I quote others in order to better express my own self - Montaigne
|
|
|
Netherlands pledges €1m to oppressed bloggers
THE NETHERLANDS is pledging €1m to bloggers who are working under oppressive regimes, marking a step forward in the fight to protect free speech online.
The announcement came at the Freedom Online conference in The Hague, where Dutch Foreign Minister Uri Rosenthal said that his government will provide financial support for the development of backup computer and mobile networks in countries that block access to the internet and social media.
Bloggers in Syria, Iran and Zimbabwe were mentioned as likely beneficiaries of the funds, according to the Associated Press.
While €1m won't go very far considering the sheer number of bloggers throughout the world, it will be a welcome start for those whose freedom to express their views online is being stifled by governments.
The Netherlands will also donate €5m to other online freedom projects, though it did not specify what these might be.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was also at the conference. She called for companies to stop selling surveillance tools to authoritarian regimes.
The issue of bloggers being silenced by oppressive governments has become increasingly topical over the last year, with a number of governments like those of Egypt and Libya shutting down internet access and blocking blogs and social networks in efforts to suppress dissent and end protests.
Many people view blogs and social media as key avenues through which people can voice concerns about their governments and arrange protests. Google executive Wael Ghonim said that social networks like Facebook and Twitter were vital in the uprising in Egypt, so it's not surprising then that some regimes want to block access to these tools of mass protest and popular revolt. With funding for backup systems coming from Western nations, however, it will become a lot more difficult for them to silence protesters. µ
Tags: Internet
Share this:
Share
The netherlands allowed the cops more than once to get the IP of all commenters on a news article.
And since ISP's have to send the names and info and used IP of all their users every day to the state I hear.. do the math.
The netherlands also has the highest number of wiretaps worldwide, and not by percentage but by numbers.
I bet that for every million they also transfer ten million to the oppressive leaders.
Lol another pile of crap. Iran, Zimbabwe and Syria. Is this a coincidence or are Iran and Syria attacked at this very moment by the west and their arab autocratic proxies?? Stuxnet, bombings on lead Nuclear scientists, radical militias sowing terror in Syrian towns... . And then there's Zimbabwe that has more free speech and unpunished booze to drink then the whole of the Arabian punisula together. Maybe Dean Wilson can try throwing stones at adulterous women in Saudi Arabia to see how good he's throwing skills are. This fund just like the US National Endowment for Democracy is another western instrument for undermining governments and to support subversive elements in countries that oppose western interest.... for oil, minerals, strategic locations and sphere of influence. Or did Dean really thought it was about democracy and freedom ROFLOL!