A gigantic world map of Internet black holes projected on Parisian monuments

[svoy]

International | 7.11.2006
A gigantic world map of Internet black holes projected on Parisian monuments


Thirteen countries censor what should be a space for free expression. They are Belarus, Burma, China, Cuba, Egypt, Iran, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Vietnam.

Throughout the world, more than 60 Internet users are currently in prison for posting news or information on the Internet.

Click here to combat online censorship now.

- In response to an appeal by Reporters Without Borders, more than 10,000 people have already participated in an online demonstration that was launched at 11 a.m. today on the organisation’s website with the aim of condemning the 13 Internet enemies and combatting online censorship.

- 200 people have already recorded a message for the founder of Yahoo!, deploring the fact that his company helps the Chinese authorities track down cyber-dissidents.

Internet users have until 11 a.m. tomorrow (Wednesday) to join this international campaign.

In New York, mobile billboards drove around the streets of the city displaying large posters of a map of the world highlighting the Internet’s black holes.

In Paris, Reporters Without Borders projected a gigantic world map of online censorship onto the city’s monuments. The press and passers-by saw the map projected onto the facade of Saint-Lazare station, onto the building that houses the French headquarters of Yahoo!, and onto the Bastille Opera. The aim was to encourage the public to get involved in the fight to defend the right to online free expression. Reporters Without Borders activists distributed leaflets explaining the 24-hour online protest against censorship.

. Reporters Without Borders today also launched a blog platform on its website. By creating your blog on rsfblog, you will help our organisation to support people who have been put in prison for expressing their views on the Internet.

. The Reporters Without Borders website is now also in Arabic, as well as French, English and Spanish. From today, all of the press releases produced by the organisation will be systematically translated into Arabic and posted on the website, so that it is accessible to a broader public.

Freedom of expression is not a luxury. It is everyone’s right!

source: http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=19629