 13, 2014 Margaret Flowers and Kevin Zeese, www.PopularResistance.org Newsletter Bankers, Climate Justice, Corruption, Education, FCC, Finance and Economy, Freedom of Expression, Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Speech and Assembly, GMOs, Healthcare, Human Rights, Internet Freedom, Monsanto, Net Neutrality, Police abuse, Racism, Torture, TPP, Undercover police, Worker Rights and Jobs

This week we marked the 66th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which was signed by the United States at its inception but has never been ratified. Perhaps because we live in a country that does not protect our human rights, many people in the United States lack an understanding that they exist. In the work for justice, important tasks are to learn about our rights, recognize that they are being violated and to stand up with the demand that these rights are honored. Throughout history it has been organized people-power that has won rights. We cannot expect to gain them any other way. We’ll highlight many areas where people are fighting for rights.

Media Tries To Avoid Saying ‘Torture’

December 13, 2014 Jim Naurekas, www.fair.org Educate! Freedom of Expression, Journalism, Media, Torture

National Public Radio, following the lead of theWashington Post (FAIR Blog, 12/9/14) (and in contrast to the New York Times–FAIR Blog,8/8/14), tries to avoid applying the word "torture" in its own voice to the tortures described in the recent Senate Intelligence Committee report. Here's host Robert Siegel (All Things Considered, 12/9/14): In the years after 9/11, the CIA conducted harsh interrogations, more brutal and widespread than many realized. And worse, those interrogations did not produce any intelligence that we could use in any significant way to fight terrorism. Those are the conclusions of a report partially released today by the Democratic chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee. Reactions to what's known as the torture report show a country divided.

Nafeez Ahmed Censored By The Guardian Over Palestine

December 5, 2014 Nafeez Ahmed, www.commondreams.com Educate! Freedom of Expression, Israel, Journalism, Media, Palestine

After writing for The Guardian for over a year, my contract was unilaterally terminated because I wrote a piece on Gaza that was beyond the pale. In doing so, The Guardian breached the very editorial freedom the paper was obligated to protect under my contract. I’m speaking out because I believe it is in the public interest to know how a Pulitizer Prize-winning newspaper which styles itself as the world’s leading liberal voice, casually engaged in an act of censorship to shut down coverage of issues that undermined Israel’s publicised rationale for going to war.

The Global Movement For Net Neutrality

November 28, 2014 Nadia Prupis, www.commondreams.org Organize! Freedom of Expression, Internet, Net Neutrality

As a movement crystallizes around the future of the Internet, more than 35 human rights and technology organizations from 19 countries have come together as a new coalition to define and protect the idea of 'net neutrality' as they lead what they say is a global battle to protect the Open Internet and online freedom. The numerous and diverse groups—coming together as the 'This Is Net Neutrality' coalition—released a joint statement (made available in eleven languages) expressing their shared purpose: The open Internet has fostered unprecedented creativity, innovation and access to knowledge and to other kinds of social, economic, cultural, and political opportunities across the globe.

It’s Our Digital Future Video Launch

November 22, 2014 Open Media, www.docs.google.com Create! Canada, Free Trade, Freedom of Expression, Internet, TPP

At it's best, the Internet encourages us to share, use our creativity, and express ourselves freely. But these freedoms are being threatened by big media conglomerates who are trying to use copyright laws to control the Internet. While copyright laws were originally created to protect people's ability to make a living from their inventions, today they have been corrupted by big media conglomerates, abusing them for their advantage. It will be easy to fail to follow the rules without even knowing it. Now, big media conglomerates are trying to change the rules again to be even more restrictive through the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). Under the TPP, Internet Service Providers (ISPs) could be forced to police your internet use and forced to kick you off line if you are just suspicious of breaking rules without a jury, judge, or due process.

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