CYBERGEOPOLITICS
« The National Security Agency (NSA) has reportedly asked the White House to drop its phone surveillance program that gathers information on millions of Americans’ calls and texts, revealed by Edward Snowden in 2013. According to a Wall Street Journal report published on Wednesday, agency insiders say the logistical and legal headaches of keeping the program operational outweigh its intelligence benefits…” https ://www.rt.com/usa/457563-nsa-stop-surveillance-program-snowden/
“Top British officials apparently have decided to let the Chinese technology giant Huawei help develop an ultra-fast 5G wireless network in the United Kingdom, according to reports, in spite of pressure by U.S. officials to freeze out the company on security grounds….” https ://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2019/04/25/huawei-gets-green-light-participate-britains-g-rollout-reversal-us/?utm_term=.1a2a8f1636be
« The arrest of Wikileaks founder and dissident Julian Assange has precipitated a deluge of cyber attacks according to the Ecuadorian government.
Ecuador’s Telecommunications Vice Minister Patricio Real confirmed the startling rise in cyber attacks on Monday, saying the government has fielded 40 million per day since Assange’s arrest on Thursday, according to Reuters…»
https ://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-6929391/Ecuador-inundated-40-million-cyberattacks-day-arrest-Julian-Assange.html
CONTENT POLICIES / FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION
“UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has underscored the need for free press disseminating reliable information to maintain peace and justice, especially during elections as « facts, not falsehoods » should guide the people while choosing their representatives….” https ://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/facts-not-falsehoods-should-guide-people-during-elections-un-chief-on-press-freedom-119042600290_1.html
« As Sri Lanka investigates who was behind yesterday’s terrorist attacks on churches and hotels, the government continues to block access to social media there. Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, all owned by Facebook, are among the services under a blackout….»
https ://www.npr.org/2019/04/22/716096498/following-easter-attacks-in-sri-lanka-a-social-media-ban-disabled-some-apps
“New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern is to spearhead a push to combat violent extremism and terrorism on social media in the wake of the Christchurch attacks, saying the gunman did not have “a right to livestream the murder of 50 people….”. https ://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/apr/24/christchurch-call-ardern-leads-push-against-online-terror-content
CHILD ONLINE PROTECTION
« The World Health Organization has es sists first-ever guidance for how much screen time children under 5 should get : not very much, and none at all for those under 1.
The U.N. health agency said Wednesday that kids under 5 should not spend more than one hour watching screens every day — and that es sis better…”
https ://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/un-recommends-no-screen-time-for-babies-only-1-hour-for-kids-under-5
CRYPTOCURRENCIES
« Blockchain technology has been gaining traction all across the world, especially in China. As per a report from the local news outlet Global Times on April 25, blockchain technology is being increasingly employed to settle court cases in China… » https://kryptomoney.com/ai-and-blockchain-are-employed-by-chinese-internet-court-to-render-judgement/
DATA PROTECTION
“New York Attorney General Letitia James announced an investigation into Facebook on Thursday over its harvesting of email contacts for up to 1.5 million users, adding to the mounting legal and regulatory worries for the social media service…” https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/n-y-investigate-facebook-over-harvesting-email-contacts-n998691?cid=sm_npd_nn_tw_ma
Internet Governance updates 