USIP's Science, Technology & Peacebuilding Roundup

 

Center of Innovation: Science, Technology and Peacebuilding Weekly News Roundup, January 10 - 16, 2013 Table of Contents Technology Holds Key to Fair Kenya Elections (Al Jazeera, 1/16/13) Give Peace a Chance - in Space (Atlantic, 1/16/13) Rights Group Reports on Abuses of Surveillance and Censorship Technology (New York Times, 1/16/13) Pentagon Swears It Won't Sell Killer Drones to Afghanistan, Just Spy Ones (Wired, 1/15/13) Watching from Above (Economist, 1/15/13) Computer Malware Targets Europe Agencies (Washington Post, 1/14/13) There's No App for Syria (Foreign Policy, 1/11/13) **Click here to subscribe to USIP's Media, Conflict and Peacebuilding News Roundup, which includes a special section on Internet and social media.** Technology Holds Key to Fair Kenya Elections Technology is set to play a pivotal role in Kenyan elections due in March, just as it did in the last round in 2007. Signs emanating from the African nation in the run-up to the vote are encouraging. Google has launched a web portal, Kenya Elections Hub, where voters and journalists can track news and trends. Another crowdsourcing platform, Uchaguzi, is enabling citizens with access to SMS, Twitter, email, or Facebook to report incidents of illegal activities, hate speech and poll violence. See the full article (Al Jazeera, Jonathan Kalan, 1/16/13) [Return to top] Give Peace a Chance - in Space For now, the prospect of military conflict in outer space still resides in the realm of dystopia or absurdity, to the point that a White House petition demanding the construction of a Star Wars-style "Death Star" could be treated as a harmless prank. But there's another, more idealistic reason humanity is safe from the scourge of space war. And ironically, it suggests that we might not be safe forever. See the full article (Atlantic, Armin Rosen, 1/16/13) [Return to top] Rights Group Reports on Abuses of Surveillance and Censorship Technology A Canadian human rights monitoring group has documented the use of American-made Internet surveillance and censorship technology by more than a dozen governments, some with harsh human rights policies like Syria, China and Saudi Arabia. The Citizen Lab Internet research group, based at the Munk School of Global Affairs at the University of Toronto, used computer servers to scan for the distinctive signature of gear made by Blue Coat Systems of Sunnyvale, Calif. See the full article (New York Times, John Markoff, 1/16/13) *NYT sign-up may be required to view the full article [Return to top] Pentagon Swears It Won't Sell Killer Drones to Afghanistan, Just Spy Ones Yesterday, when Afghan president Hamid Karzai boasted that the U.S. was about to give him his own fleet of drones, you may have been tempted to see the mercurial leader with his hand on the joystick of an armed Predator. Please disabuse yourself of that notion. The Pentagon confirmed on Tuesday that it's in talks to sell the Afghans drones. But the drones will be tiny, low-flying, and unarmed. See the full article (Wired, Spencer Ackerman, 1/15/13) Click to read about USIP's upcoming event "Political and Economic Transition Challenges in Afghanistan" on January 25 at 1:00pm. [Return to top] Watching from Above Should the secretary-general of the United Nations, Ban ki-Moon, get his way, a newcomer will appear in the skies over eastern Congo. He has asked the Security Council to approve unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), commonly known as drones, for use in the troubled region. The potential uses of UAVs stretch beyond Congo, monitoring remote areas like the border between Liberia and Côte d'Ivoire, for example, or troop movements on the frontier between the Sudans. See the full article (Economist, 1/15/13) [Return to top] Computer Malware Targets Europe Agencies Computer security researchers have uncovered malware that appears to have been used as part of a widespread cyber-espionage campaign targeting European diplomatic and government agencies. Kaspersky Lab, a global firm based in Moscow, said in a report released Monday that in terms of complexity, the malware rivals the Flame virus, a cyber-spying tool that was created by the United States and Israel for use against Iran. See the full article (Washington Post, Ellen Nakashima, 1/14/13) Click to read about USIP's upcoming event "America's Quest for Arab-Israeli Peace" on January 28 at 11:00am. [Return to top] There's No App for Syria The idea seemed laudable. Create a computer game app on the Syrian civil war that is simple enough for the general public to learn a bit about a complex conflict. Thus was born Endgame: Syria -- which puts the player in command of the Syrian rebels as they battle to overthrow Bashar al-Assad's regime. It runs on Android tablets, and it will soon be available on the Apple app store, promises British publisher Auroch Digital. Except that Apple rejected it. See the full article (Foreign Policy, Michael Peck, 1/11/13) *Foreign Policy sign-up may be required to view the full article [Return to top] Click here to subscribe to USIP's Media, Conflict and Peacebuilding News Roundup, which includes a special section on Internet and social media. 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USIP's Media, Conflict & Peacebuilding Roundup

 

Center of Innovation: Media, Conflict and Peacebuilding Weekly News Roundup, January 10 - 16, 2013 Media and Journalism Nigerian Newspaper Editor Shot Dead (Guardian, 1/16/13) Somali Journalist Arrested After Interviewing Rape Victim (Guardian, 1/16/13) Frederica Jansz: Sri Lanka's Media Crackdown (Al Jazeera, 1/15/13) Israel Confronts Its "Image Problem" (Salon, 1/15/13) Censorship Row Reveals Tolerant Side of China's New Leadership (CNN, 1/14/13) Starring in Drama in Iran: TV Itself (New York Times, 1/14/13) Egypt's Climate of Intimidation (Washington Post, 1/13/13) Mubarak Is Asked About Media Gifts (New York Times, 1/12/13) Al Jazeera and the Qatari Government's Editorial Influence (NPR, 1/11/13) Film to Present Iran's View of 'Argo' Events (New York Times, 1/10/13) Internet and Social Media Technology Holds Key to Fair Kenya Elections (Al Jazeera, 1/16/13) Pakistani Minister Says Terrorists Using Social Media to Radicalize Populations (RFE/RL, 1/15/13) Kenya Group to Urge Arrest For 'Hate Speech' (Voice of America, 1/15/13) Without Frontiers, Young People Mobilize for Change (CNN, 1/15/13) Should Twitter Allow al-Shabab to Post Photos of Dead French Soldiers? (Foreign Policy, 1/14/13) China to Web Users: Great Firewall? Just Be Glad We're Not North Korea (Atlantic, 1/14/13) What's New from PeaceMedia "10 Tactics for Turning Information into Action" - Tactical Technology Collective **Click here to subscribe to USIP's Science, Technology and Peacebuilding News Roundup.** Media and Journalism Nigerian Newspaper Editor Shot Dead Nigerian editor Ikechukwu Udendu was shot dead on Saturday, becoming the seventh journalist in the world this year to be killed. In condemning the murder and calling for a thorough investigation, Gabriel Baglo, Africa director of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), said: "Nigeria has become a country of impunity for those who have attacked and killed journalists. This is a real press freedom regress." See the full article (Guardian, Roy Greenslade, 1/16/13) [Return to top] Somali Journalist Arrested After Interviewing Rape Victim A Somali journalist has been under arrest for almost a week because he interviewed a woman who claimed she had been raped by members of the Somali army. Abdiaziz Abdinur Ibrahim, a freelance who often works for radio stations, was arrested by police last Thursday after interviewing the woman. The arrests appear to be linked to an Al-Jazeera article. The CID has also questioned several other Somali journalists, including Al-Jazeera's Arabic correspondent, Omar Faruk, and radio journalist Abdiaziz Mohamed Dirie. See the full article (Guardian, Roy Greenslade, 1/16/13) [Return to top] Frederica Jansz: Sri Lanka's Media Crackdown For this Listening Post feature, we interview one journalist who has recently fled her country, Sri Lanka. Over the past few years freedom of the press has been under attack by the government there. One newspaper in particular has been in the governmental crosshairs, the Sunday Leader. "It was definitely a slow and steady slide into a stifling reporting that the government does not like. Since the end of the war in May 2009, there has been a very definite slide, a very definite take over, or state control, of all media outlets." See the full article (Al Jazeera, 1/15/13) [Return to top] Israel Confronts Its "Image Problem" Israel is one of the most divisive subjects in international politics and media. At next month's Oscar ceremony, that "image problem" will be on prominent display as two local films centered around the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and highly critical of Israel are up for nominations in the best documentary category. The films constitute candid, tragic confessions of what reality is like on the ground, snapshots of the recent history of Israel/Palestine. See the full article (Salon, Mairav Zonszein, 1/15/13) Click to read about USIP's upcoming event "America's Quest for Arab-Israeli Peace" on January 28 at 11:00am. [Return to top] Censorship Row Reveals Tolerant Side of China's New Leadership China's traditional iron-handed approach to the media has taken a surprise turn of tolerance with Beijing's soft handling of a recent dispute with local reporters, in what could well become a more open attitude toward the media under the incoming administration of presumed new President Xi Jinping. The new openness is being driven in large part by pragmatism, as the government realizes that both traditional and newer media can serve as powerful tools for achieving many of its goals in the country's modernization. See the full article (CNN, Doug Young, 1/14/13) [Return to top] Starring in Drama in Iran: TV Itself One of Iran's most popular satellite channels, GEM TV, operating from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and broadcasting illegally into the country, was taken offline without explanation. Its Web site was also down, adding to the mystery. The authorities here have fought what they call a "cultural invasion" from the West, starting with the introduction of videotaped Hollywood movies in the 1980s and, more recently, the Internet and dozens of satellite channels based abroad, broadcasting in Persian. See the full article (New York Times, Thomas Erdbrink, 1/14/13) *NYT sign-up may be required to view the full article [Return to top] Egypt's Climate of Intimidation Mr. Morsi and his Freedom and Justice party, backed by the Muslim Brotherhood, insist that they are committed to the democratic system. After only a few months in office, however, there are disturbing signs that they may not stick to those promises. Foremost among them is the increasing pressure being brought to bear on critical journalists. In recent months at least half a dozen prominent [Egyptian] editors, writers and cartoonists have been the targets of criminal investigations, many of them launched by a prosecutor appointed by Mr. Morsi following complaints from the president's office. See the full article (Washington Post, 1/13/13) [Return to top] Mubarak Is Asked About Media Gifts Prosecutors questioned former President Hosni Mubarak on Saturday about $1 million worth of personal gifts he received from a state news organization over his last six years in office, the organization's Web site reported. Mr. Mubarak was questioned about gifts, including gold pens, designer neckties, leather bags, shoes, gold jewelry and expensive watches that Al Ahram, which operates several newspapers and other media outlets, gave him from 2006 to 2011 as demonstrations of loyalty. See the full article (New York Times, 1/12/13) *NYT sign-up may be required to view the full article [Return to top] Al Jazeera and the Qatari Government's Editorial Influence In December, Al Jazeera Berlin correspondent Aktham Suliman left the news outlet, saying he felt its primary funder, the Qatari government, exerted too much influence over Al Jazeera's coverage. Suliman is just the latest in a string of resignations from Al Jazeera in protest of editorial interference. In an interview from August of last year, [On the Media] talks to blogger and political commentator Sultan Al Qassemi about what he sees as the problems with Al Jazeera's coverage of ongoing fighting in Syria. See the full article (NPR, 1/11/13) [Return to top] Film to Present Iran's View of 'Argo' Events News reports from Tehran say the Iranian government is planning to finance a movie that will correct what it says are numerous distortions of the historical record in "Argo." Not much is known about the proposed movie, but it is a sure bet that it will center on the official Iranian view of the 1979 hostage crisis, in which 52 American diplomats were held by Islamic students for 444 days. See the full article (New York Times, Thomas Erdbrink, 1/10/13) *NYT sign-up may be required to view the full article [Return to top]   Internet and Social Media Technology Holds Key to Fair Kenya Elections Technology is set to play a pivotal role in Kenyan elections due in March, just as it did in the last round in 2007. But in contrast to the hate that it helped to disseminate a little over five years ago after disputed elections, fuelling an orgy of violence that left more than 1,000 dead and a half a million displaced, technology is now generating hope. See the full article (Al Jazeera, Jonathan Kalan, 1/16/13) [Return to top] | [Return to section] Pakistani Minister Says Terrorists Using Social Media to Radicalize Populations Pakistani Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar says international terrorists are exploiting social media to radicalize local populations. Khar said extremists were using new information and communication technologies and the Internet for recruitment and incitement, as well as planning and financing their activities. Khar also suggested that counterterrorism efforts needed to adapt to these challenges in order to respond to the threat. See the full article (RFE/RL, 1/15/13) [Return to top] | [Return to section] Kenya Group to Urge Arrest For 'Hate Speech' The chairman of Kenya's National Cohesion and Integration Commission says his organization will soon recommend the arrest and prosecution of Kenyans who are using social media to publish "hate speech." Mzalendo Kibunjia says the proposal is designed to prevent a repeat of the 2007-2008 post-election violence that left about 1,300 dead and more than 180,000 displaced in Kenya. See the full article (Voice of America, Peter Clottey, 1/15/13) [Return to top] | [Return to section] Without Frontiers, Young People Mobilize for Change You don't need to fall for a technological determinism to understand that the Internet is helping to radicalize a new generation of young people thanks to our new-found capacity to communicate instantaneously across continents. Just as opinions during the Arab Spring spread rapidly via new technologies, so young people in Asia are today communicating, exchanging views and learning more about other young people. See the full article (CNN, Gordon Brown, 1/15/13) [Return to top] | [Return to section] Should Twitter Allow al-Shabab to Post Photos of Dead French Soldiers? With the French government shocking many around the world by dispatching troops to push back Islamist insurgents in Mali, Somalia's al-Shabab militants took to social media today to taunt the French government after a failed raid to rescue an intelligence officer resulted in the deaths of two French soldiers. See the full article (Foreign Policy, Joshua Keating, 1/14/13) [Return to top] | [Return to section] China to Web Users: Great Firewall? Just Be Glad We're Not North Korea Last week, Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt urged North Korean leaders to embrace the Internet. Only a small proportion of that country's 24 million people can access the World Wide Web, and the majority of the 1.5 million mobile phones there belong to political and military elites. In the midst of the hubbub, China Central Television (CCTV), the state-controlled behemoth, filed a report about the state of Internet freedom in North Korea on January 10, and tweeted a summary on Sina Weibo, the leading microblog service provider. See the full article (Atlantic, David Caragliano, 1/14/13) [Return to top] | [Return to section]   What's New from PeaceMedia "10 Tactics for Turning Information into Action" - Tactical Technology Collective "10 Tactics for Turning Information into Action" includes stories from more than 35 rights advocates around the world who have successfully used information and digital technologies to create positive change. The film includes the story of Noha Atef whose blog, TortureinEgypt.net, has led to the release of illegally detained prisoners in Egypt. See the full video [Return to top] Click here to subscribe to USIP's Science, Technology and Peacebuilding News Roundup. Did we miss anything?     Share this: | Forward this to a Friend