revolution 2.0: the internet in the middle east and north africa

8/6/2019 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:

revolution 2.0: the internet in the middle east and north africa

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