The issue of internet censorship has become a global concern.
Harvard University’s Global Voices is one major organisation that translates bloggers from across the world and campaigns for imprisoned activists.
The Global Voices Citizen Media Summit is taking place on June 27 and 28 in Budapest, Hungary. More than one hundred writers, dissidents, bloggers, journalists and citizen reporters from every corner of the world will be descending on the city to discuss the role of Western multinationals in the filtering process, how users can avoid state detection and an analysis of various case studies, including Iran, China and Pakistan.
I’ve been invited to the conference and will be speaking on the following area:
“NGO’s and on-the ground activists: Defending the Voices”
MODERATOR: Xiao Qiang.
SPEAKERS: Elijah Zarwan (Human Rights Watch), Clothilde Le Coz (Bureau Internet et Libertés, Reporters Without Borders), Rebecca MacKinnon (Global Voices & University of Hong Kong), Nasser Weddady (Hands Across the Mideast Support Alliance), Stephanie Hankey (Tactical Tech), Antony Loewenstein (Amnesty International Australia’s campaign Uncensor)
How can NGOs seeking to advance freedom of expression most effectively work with on-the-ground free speech activists to combat censorship?
I’ll be talking about the current internet situation in Australia and the Asia-Pacific region, my forthcoming book The Blogging Revolution, what NGOs can do to provide cover for activists and the often mistaken pre-conceptions in the West about citizens in “repressive regimes.” I’ll be writing regularly about the event from Hungary.
See you in Europe.