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Cybersecurity & Standards

Global Policy Weekly – June 5, 2013

CDT’s Global Policy Weekly highlights the latest Internet policy developments and proposals from around the world, compiled by CDT’s Global Internet Freedom Project.

FREE EXPRESSION

The Taiwan Intellectual Property Office (IPO) has proposed amendments to the Copyright Act that would block Taiwanese users from accessing foreign websites that specialize in copyright infringing content. While the IPO indicated that the initiative would only target the worst offenders, such as peer-to-peer file sharing sites, opponents have already compared the proposal with SOPA in the United States and the “Great Firewall” in China. Protesters in Taiwan have organized a Facebook event to rally around the issue. Global Voices provided translated commentary from opponents in Taiwan who raised concerns about the free speech implications of the proposal.

Japanese chat application LINE is reportedly preparing to censor users in China by restricting the use of certain politically sensitive words and phrases. A similar application developed in China called WeChat already prohibits terms such as “Tiananmen Square massacre” and “Tibetan self-immolation.” While the new LINE feature has not officially launched, the application already displays an error message when a subscriber enters prohibited terms. One user has compiled a list of 150 words that will be prohibited by the app in China.

The UK government announced plans to filter public wireless Internet networks to protect children from undesirable content. According to a press release, the government will work with large WiFi providers to make “publicly available WiFi family friendly in places where children regularly visit, and ensure children are protected from harmful content.” As part of the plan, providers will either block pornography websites using automated tools or encourage business partners to use filtering services in places children may use the Internet. The UK Council for Child Internet Safety (UKCCIS) is working with major ISPs to determine if it should establish a code of conduct for public WiFi filtering. Following the announcement, UK-based Open Rights Group published a blog post describing the risks such filtering mandates pose for free expression.

Facebook joined Google, Microsoft, Yahoo!, Evoca, and Websense to become the sixth corporate member of the Global Network Initiative. In an effort to support freedom of expression and privacy online, GNI offers companies a framework for responding to government requests that is consistent with human rights principles. GNI member companies undergo independent assessments to evaluate their implementation of principles and guidelines. CDT President Leslie Harris applauded Facebook’s decision and encouraged other corporations to follow: “Joining GNI and collaborating with other member companies and with the diverse set of civil society groups, academics, and investors who are GNI members is a significant step that other companies should emulate.”

PRIVACY AND SURVEILLANCE

Hactivist group Telecomix reported that there are currently 34 Blue Coat servers operating in Syria, indicating that the government may be using this technology to conduct surveillance on Internet users through Deep Packet Inspection (DPI). The new analysis indicates a major increase in the number of Blue Coat servers, up from 15 identified by Telecomix in 2012. The group believes that the new equipment may have been installed during the Syrian Internet blackout in early May. Blue Coat reported in March that the company does not sell servers to Syria. Reporters Without Borders has called on Blue Coat to explain the 34 servers that were discovered.

The Australian parliament introduced draft legislation that would require companies and government agencies to provide notification of data breaches in incidents where there is a risk of serious harm. Under the Privacy Amendment (Privacy Alerts) Bill 2013, entities would need to notify individuals impacted by the breach as well as the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner. Serious or repeated non-compliance could result in civil penalties. If passed, the law would likely take effect in March 2014.