Russia struggles with censorship concerns

A showdown seems to be fast approaching in Russia, where state authorities are moving closer to widening Internet censorship. Claiming that Western influences are creating instability in Russia through the Internet, major political figures in Russia have invoked the experience of the Arab Spring to justify increased state intervention.

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Russians get guidance for online activism with webinar

Last week I delivered webinar for Oxfam Russia focusing on new media called, “Online social activism and bloggers”. Read More »

New pressure to free jailed Facebook activist in Azerbaijan

As one year passes since the arrest of a young Azerbaijani activist, new campaigns are sprouting up for his release. Bakhtiyar Hajiev was taken into custody in March 2011 and later sentenced to two years in prison for evading military service. Read More »

The Baku2020 campaign struggles to find online marketing sweet spot

Baku, the home of the 2012 Eurovision and UEFA U-17 World Cup, is now working to get the 2020 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games. This event, which would bring a lot of financial and energy spending to Azerbaijan, is now in its preliminary stages. Read More »

Anonymous stage more attacks on Romanian websites

Following up an earlier wave of attacks on Romanian websites, the hacking group Anonymous defaced and temporarily disabled the sites of several government agencies and the International Monetary Fund’s Romanian mission over the past week, Balkan Insight reports. Read More »

Medvedev’s Facebook page blocked for Georgians

Hundreds of posts demanding the withdrawal of Russian solders from Georgia’s breakaway regions on Russian president Dimitry Medvedev’s Facebook page were removed by the administrator, and Georgian users were blocked from accessing the site. Online activists, consisting of forum.ge users, wanted to express their position concerning Russian policy on Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Read More »

DDoS attacks, just another political tactic in Russia?

Demian Kudryavtsev, the executive director of Kommersant newspaper, a leading publication in Russia on economics and business, has demanded the Ministry of Interior start a case against Kristina Potupchik, the press secretary for Nashi, the pro-Putin youth group.  In his blog, Kudryavtsev blames Potupchik for the recent DDoS attacks on Kommersant’s website. Read More »

The case of the Ukrainian websites that wouldn’t die

The Ukrainian government shut down two websites–Ex.ua and Roadcontrol.org.ua–earlier this month, only to reopen them days later. Read More »

Strange occurrences on a pro-Putin YouTube page.

Several videos in support of Putin for the upcoming election disappeared for one day from YouTube and an unlikely Putin supporter raises some eyebrows. Read More »

Internet trolls a sign of the times for Central Asia?

As if censorship, blocked access, possible arrest, and even retaliation weren’t bad enough, now Internet users in Central Asia apparently have a new scourge to deal with in their fight to have their voices heard: the dreaded Internet troll. Read More »

YouTube used to expose electoral violations in Russia

Unlike in Belarus where the electoral commission members never raise a voice against falsifications, their Russian counterparts are more active. Read More »

The Kremlin’s pay-a-blogger program

A group claiming to be affiliated with Anonymous recently released hacked emails from leaders of the pro-Kremlin youth group Nashi that show the group was paying journalists and bloggers hundreds of thousands of dollars for positive coverage, according to The Guardian. The group reportedly also paid bloggers and Internet trolls to smear or leave negative comments about opposition leaders. Read More »

New Media project to tackle corruption in Moldova

For a two-day period, 25 young people from Moldova came together to generate ideas for social projects that could be implemented through new media.
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Internet removes the cover of anonymity for Belarus KGB

Users of BY-net (a short name for the Belarusian segment of the Internet) have identified a KGB functionary who had been recruiting activists who participated in the silent demonstrations. A man in the photo leaked to Belarusian social networks has been identified rather quickly as Raman Savuchin. Charter97.org reports that this officer was working along with Dzmitry Kalamijec, an officer who became famous in the BY-net after his photos surfaced showing him recruiting Maks Carniauski, one of the prominent activists from the silent demonstrations . Read More »