Jordan: New Cyber Crime Law a Tool for Repression
August 30th, 2010 by Evan
Writing at Black Iris, Jordanian blogger Naseem Tarawnah highlights issues with Jordan’s new cyber crimes law. According to Tarawnah, the law gives the Jordanian government new legal tools to repress free speech online including the ability to prosecute anyone sending information that “involves defamation or contempt or slander” and broad powers to search the homes and offices of those suspected of being involved in cyber crime. “Given the precedence of infringements on free speech in Jordan, one can safely assume that intent will be used more as a subjective legal tool to prosecute and convict, rather than protect the defendant,” writes Tarawnah. The cyber crime law is one of 34 temporary laws the Rifai government has attempted to pass since the Jordanian parliament was abolished in November 2009.
Posted in Jordan, Legislation, Reform, Technology | Comment »
Bahrain: Blackberries Welcome
August 25th, 2010 by Jennifer
The Bahraini government took out a full-page advertisement in The Economist this week promoting an image of Bahrain as a bastion of technological freedom and indicating that it does not intend to initiate a ban on Blackberry communications, in opposition to its fellow Gulf nations Saudi Arabia and the UAE. The ad features a photo of a Blackberry phone, with a message on the screen reading, “Bahrain has the most liberal telecoms market in the Gulf.” Khalid Al Jalahma, deputy chief of mission at Bahrain’s U.S. embassy, remarked, “Bahrain isn’t going to put up a wall,” adding, “These restrictions make it a lot less friendly and more difficult for businessmen who come into town. We are just putting it out there [that] we are not planning on doing this.”
Posted in Bahrain, Freedom, Technology | Comment »
UAE: Undercurrents of the Blackberry Ban
August 11th, 2010 by Jennifer
Writing in Foreign Policy, Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi discusses the UAE’s potential Blackberry ban. Al Qassemi argues that the ban reflects an underlying debate across the Middle East and other regions over balancing “the relationship between embracing social progress and security concerns.” He also points out that the decision could indicate that the UAE is “asserting itself as a global player” and demanding that it “be treated equally” with countries such as the U.S., China, Russia, and India, which have all successfully negotiated concessions from Blackberry’s maker, RIM. While confirming that the device’s system of highly encrypted, closed messages does indeed represent a security threat– as the UAE’s government alleges –Al Qassemi suggests that a strong motivation for the ban is the Blackberry’s role as a tool for social networking and political criticism. He notes that “there exists in the country a degree of political and social frustration, disappointment with the performance of the country’s powerless parliament, as well as a lack of accountability of some officials and government bodies… Perhaps most importantly, many Emiratis feel that the country’s media has failed to act as a responsible Fourth Estate, thereby providing the vacuum to be filled by unregulated forms of communication.” Al Qassemi observes, however, than any Blackberry ban will not remove this political frustration, but will only force it to find expression through another outlet.
In another piece in Foreign Policy, Christian Caryl argues that the January death of high-ranking Hamas military commander Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in Dubai represents a key factor in the UAE’s drive for the ban. According to Caryl, the Emirati government suspects that the death was in fact a targeted assassination carried out by Israel within its borders, contributing to the UAE’s urgent concern over security issues related to Blackberry technology. Nevertheless, Caryl also says that “it should be noted that the UAE’s concerns about the BlackBerry predate the killing — and both legitimate worries about preventing terrorism and more dubious ones about eavesdropping on UAE citizens seem to have played a part.”
Posted in Freedom, Technology, UAE | Comment »
Blackberry: Bans and Bargains
August 10th, 2010 by Jennifer
An official at the Saudi Communications and Information Technology Commission has confirmed that RIM, the Canadian-based maker of Blackberry technology, has struck an agreement with the Saudi Arabian government to allow a server inside the Gulf kingdom, effectively allowing the Saudi government to monitor messages sent over the Blackberry network. The two parties reached the agreement in order to avoid a potential Blackberry ban that was announced by Saudi Arabia late last week, citing fears that messages sent over the highly encrypted, closed network could pose a security threat. According to Abdullah al-Shihri writing for the Associated Press, the deal “could be setting a worldwide precedent for how technology companies and governments get along.”
Meanwhile, a number of other Arab governments debated their position on use of the technology. Lebanese officials expressed their interest in potentially pursuing a deal, with chief of Lebanon’s Telecommunications Regulatory Authority Imad Hoballah stating, “RIM has made concessions to the U.S., the UK, Russia and eventually they have to give in to some of the countries depending on the business propositions made. We would be happy with whatever information they have made available to the U.S.” An official source in Algeria predicted that “Ending the BlackBerry service in Algeria is very likely,” as Telecommunications Minister Moussa Benhamadi announced that his government is “looking at the issue. If we find out that it is a danger for our economy and our security, we will stop it.” On the other hand, Bahrain’s foreign minister, Sheik Khaled bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, said that his country does not intend to issue a ban, stating, “We’re not saying there is no security concern,’’ but adding that “there are many other ways for the criminals or terrorists to communicate, so we decided we might as well live with it.’’ Additionally, an official source at the Egyptian National Telecommunication Regulatory Authority denied that security forces have put forward any requests for a ban on Blackberry services in Egypt, adding that no evidence exists that Blackberry networks have been used for criminal activity in that country. Kuwait indicated a more cautious stance toward the issue, with its Communications Minister, Mohammad al-Busairi, commenting that “as of right now, we in Kuwait have no intention to stop the BlackBerry services… but at the same time we are following up on direct and indirect negotiations with the company and with fellow Gulf states.”
Posted in Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Freedom, Gulf, Kuwait, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Technology, UAE | 1 Comment »
Secretary Clinton: Blackberry Ban and “Right of Free Use and Access”
August 6th, 2010 by Jennifer
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton commented (view video of statements here) on the UAE’s recent announcement that it will ban Blackberry services in October due to security concerns over the phone’s encrypted network, indicating that the U.S. is engaging in talks with the UAE over the decision. Secretary Clinton did not express explicit condemnation of the decision, but offered a qualified response, stating that the matter “involves a very complex set of issues that we’re working on with other countries as well,” and adding, “We are taking time to consult and analyze the full range of interests and issues at stake because we know that there is a legitimate security concern, but there’s also a legitimate right of free use and access.” Secretary Clinton did not touch on Saudi Arabia’s follow-up decision to implement a ban on Blackberry text messaging today, which sparked a wave of selling as Blackberry owners attempted to cut their losses in advance of the ban.
Posted in Freedom, Saudi Arabia, Technology, UAE, US foreign policy | Comment »
Saudi Arabia: Blackberry Ban Goes Viral
August 5th, 2010 by Jennifer
Saudi Arabia has indicated its intention to ban Blackberry mobile technology instant messaging this Friday, which will make it the first foreign government to implement a Blackberry ban. The decision follows an announcement earlier this week by the the UAE that it intends to ban Blackberry services in October unless Research in Motion (RIM), the device’s Canada-based maker, gives the government access to the Blackberry’s highly encrypted, closed system. The UAE cited security concerns, arguing that “first and foremost, this matter relates to the sovereignty of the state on its information as all ‘BlackBerry’ users from administrators, businessmen, and owners of companies need to keep their data and information within the state to preserve the confidentiality of information.” In a U.S. State Department daily press briefing on Monday, spokesman Philip J. Crowley indicated that the American administration was “disappointed” by the UAE’s announcement, calling the decision “a dangerous precedent” and characterizing free use of new technologies as “an important element of democracy, human rights, and freedom of information and the flow of information in the 21st century.” Crowley affirmed that the U.S. would be following up with the UAE on the issue. Estimates suggest that RIM could lose nearly 2 million of its 46 million worldwide customers should other countries follow the UAE and Saudi Arabia’s lead. Nevertheless, analysts predicted that the company will likely prove unwilling to concede, given recent comments by its founder, Mike Lazaridis, to the effect that RIM will refuse to “compromise” the trust of its customers by allowing foreign governments to monitor their communications.
Posted in Freedom, Saudi Arabia, Technology, UAE, US foreign policy | Comment »
UAE: BlackBerry Ban
August 2nd, 2010 by Jennifer
The UAE announced yesterday that it would suspend BlackBerry email and text messaging services starting in October, with statements from the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority arguing that “‘certain BlackBerry services allow users to act without any legal accountability, causing judicial, social and national security concerns for the U.A.E.’.” The decision has sparked concerns that other Gulf nations– including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Bahrain –may follow up with their own bans. Saudi Telecom officials gave conflicting reports regarding whether Saudi Arabia had already decided to follow the UAE’s example, while the government did not release any official statement on the issue, and one adviser offered anonymous statements to the effect that no official determination had been made. Regimes in the region have indicated their concern over BlackBerry services, which use highly encrypted data to transfer messages on a closed internal system rather than over the open Internet, rendering surveillance of communications difficult. According to Barry Meier and Robert F. Worth writing in the New York Times, “The monitoring of information is a particularly thorny issue for autocratic regimes in the Persian Gulf worried that the Internet might be used for antigovernment purposes — a concern heightened by the passionate online response in Iran to the 2009 presidential election that helped energize the opposition and led to weeks of unrest.”
Posted in Freedom, Gulf, Saudi Arabia, Technology, UAE | Comment »
Lebanon: Government Poised to Ban Skype Tomorrow
June 14th, 2010 by Jennifer
Qifa Nabki reports that the Lebanese government is calling a special session tomorrow to vote on a new E-Transactions law that will potentially ban Skype, among other actions. The move comes in light of a recent crackdown by the Telecommunications Ministry on the usage of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) programs, which enable cheap-to-free video conferencing by allowing users to speak from phone to phone via the internet. VoIP programs are forbidden in Lebanon under a national telecoms law that critics view as intended to unfairly protect the profits of cell phone companies and the landline network. Nabki along with other critics implicates the public sector as well, claiming that “the telecommunications industry has long been used shamelessly as a coffer-stuffer for the Lebanese government.”
The development has infuriated Lebanese bloggers, professionals, and internet rights activists. Iman Atalla writes in The Daily Star: “The degree of trampling over civil liberties has increased by yet another megabit, and you, the private citizen, are swallowing each and every bit, one slow bit at a time,” while Cathie Glover at Developing Lebanon comments, “This law runs contrary to every principle of democracy and free market economy to which Lebanon claims to adhere. Passing this law would be a major step backwards in the country’s democratic development.” Online campaigns urging citizens to protest the proposed law have been launched on various social networking sites.
Posted in Human Rights, Lebanon, Technology | 1 Comment »
Maria Otero: Remarks on the One-Year Anniversary of Cairo Speech
June 9th, 2010 by Farid
Yesterday, marking the first anniversary of President Obama’s major speech to the world’s Muslim communities in Cairo, Under Secretary for Democracy and Global Affairs, Maria Otero made some interesting remarks at an event hosted by the National Academy of Sciences.
Applauding President Obama’s efforts for greater engagement, Otero said: “His vision is to work together to address critical global issues like climate change, energy supply, water and food security, entrepreneurship and job creation, and the sharing of data and digital resources.” Introducing a new $5 million cooperative agreement between the State Department and the Civilian Research and Development Foundation, Otero described American commitment to broader cooperation in energy, agriculture, telecommunications, and water technology with its Middle Eastern partners. Notably absent from her remarks were any mention of initiatives to address the challenge of democracy in the region, one of the seven key issues identified in President Obama’s speech.
Posted in Democracy Promotion, Egypt, Technology | Comment »
New Poll Shows “U-Turn” in U.S. Favorability
May 29th, 2010 by Josh
After nearly a year of slow but visible gains in U.S. approval throughout the Arab world, the latest iteration of Gallup polling shows significant declines in four of the six states surveyed — perhaps reflecting what some have recently identified as a rather acute disappointment with what they see as a gap between Obama administration rhetoric and action. Egypt experienced the steepest fall from a two-year high of 37 percent approval last fall to 19 percent today. Algeria was next, dipping 13 percent from 43 to 30. Declines were relatively more mild in Iraq and the Palestinian Territories (3 and 4 percent respectively), both within Gallop’s margin of error.
Aside from surface-level favorability ratings, the poll’s so-called “internals” are fascinating as well. When asked what would improve their view of the United States, 55 percent of Egyptians cited “supporting the right of Muslims to elect their own government” as a “very significant” issue. Other priority responses in this category include: “pulling out of Iraq” (64 percent); “removing military bases from Saudi Arabia” (60 percent); “more direct humanitarian aid” (57 percent); and “greater technology transfer and exchange of business expertise” (57 percent).
Posted in Algeria, Egypt, Elections, Foreign Aid, Iraq, Lebanon, Mauritania, Military, Palestine, Public Opinion, Technology, US foreign policy | Comment »
POMED Notes: “Previewing Egypt’s Upcoming Elections”
May 3rd, 2010 by Chanan
The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace hosted a panel discussion featuring Amr Hamzawy, senior associate at the Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut, and Jeremy Sharp, a specialist in Middle East Affairs at the Congressional Research Service, to discuss the political landscape in Egypt as it prepares for the upcoming parliamentary elections and next year’s presidential elections. Michele Dunne, a senior associate at Carnegie, moderated the event.
Click here for POMED’s notes in PDF, or continue reading below the fold.
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Posted in DC Event Notes, Democracy Promotion, Diplomacy, Egypt, Elections, Human Rights, Mideast Peace Plan, Muslim Brotherhood, Political Islam, Political Parties, Protests, Technology, US foreign policy, Uncategorized | Comment »
Why Aren’t Democracy Dissidents as Famous as Their Predecessors?
April 28th, 2010 by Chanan
That is the question posed by Boston Globe columnist, Jeff Jacoby, in an op-ed today following last week’s Conference on Cyber Dissidents at the George W. Bush Institute in Dallas, Texas. With vastly superior modes of communications and digital technology, Jacoby wonders why today’s democracy dissidents in Syria or China are not as well-known as their Soviet counterparts in the 1970s and 80s.
David Keyes, the director of CyberDissidents.org, whose self-declared “mission is to make the Middle East’s pro-democracy Internet activists famous and beloved in the West” highlighted this very paradox at the event: “The Internet enables them [the dissidents] to reach the world… They push the ‘send’ button and thousands of people can instantly read their words. Yet not a single American in a million knows their names.’’
Another participant at the conference - Jeffrey Gedmin, president and CEO of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty - provided an answer last week in a USA Today piece entitled, “Democracy Isn’t Just a Tweet Away.” Gedmin argued that although the proliferation of social media has empowered political protests and dissent, it has also empowered authoritarian governments to respond and react in kind. “Tyrants, it turns out, like Twitter too,” he remarked. And even if these tools are helpful in coordinating demonstrations and other forms of activism, it ”won’t tell the opposition how to govern, how to develop democratic institutions or how to inculcate and defend the values, habits and behaviors that belong to democracy.”
Nonetheless, this did not prevent some attendees at the conference - many of whom are cyber dissidents - from expressing a sense of abandonment from the Obama administration and an apparent longing for Bush’s freedom agenda. One such dissident, Ahed Al-Hendi, was not hesitant from articulating his frustration: ”In Syria, when a single dissident was arrested during the administration of George W. Bush, at the very least the White House spokesman would condemn it. Under the Obama administration: nothing.” This is unfortunate, laments the Wall Street Journal’s Bari Weiss: “The peaceful promotion of human rights and democracy—in part by supporting the individuals risking their lives for liberty—are consonant with America’s most basic values. Standing up for them should not be a partisan issue.”
Posted in Freedom, Human Rights, Syria, Technology, US foreign policy, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
POMED Notes: “FY2011 Appropriations and Middle East Democracy”
April 19th, 2010 by Josh
The Project on Middle East Democracy and the Heinrich Böll Foundation co-hosted an event on Capitol Hill to mark the release of a new publication, The Federal Budget and Appropriations for Fiscal Year 2011: Democracy, Governance, and Human Rights in the Middle East. What are the most significant changes in these portions of the budget request, as compared with the appropriations made in previous years? How does the budget impact U.S. efforts to support democracy in the Middle East and North Africa? To answer these questions, Michele Dunne, Senior Associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, moderated a discussion among three panelists: Stephen McInerney, POMED’s Director of Advocacy and author of the just-released report; Geneive Abdo, fellow and Iran analyst at The Century Foundation; and Scott Carpenter, Keston Family Fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
Click here for POMED’s notes in PDF, or continue reading below the fold.
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Posted in DC Event Notes, Democracy Promotion, Diplomacy, Egypt, Elections, Foreign Aid, Freedom, Human Rights, Iran, Iraq, Military, NGOs, Palestine, Political Parties, Publications, Reform, Reports, Technology, US foreign policy | 2 Comments »
POMED Notes: ‘Netizens’ in Iran and the Greater Middle East: A Discussion on the Fate of Iranian Reporters
April 5th, 2010 by Josh
The School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) and Reporters Without Borders (RSF) co-hosted an event to analyze the deteriorating conditions for journalists in Iran and elsewhere in the Middle East. Clothilde Le Coz, director of RSF’s Washington Bureau, moderated a panel of three prominent Middle Eastern voices: Azar Nafisi, executive director of Cultural Conversations at SAIS’ Foreign Policy Institute and author of Reading Lolita in Tehran; Mona Eltahawy, syndicated columnist and international public speaker on Arab and Muslim issues; and Nikahang Kowsar, cartoonist and syndicated New York Times editor.
For POMED’s notes in PDF, click here. Otherwise, continue below the fold.
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Posted in DC Event Notes, Democracy Promotion, Egypt, Freedom, Human Rights, Iran, Journalism, Political Parties, Technology, Women | Comment »
POMED Notes: “Global Internet Freedom: A Foreign Policy Imperative in a Digital Age”
March 24th, 2010 by Chanan
The Center for a New American Security (CNAS) hosted an event to formally launch the U.S. Senate Caucus on Global Internet Freedom, a bi-partisan initiative determined to promote global Internet freedom. The event featured opening remarks from caucus co-chairs Senators Ted Kaufman (D-DE) and Sam Brownback (R-KS), as well as other Senate caucus members including Senators Joseph Lieberman (D-CT) and Robert Casey (D-PA).
John Nagl, CNAS president, introduced the senators by lauding Congress “as a real leader on Internet freedom,” especially for its efforts last summer to pass The Victims of Iranian Censorship (VOICE) Act.
Click here for POMED’s notes in PDF. Otherwise, continue reading below.
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Posted in Congress, DC Event Notes, Egypt, Freedom, Human Rights, Iran, Protests, Technology, US foreign policy, Uncategorized | Comment »
Iran: Wielding Connective Technologies in Pursuit of Reform
March 24th, 2010 by Josh
Over at the Huffington Post, Omid Memarian explains the value of an apolitical approach to Internet freedom, drawing upon conversations with a number of Iranian acquaintances to present an alternative conceptual framework for policy-makers. “Almost all of them believe that it’s a form of moral support,” he says. “[Internet freedom] should not be seen or used as a means to pursue hidden political purposes, but as promoting human rights as defined by international standards.” To that end, Memarian proposes a series of “policy shifts” — for example, providing Iranians with free satellite Internet and a sufficient level of email security — to mitigate some of the adverse affects of Western-imposed sanctions and enable Iranians to circumvent barriers to online entry.
Delineating a similar set of recommendations, albeit with more prominent political overtones, The Century Foundation’s InsideIRAN.org relays key points of consensus from the first meeting of its year-long task force — a joint venture with the National Security Network to explore “policy steps that will be most effective in helping Iranians to reform their political system without empowering the regime against either its own people or other nations.” Among the policy prescriptions are:
- Sanction companies that assist the Iranian government in Internet filtering, surveillance, and eavesdropping.
- Provide Skype credits.
- Encourage/permit tech companies to support Persian-language online advertising.
- Fund/permit Persian-fluent web developers to partner in building websites for civil society.
- Levy sanctions on foreign and Iranian companies actively involved in helping the Iranian government’s satellite jamming.
- Broadcast digital content via satellite to millions of users in Iran.
Posted in Freedom, Human Rights, Iran, Reform, Technology, US foreign policy, sanctions | Comment »
Iran: Rafsanjani’s Grandson Arrested at Airport
March 22nd, 2010 by Chanan
Iranian authorities reportedly arrested the grandson of former president, Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, late Sunday evening at Tehran’s International Airport as he returned from his studies in London to celebrate the Persian New Year, Nowruz. According to the New York Times, “the arrest of the grandson, Hassan Lahouti, appeared to be another attempt to press Mr. Rafsanjani, an influential figure who supported the opposition during last year’s elections but has recently staked out a more ambiguous position.”
Lahouti’s arrest comes amidst a conflicting series of prison releases and detainments by Iranian security forces. Late last week, another relative of Rafsanjani’s, Hussein Marashi, was arrested the day before dozens of other high profile opposition leaders were freed. At the same time, members of group called Iran Proxy were also arrested for alleged involvement in cyber warfare against the government. InsideIran’s Keyhan Kasravi reports however that this group was actually composed of a committee of students dedicated to fighting government-imposed censorship. Kasravi notes that the arrested included Hossein Ronaghi, founder of the group and its “most important technical expert.”
Posted in Elections, Iran, Protests, Technology, Uncategorized | Comment »
Online Social Networking Disruptions in Egypt, Morocco
March 17th, 2010 by Josh
Over at Global Voices Advocacy, Ramy Raoof draws attention to the recent disruption in Skype connectivity for Egyptians using USB modems. According to an exchange Raoof had with Vodaphone, a large internet service provider in Egypt, the government’s National Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (NTRA) decided to block Skype for USB modem users after three telecommunication companies complained about revenue losses incurred from customers using Skype’s free service. Egyptian law mandates that all international calls be filtered through majority state-owned Telecom Egypt — one of the companies reporting lower-then-anticipated earnings — and the NTRA noted that it is only targeting what it considers illegal voice traffic on mobile Internet, not fixed traffic. “This is due to the fact it is against the law since it bypasses the legal gateway,” said an NTRA official.
Elsewhere, a Moroccan Facebook group advocating for the separation of religion and education was administratively deleted from the website without warning. Official inquiries by Kacem El Ghazzali, a Moroccan activist and founder of the group, to ascertain the reason for the shut-down went unanswered. Alluding to previous examples of inconsistent, suspicious, and unexplained Terms of Service (TOS) enforcement by Facebook officials, Jillian York from Harvard’s Berkman Center for Internet and Society suspects the Moroccan government may have pressured Facebook into removing the group from its server. “It seems that Facebook is now policing speech, possibly at the behest of a foreign government.” York also penned a separate piece commenting on an Issandr El Amrani post last week exploring the role of Facebook in Middle Eastern politics (covered here). Though agreeing that Facebook is certainly being used for political purposes, she contends that “The downfall, of course, is Facebook itself, which has garnered a reputation for selectively enforcing its own TOS.”
Posted in Egypt, Morocco, Technology | Comment »
POMED Notes: “Talking About Tehran: Can Better Strategic Communications Help the U.S. In Iran?”
March 16th, 2010 by Josh
The New America Foundation hosted an event to explore the value of strategic communications and whether or not the United States should apply various types of public diplomacy as part of the overall strategy toward Iran. Steve Clemons, Director of the American Strategy Program at New American, moderated a discussion featuring James Glassman, Director of the George W. Bush Institute and former Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs.
For POMED’s notes in PDF, click here. Otherwise, continue reading below.
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Posted in DC Event Notes, Democracy Promotion, Diplomacy, Freedom, Human Rights, Iran, Technology, US foreign policy | Comment »
Iran: Bloggers Awarded for Post-Election Coverage
March 15th, 2010 by Josh
Last week, Google joined with Reporters Without Borders (RSF) in honoring a group of Iranian female bloggers — who publish the site Change for Equality [Farsi] — for their courageous display of journalism during Iran’s post-election unrest last year. “The Iranian women’s movement has always shown resistance,” said Parvin Adalan, one of the site’s founders. “Now the movement is bringing its experience and methods of working democratically into cyberspace.” In addition to commending the award’s recipients, RSF emphasized the Internet’s invaluable role following President Ahmedinejad’s disputed election, saying that “the Iranian blogosphere is every active and deserves strong support. Without these courageous and determined netizens, we would be deprived of information that is essential for understanding our world.”
In related news, Google also celebrated last week’s move by the Treasury Department to ease Internet export restrictions to Iran, Cuba, and Sudan. “We’re very happy with the decision,” said Bill Echikson, Google’s spokesman for Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. “[This] will allow the export of Internet communications software and services to Iran and other nations where freedom of expression is limited.”
Posted in Freedom, Iran, Journalism, NGOs, Technology, Women, sanctions | Comment »
