Censorship News

Microsoft's Bing search engine inaccessible in China

By AFP

Bejing - Microsoft's Bing search engine was inaccessible in China on Thursday, with social media users fearing it could be the latest foreign website to be blocked by censors.Attempts to open cn.bing.

Hatred stirred by leaders blamed for rise in journalist murders: watchdog

By AFP

Paris - Hatred whipped up by "unscrupulous politicians" has contributed to the shocking rise in the number of journalists murdered in 2018, a media watchdog said Tuesday.

China ups cash rewards for citizens who report porn

By AFP

Bejing - China is raising the cash rewards paid to citizens for reporting pornographic and "illegal" publications to authorities, government regulators said Friday.

Sundar Pichai spoke about Google's China plans for the first time

By Business Insider

Google chief executive Sundar Pichai commented publicly for the first time on the company's efforts to launch a censored search engine in China.

China puts block on Twitch game-streaming service

By Tim Sandle

The game-streaming service Twitch, which is owned by Amazon, is no longer accessible to users inside China. The app has also disappeared from the China Apple Store.

Ukraine region ban on Russian culture sparks controversy

By AFP

Lviv - The decision by a fiercely pro-Western region of Ukraine to ban Russian-language arts, from songs to books and films, prompted widespread condemnation on Thursday even as it remained unclear how it would be implemented.

Row over Ukraine region's ban on Russian-language culture

By AFP

Lviv - A Ukrainian region's decision to ban Russian-language arts, from songs to books and films, prompted growing controversy Thursday even as it remained unclear how it would be implemented.

Rights groups urge Google not to bend to China censors

By AFP

San Francisco - Human rights groups and other advocacy organizations Tuesday urged Google to abandon any plans to craft a censored version of its search engine that could pass muster with regulators in China.

Brazil's 'queer museum' reopens in Rio after forced closure

By AFP

Rio De Janeiro - Brazil's "queer museum," forced to close last year after conservatives attacked it for allegedly promoting pedophilia, blasphemy and bestiality, is reopening in the shadow of Rio de Janeiro's iconic Christ the Redeemer statue.

Russian internet group protests prosecutions for 'likes'

By AFP

Moscow - The Russian company that owns the country's most popular social media network on Monday expressed concern at the increasing number of internet users facing prosecution for liking and sharing content online.

Spotify dumps 'specific' far-right Alex Jones podcast episodes

By AFP

Stockholm - The world's largest streaming service Spotify has removed podcast episodes of American far-right radio show host and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones for breaching its policy against hate speech.

New Murakami novel ruled 'indecent' by Hong Kong censors

By AFP

Fpo - Bestselling Japanese writer Haruki Murakami's latest novel has been deemed "indecent" by Hong Kong censors, triggering backlash in the city where concern is growing that freedom of expression is increasingly under threat.

#MeToo activists use blockchain to skirt China censors

By AFP

Bejing - Attempts to silence a student who drew attention to sexual abuse allegations at a Chinese university have inspired tech-savvy activists to use blockchain technology to dodge censors and keep the fledgling #MeToo movement alive.

Trump, Russia and China media attacks 'threaten democracy'

By AFP

Paris - Press freedom around the world is under threat from a triple whammy of US President Donald Trump, Russia and China's bid to crush all dissent, a watchdog said Wednesday.

Iran president criticises violence by morality police

By AFP

Tehran - Iran's President Hassan Rouhani on Saturday appeared to criticise the morality police after a video emerged of a violent encounter with a woman accused of breaching the country's strict dress code.

China's Weibo backtracks on gay content ban

By AFP

Bejing - China's popular Weibo microblogging platform on Monday reversed a decision to block "homosexual" content, in an unusual concession to a storm of online protest at the weekend.

'I am gay' protests as China bans 'homosexual' content on Weibo

By AFP

Bejing - China's Sina Weibo said it would remove "homosexual" content from the popular microblogging platform, prompting a storm of online protests Saturday under the hashtag "I am gay".

Foreign companies in China brace for VPN crackdown

By AFP

Bejing - Chinese people and foreign firms are girding for a weekend deadline that will curb the use of unlicensed software to circumvent internet controls, as the government plugs holes in its "Great Firewall".

Op-Ed: Twitter asking for outside help to help remove 'toxic material'

By Ken Hanly

Twitter has responded to criticism that it has not done enough to remove "toxic" material in a number of ways. Now the company is asking for suggestions from the public to help promote healthy, open and civil conversations online.

Website of top Kremlin critic blocked after tycoon complaint

By AFP

Moscow - Russia's media watchdog on Thursday blocked the website of opposition leader Alexei Navalny after he posted a video alleging a deputy prime minister enjoyed lavish hospitality from a billionaire tycoon.

China orders microblog companies to ramp up censorship

By AFP

Bejing - China Friday ordered the country's microblog operators to establish mechanisms to remove false information, in the latest move by authorities to tighten policing of the web.

Iran removes block on Telegram

By AFP

Tehran - Iran has lifted restrictions imposed during recent protests on the country's most popular social media app Telegram.AFP journalists were able to access the service on Sunday and officials confirmed it has been restored.

China has shut down 13,000 websites since 2015: Xinhua

By AFP

Bejing - China has shut down or revoked the licenses of 13,000 websites since 2015 for violating the country's internet rules, state media reported Sunday.

China reasserts right to 'cyber sovereignty'

By James Walker

Chinese President Xi Jinping has stated the country will not cut off the global Internet but is committed to achieving its vision of "cyber sovereignty." During a speech in China, Xi said each country should be able to internally regulate the Internet.

Trump jumps over China's 'Great Firewall' with first tweet

By AFP

Bejing - US President Donald Trump broke through China's "Great Firewall" on Wednesday as he posted messages on Twitter during his visit to the country, which has banned the website.

China fines tech firms over online content

By AFP

Bejing - China has fined several of the country's biggest technology firms for failing to remove illegal online content as the authorities intensify their policing of the internet.

China disrupts WhatsApp ahead of Communist Party meeting

By AFP

Bejing - Chinese authorities appear to have severely disrupted the WhatsApp messaging app in the latest step to tighten censorship as they prepare for a major Communist Party congress next month.

Facebook staffs up in China despite being blocked

By AFP

Facebook has hired a Chinese government-relations point man and is seeking other staff in signs that it harbours ambitions for a China presence despite its main social media platform being blocked.

Chinese TV told to 'sing the praises of the party'

By AFP

Bejing - Chinese television is about to get a whole lot more patriotic, after an official directive ordered producers to ramp up the praise of the ruling Communist Party.

Hundreds of Russians protest tighter internet controls

By AFP

Moscow - About 1,000 Russians braved pouring rain in Moscow on Saturday to demonstrate against the government's moves to tighten controls on internet use, with police arresting about a dozen protesters.