revolution 2.0: the internet in the middle east and north africa
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Revolution 2.0:
The Internet in the Middle East and North Africa
Netfreedom, Growing Civic Activism, Repression 2.0
American University
Washington, DC
May 5th, 2011
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Net Freedom @ Freedom House
Freedom on the Net (FOTN) 2009 (15), 2011 (37)
Technology Support Support, Training, Monitoring, Research
Advocacy / Policy Internet Governance (IGF)
Freedom of Expression Engaging NGO Networks
Strategic Partnerships
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What is Net Freedom?
What techniques are used tocontrol and censor online content? What are the main threats to
internet and digital media freedom?
What are the positive trends anduses of these technologies?
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HOW DO WE MEASURE NET FREEDOM
Obstacles to Access Limits on Content Violations of User Rights
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GROWING CIVIC ACTIVISM
Bloggers and other internet usersare using digital media in creative
ways to mobilize:
Low Tech Samisdat: Soviet Union Sneakernets: Serbia, Cuba
Social networking Facebook: Colombia, Iran, Egypt,
Tunisia
Microblogging Twitter: Moldova, Tunisia, Egypt,
Syria, ..
SMS Text messages - Kenya, Zimbabwe,Tunisia, Egypt
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LEGAL REPERCUSSIONSAND VIOLENCE
Legal repercussions: Use of general media legislation against
online activities as well as developmentof internet-specific legislation
Extra-legal harassment andviolence:
Detentions, intimidation, torture Technical violence: Hacking, DDoS
attacks, Cyber espionage, etc..
Surveillance and infringements onprivacy in a wide range ofenvironments
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Repression 2.0 : New Threats
Just in Time BlockingKey website, services or infrastructure blocked
Flag for removal: Can crowd sourced mechanisms be used to suspend accounts?
Communications infrastructure turned off Burma, Iran Egypt, Libya
Technical Attacks:
Compromising SSL : Man in the middle attacks Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack
Country level Phishing attacks (Tunisia, Syria) Targeted Malware: China, Egypt
Targeted Censorship: Block key sites at critical time (Elections, protests, etc)
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Emergence of Malware Industry
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What can be done ?
Training Surveillance (Mobile, Internet, etc..)
Threats & Vulnerabilities are complex Need to explain in common, simple to understand language
Information Security: Secure communications, Circumvention tools Human Factors:
Dont underestimate what damage one person can do
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Understanding the vulnerabilities
Need to understand user knowledge & choices Surveys, Assessments, Research
Need to explain vulnerabilities, threats and solutions insimple to use language
High Risk Environments / Pervasive Surveillance Sending messages via insecure networks
Internet Mobile Networks (location tracking, remote access of phone, etc..)
What can be done (II) ?
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Privacy should be maximized Dont leak key information
Credentials: username & passwords unlock ones digital world Data: Social networks
Privacy by default Security settings activated by default Persistent Security Minimizing history/logs Privacy not sharing should be the default.
Track security trends : SSL isnt perfect Two-Factor Authentication (SMS, Mobile Phone Apps, etc) Secure Identify Management: Need co-operation from browsers (Mozilla,
Google, Microsoft)
What can be done (III) ?
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Technology Development & Support Chat
Skype: Vulnerabilities (What happens if it is blocked or compromised?) Alternatives : Open Standards Based (Jabber, Guardian Project)
Website Hosting Not just about servers : Domain name registration, bandwidth, etc Hosting : Pick a jurisdiction that provides protection (US, Amazon EC2..)
Anti-censorship / Anonymity Global Internet Freedom Consortium (GIFT) suite of tools Psiphon (Proxy), Hotspot Shield (VPN), TOR (Anonymity)
What can be done (IV) ?
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Freedom House is an independent watchdog organization that supports theexpansion of freedom around the world. Freedom House supports democratic
change, monitors freedom, and advocates for democracy and human rights.
Robert Guerra
Freedom House
Email: [email protected]: freedomhouse.org
Twitter: netfreedom
Support the right of every individual to be free.
For more information contact: