censorship news stories on Newser

Pakistan Blocks Twitter

Polly Davis Doig — Sun, 20 May 2012 07:56:06 CDT

Pakistan has decided it's had about 139 characters too many of Twitter, yanking the microblogging site over material it says is offensive to Islam, reports al-Jazeera . The material in question was promoting a Facebook contest to post images of the prophet Mohammed—which are considered blasphemous, even those framed in...

UK Considers Blocking All Porn Sites

Kevin Spak — Fri, 04 May 2012 12:40:37 CDT

British Prime Minister David Cameron is considering a move forcing Internet service providers to block all porn unless users specifically request it, the Guardian reports, in a move likely to be vigorously opposed by the ISPs, free speech groups, and teenagers sneaking onto their parents' computers. Cameron will consult on...

AP Apologizes for Firing Reporter Over WWII Scoop

John Johnson — Fri, 04 May 2012 12:11:07 CDT

As war scoops go, it was as big as they get: The AP's Ed Kennedy filed a story in May of 1945 saying, correctly, that Germany had surrendered. His reward? He got fired because he ignored what he thought was a misguided embargo. Nearly 70 years later, the news agency...

Ai Weiwei: China Will Never Beat Internet

Mark Russell — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 11:55:00 CDT

Authoritarian societies are all about propaganda and control, but the Internet has destroyed both of those pillars, writes the famous Chinese artist Ai Weiwei in the Guardian . Unlike Russia's glasnost , China never really opened ideologically to the West, only practically. Then came the Internet, and thanks to blogs and microblogs—...

China Raises Ruckus by Banning Winslet's 3D Breasts

Mary Papenfuss — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 00:27:43 CDT

Here's the naked truth: The Chinese will not get the full Titanic effect. Kate Winslet's bare breasts in the 3D version of the movie are being censored in China. "Considering the vivid 3D effects, we fear that viewers may reach out their hands for a touch, and thus interrupt other...

Thailand Bans 'Subversive' Film Adaptation of Macbeth

Wed, 04 Apr 2012 02:30:00 CDT

Thailand's film censors have banned an adaptation of Shakespeare's Macbeth , saying it could inflame political passions in the country where it is taboo to criticize the monarchy. The Thai-language film Shakespeare Must Die is about a theater group in a fictional country resembling Thailand that is staging a production of...

China, Thailand Applaud Twitter Censorship

Rob Quinn — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 01:24:30 CST

Twitter's controversial decision to allow censorship of tweets on a country-by-country basis has won praise from two of the countries with the busiest censors. In Thailand—ranked 153rd in the world for press freedom because of its strict laws against offending the monarchy—the country's information minister called the move...

Chinese Bloggers Mock US' SOPA Outrage

Kevin Spak — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 11:52:22 CST

Chinese Internet users were just a wee bit amused by American protests over the Stop Online Privacy Act . "Don't understand the hoopla over Wikipedia blackout in the US today," one microblogger wrote, according to the LA Times . "We blacked it out here years ago. Where are OUR hugs?" Another blogger...

In Iran, Fight Brews Over Blocked Broadcasts

Rob Quinn — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 05:25:27 CST

Should Iran be allowed to use Western satellites to broadcast its state-run TV channels to dozens of countries while it continues to jam Persian language-channels from abroad? Human rights activists, who complain that Iran has stepped up censorship of channels such as the BBC and the Voice of America in...