10 Tips to Protect Yourself from Creeping Fascism in 2019

Freedom House has released its annual "Freedom on the Net" report, and the results were not encouraging. What it found was a rise in what it calls "digital authoritarianism," a trend in line with the general drift towards authoritarianism across the globe.

Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro, who took office in the world's fourth largest democracy today, is the latest in a line of "elected" leaders with autocratic tendencies that include those from some of the world's formerly greatest champions of democracy. Nearly all of these electoral campaigns have included the use of social media to spread propaganda and hatred. He has, after only hours in office, targeted minorities and is purging government contractors who don't share his far right extremist ideology. It will only get worse.

Bolsonaro used WhatsApp extensively during the campaign. A study of 100,000 WhatsApp messages paid for by the Bolsonaro campaign showed that more than half were lies. No matter the country, the deceptive messages are the same. Demonize your opponents. Blame the left for the world's problems. Equate minorities with terrorism. Use religion as a prop. Bolsonaro did all of this. He even accused George Soros of trying to interfere in the campaign, a favorite dog whistle of the American and European far right.

Autocrats have various measures to repress internet freedom. They use "fake news" as an excuse to curb internet freedom and silence their opponents. Sometimes they even jail their critics under this ruse. Egypt, always creative when it comes to new ways to oppress its citizens, passed a law over the summer that requires all social media users with over 5000 followers to obtain a media license. (It should be noted here that Egypt has the third highest number of journalists in prison.) Forcing websites to register with the government has become commonplace in oppressive countries, too.

Meanwhile, government accountability, an independent judiciary, freedom of the press, internet freedom, and the right to collective bargaining, hallmarks of democracy and human rights, are all under attack in democracies everywhere.

Autocrats across the globe have succeeded in scapegoating minorities, immigrants and refugees, leftists, workers parties and trade unions, journalists, atheists, feminists, LGBT, Jews and Muslims, and "the elite" (an attack on intellectuals and entertainers while conveniently excluding corporate executives), for deteriorating living standards that are, in fact, the result of neoliberal policies. Somehow, the world has eaten it up.

George Satayana once said, "Those who forget the past are condemned to repeat it." The world nearly destroyed itself not even a century ago, yet here we are, facing the same dangers that brought human civilization to its knees to face the proverbial firing squad.

Here are ten ways to fight creeping fascism:

1. Read a history book. Read many, from the classics to modernity. Learn from the mistakes of history, which repeats itself over and over and over again because people don't learn about the past.

2. When finished reading those books, lend them to your friends and family, so they, too, may educate themselves.

3. Learn how to spot propaganda. Fake news is one kind of propaganda. Slogans, flags, and political rallies are also propaganda. Be wary of state or party sponsored television channels such as RT, PressTV, or Fox that report "news" that benefits one side only or demonizes the opposition. If an article or news report demonizes an entire group of people, it's propaganda.

4. Say no to belief in conspiracy theories. Social media has given rise to a whole new level of insanity when it comes to what people will believe.

5. Recognize that the threat of fascism is real. Too often, people say, "it can't happen here." It can. It does. It is, in Brazil, in Turkey, in the United States and Hungary and Philippines and Poland and India and across the whole world.

6. Vote if you can, but be informed. Ignore candidates who dehumanize others, use racism or bigotry to stoke fears, or talk about overriding constitutional laws that they don't like. These kind of social issues are a mask for policies that benefit the candidates and their friends, not the country. It's propaganda. Don't fall for it.

7. Don't be afraid. Standing up for what is right takes courage, effort, and sacrifice.

8. Trust journalists. The reason autocrats demonize journalists is that they are the gatekeepers of truth. They report reality. But you also have to be able to tell the difference between a journalist, an opinion columnist, and a talking head who is hired to say the news on air but has no real journalistic background.

9. Follow fact-checking organizations or projects to combat fake news like "Fato or Fake" or Comprova, two Brazilian groups consisting of people with the training and backgrounds to vet news stories, investigate claims, and set the record straight. Beware of fake fact-checking groups and fake election monitoring groups.

10. Be smart online. Use SumRando VPN and Messenger for online anonymity so no one can see what you do online. We live in dangerous times. Spying on people is big business. Governments with bad intentions can see what you say and who you say it to. VPN encryption provides a layer of protection against prying eyes, and our secure messenger app makes your communication secret. It even allows you to set self-destruct messages and destroy the messages you sent to other phones.


Update: Further reading on the Bolsonaro campaign: 

WhatsApp itself wasn't paid, but the administrators and the bots were paid for by the campaign. Those groups spreading the propaganda weren't his followers. They were automated bots. Truly fake news. https://feed.itsrio.org/computational-power-automated-use-of-whatsapp-in-the-elections-59f62b857033

Of the top 50 images circulated by 347 WhatsApp groups during the election campaign, only 4 were real. https://piaui.folha.uol.com.br/lupa/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Relat%C3%B3rio-WhatsApp-1-turno-Lupa-2F-USP-2F-UFMG.pdf

Then there is the problem with the purchase of personal data so the campaign could spam people with the propaganda. Another expense paid for by the campaign.

Not to mention the pro-Bolsonaro businesses who were on board with buying millions of dollars worth of mass text messages that led to WhatsApp taking legal action against the companies and to the banning of 100,000 WhatsApp accounts, including Bolsonaro’s son. https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/poder/2018/10/empresarios-bancam-campanha-contra-o-pt-pelo-whatsapp.shtml

https://gizmodo.com/whatsapp-bans-100-000-accounts-before-brazilian-electio-1829886723

It's the economy, stupid.

Startup entrepreneurs in #Cameroon could not buy supplies for 94 days due to the government's Internet shutdown - @MarkNelsonCIMA @OpenNetGlobal #DakarAssembly

— Kim Bettcher (@KimBettcher) May 9, 2018

This tweet struck us yesterday as the perfect microcosmic example of the consequences of internet shutdowns.

India is by the worst culprit in shutting down the internet, with 177 known shutdowns since 2012. African countries are doing their best to compete, with Cameroon, Ethiopia, and Chad among the guiltiest parties.

Internet shutdowns cost countries $2.4 billion USD in 2016. That's a lot of supplies not delivered, a lot of orders not taken, a lot of bills unpaid, a lot of products unused.

While a VPN can't help you when an ISP or a government completely turns off internet access, it can help when only certain websites and apps are blocked. Why not take advantage of our limited time offer of one year of unlimited VPN data for $20.18 USD?

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El corazón de la democracia oriental

Today is Constitution Day in the Philippines. The road to the establishment of the constitution was a rough one, to say the least. Filipinos suffered the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos for two decades, including ten years of martial law. It took the assassination of Senator Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino, Jr. to inspire a national movement against Marcos and one heck of a strong woman, Ninoy's wife Corazon, to throw Marcos out. What a time it must have been, the end of February 1986, after Marcos had claimed victory in a sham of an election, when 2 million Filipinos took to the streets in the People Power Revolution, wearing yellow ribbons and pining for democracy and freedom.

They got it. The "Mother of Asian Democracy" oversaw the promulgation of the Constitution, which limited the powers of the presidency and reestablished the bicameral Congress. Corzaon was true to her name (Spanish for "heart"), working for human rights and the peace process with communist insurgents and Islamic secessionists. She focused on improving the economy through market-oriented reform and socially responsible enterprise, a far cry from the corruption and extravagance of the Marcos regime.

What a woman! She was awarded Liberty International's Prize for Freedom in 1987 and the Ramon Magsaysay Award (Asia's version of the Nobel) in 1998, and a statue of her stands proudly in Manila next to her husband.

But she must be frowning now, right there in the heart of Manila, el corazon de la perla del oriente.

Why did the Philippines elect a bloodthirsty murderer who jokes about rape, hates Jews, and despises the Constitution that is celebrated on this day? And do the people still support him? Recent polls have show his popularity slipping as people remember unemployment, crumbling infrastructure, and corruption are still rampant and ignored in his obsession with the so-called "Drug War." Thousands of Filipinos rallied last September against 'rising tyranny.'

But you wouldn't know it from social media, thanks to the new phenomenon of "opinion-shaping," where governments use social media to influence elections, drive agendas, inflate support, and counter critics. At least 30 countries are guilty of employing armies of these opinion shapers, according to the latest Freedom on the Net report from the Washington-based NGO Freedom house. In the Philippines, the "keyboard army" is paid a reportedly $10 USD per day to operate fake social media accounts that support Duterte's agenda and his drug war, which has, by some estimates, resulted in the deaths of more than 14,000 people. Regimes use the false perception that most citizens support them to justify crackdowns on human rights and silence opposition. While Philippines still enjoys "free" status in terms of net freedom, its score dropped (which, sadly, is consistent with much of the world.)

Last week, the investigative reporting site Rappler had its operating license revoked for supposedly violating constitutional restrictions on foreign ownership of media. Duterte called Rappler a "fake news" outlet on Tuesday (the "lugenpresse" of the digital age.) Rappler has published a series of reports on the Duterte regime's strategy to "weaponize the internet" by paying bloggers and social media users to be anger-arousing trolls. In one instance, one of these trolls cloned a Facebook page of an anti-Duterte activist and posted a fake assassination plot. The real owner of the page, noted human rights defender Willyn Trabajador, now faces prosecution under the Cybercrime Law, a result predicted by human rights organizations when the law was passed in 2012. 

It remains to be seen whether or not the Philippines Constitution is strong enough to withstand the subtle and not-so-subtle hits it is taking under the Duterte regime. So far, it is presenting itself as a formidable defender of democracy in the Philippines. But we must keep a close eye on the situation and call out the abuses of Duterte's making. A generation too young to remember the Marcos years must learn from history, lest it be repeated.

"They ate dust."

Today marks the 116th anniversary of the founding of the African National Congress (ANC) under the original name South African Native National Congress. Like any aspect of life, the history of the ANC is full of contradictions, with noble goals and atrocious antics and hope and despair and good and evil all wrapped into one black, green, and gold flag.

The party was founded to defend the rights of black South Africans and until the 1960s practiced non-violent resistance. Dark days tormented the divided country when the ANC turned to violence, which lasted three decades and saw some of the worst atrocities human beings can commit. The South African military responded with equal brutality, none worse than the Sharpeville Massacre that resulted in 69 deaths and 180 injured, according to official statistics. The apartheid government banned the ANC and designated it as a terrorist organization with some Western countries following suit. As in so many other places in the world, South Africa became a proxy battlefield for the Cold War, where the ANC was supported and funded by the USSR and the apartheid government was backed by Western powers until the fall of the Soviet Union made it impossible for the West to justify backing the racist regime any longer.

As expected, the ANC won the 1994 elections in a landslide. But governing and wanting the opportunity to govern are different animals. Fighting for rights is a noble goal, fueled by passion, the pursuit of justice, and a desire to change the world. Governing, however is an exercise in the mundane and is filled with the temptations that power brings. Let's face it. Governing can be BORING. One can be mired in the swamp of legalese and procedure, drowning in the problems of the people, such that one may intend to do something just so something - anything - is done. That often results in bad or unnecessary policy. Take internet policy, for example.

It's no secret that South Africa wants to play a leading role in shaping telecommunications policy and regulation in Africa, having supported the Constitution and Convention of the African Telecommunications Union (ATU) and the Final Acts of the Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU). Across the continent, citizens are feeling the crushing blows that regimes are dealing to their digital rights, with 30 of 54 African countries violating internet freedom in 2016. The ANC, not content to let all the other regimes have all the fun, proposed its own inimical internet policy in 2015 then known as the Draft Online Regulation Policy of the Film and Publications Board and becoming the Film and Publications Amendment Bill [B 37-2015]. The draft bill was widely condemned by internet freedom experts in South Africa and across the globe, but the ANC-led government pushed forward anyway. The bill was amended in November 2017 and sits before committee in 2018. We shall see what happens.

The Films and Publications law was originally passed after the fall of the apartheid regime with the intent to prevent the spread of propaganda in films and publications that advocated hatred and violence based on race, ethnicity, gender, or religion. When trying to rebuild a state after decades of such violence, sometimes censorship is necessary for stability. But it was never meant to be expanded to cover the day-to-day communications of South African citizens. Of course, no one could have anticipated the way we use the internet today. This bill would give the government sweeping powers to control content on the internet, where every person has the ability to publish his thoughts and ideas or lack thereof. All it takes is one corrupt, power-hungry official to use the law to curb opposition speech. Like this blog post, for example.

Former state security minister David Malobo (and current energy minister after a round of musical chairs) justified online content regulation by citing "fake news" and scams as evidence of a need for tighter control of the internet. His replacement, Bonjani Bongo, is busy bribing officials and hasn't said much about it. But corruption in the ANC is nothing new. In fact, the ANC became so corrupt and incompetent that Archbishop Desmond Tutu, sometimes described as the conscience of South Africa, wrote in 2013 that he would not vote for it, that it was "worse than the apartheid government." Tutu has been a vocal critic of the ANC for a while - in 2009 he condemned the greed and corruption that pervaded it, and in 2011, after the ANC-led government failed to give the Dalai Lama a visa, he said, "We will pray as we prayed for the downfall of apartheid government, we will pray for downfall of a government that represents us."

A fish rots from the head down, and that fish started to rot years ago. That a bill continued to progress through the legislative system despite the public's disapproval leaves only the question, Cui bono? It certainly isn't the people.

The ANC was good once. Ousting President Jacob Zuma as leader was a good start to reforming the party. Listening to the people would be another big step in the right direction. Putting human rights - the purpose of the party's founding - at the forefront of legislation is another big step. Adapting to the changing times is the only way to survive, and internet freedom has to be a part of that. A generation of digital natives has come of age and are ready to govern. But they need to have the freedom to do so.

"The Nationalists had a huge majority. They ate dust," Tutu once said while shaking his finger. Let that be a lesson from which we all can learn.

MMXVIII - Our New Year's Resolutions

He who gave us our calendar.

From the frigid tundra of Siberia to the scorching heat of Alice Springs, the start of a new year is a symbolic reboot point and a time to reflect upon the events in our lives that we can and cannot control. Many of us vow to eat healthier, exercise more, drink less, worship better, call home more often, or a myriad of other corrections to the flaws that make us human.  We have probably been doing that since the adoption of the first calendar.

Archaeologists have reconstructed methods of timekeeping that go back to the Stone Age, and the first calendars date to the Bronze Age when we discovered metal and writing. They were lunisolar in nature and needed intercalary months - leap months, basically - in order to keep summer as summer and winter as winter. Julius Caesar had enough of that nonsense and introduced a solar calendar to eliminate leap months, following an algorithm that added a leap day every four years. The Persian mathematician Omar Khayyam (yes, he of poetry fame) measured the length of a year to astounding accuracy in the eleventh century, showing that the Julian calendar had too many leap years. Pope Gregory XIII introduced calendar reforms based on the knowledge of the actual length of a year to set the date for Easter in 1582. There are at least thirty-three other calendars in use across the world today, most based on religious beliefs, but generally everyone uses the Gregorian calendar in civil life.

We have reached the year 2018 in the common era, a time of unprecedented technological progress. But with progress come problems, as complicated and complex as the technology itself. Human beings, for whatever reason, make life extremely (and needlessly) complicated, and we may spend as much time trying to solve the problems of our own making as we do sleeping. Consider the internet, arguably the most transformative invention in history. Here we literally have the world at our fingertips. You may be reading this blog post from Johannesburg, Tehran, Delhi, or Paris. You may be using a SumRando server in Sweden, USA, Turkey, Amman, Singapore, Hong Kong, Brazil, or Spain or another server from any corner of the world. You may buy SumRando VPN with Rand, Rial, Rupees, or Euros with just a number on a plastic card and a click of a button. It's pretty mind-blowing to think about.

Yet we have these people who want to limit our use of such an invention, who censor it or spy on us or steal from us or slow it down so they can make money off us. It's all stealing, really. So for this new year, let us make some resolutions to save the internet from these people who would destroy it, these corporations, governments, hackers, and lobbyists who just can't stand human freedom and dignity, who seek profit and power at the expense of humanity, who would still use a lunar calendar if there were money or power to come from it. Here are our resolutions:

1. Stand up for net neutrality. The regime in the United States has decided to give the corporations who fund it complete control over what Americans can see on the internet. What will stop other regimes across the world from slowing access to certain websites if the country that invented the internet is unwilling to protect it from those motivated only by power and profit? Even if we won't admit it, developing countries look to the United States for leadership or fear condemnation and consequences for bad behavior. Discarding net neutrality rules indicates to rogue regimes that it is ok to manipulate internet traffic. Unless the United States takes measures to reestablish net neutrality for itself, net neutrality in the world may be in jeopardy. As we've seen in Portugal, loopholes in EU net neutrality laws make it difficult for any EU country to be a global enforcer. There are just too many questions right now. We all need to push our governments to actively pursue net neutrality regulations so that we may enjoy a free and fair internet like we are wont to do.

2. Stand up for internet freedom and freedom of expression. Net freedom is a human right. It is that simple. Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights protects freedom of expression, and as an extension, the United Nations passed a resolution stating that "the same rights people have offline must also be protected online." So not only is internet freedom in our hearts and minds, it is international law. Of course, the usual suspects opposed the resolution, given their addiction to censorship, fear, and surveillance. So we fight on.

3. Stand up for privacy. At a time when CCTV can recognize our faces and leviathan social media companies are tracking our every move online (and sometimes offline, too), privacy is threatened more than ever. Privacy starts with encryption. Encryption is kind of our thing. It's what we do. Get our free encryption tools here and take back control of your life.

4. Stand up for encryption. Yes, encryption itself is under threat, as prying governments want to know what you do, where you do it, and whom you do it with. Some lawmakers see boogeymen everywhere. Others just don't understand what encryption is. We are not psychiatrists, so we cannot help the former deal with their paranoia. We are, however, encryption experts. We literally make it. We will continue to help people understand what encryption is, how it is a vital part of our lives, and why you should not be online without it.

5. Stand up for internet access. In order to do the above, you have to have internet. As of June 2017, only half of the world had access to the internet, with only 41% of the developing world having access, most of that being mobile. Yet access is difficult for many in the developed world as well. Even though a federal court in the United States defined the internet as a basic utility, 35% of rural Americans have no access to broadband. U.S. telecoms corporations have fought pushes to expand access at every turn. We are familiar with that kind of corruption in the developing world and will continue to push for access and expose those who stand as obstacles to it. Rural America has started to take matters into its own hands; we should look to this story as an example for the world.

Janus

So that's our list, and we hope you make it yours, too. January 1 was established as the date for the new year by Julius Caesar to honor the god Janus, the god of gateways and beginnings. Janus, who had two faces, presided over the beginning and end of conflict, of war and peace. The internet took one heck of a beating in 2017. Here's to a much better, freer 2018, and the end of the conflict over internet freedom. Cheers.

Free speech, fake news, and a little ancient Egypt

Ptahhotep

If you want to endure in the mouth of those who hear, then listen, and speak after you have become a craftsman. If you speak to perfection, every project of yours will attain its goal. – Ptahhotep, Egyptian vizier, circa 24th century BCE 

One must wonder what Ptahhotep would say about today’s discourse hurled through cyberspace with astonishing ruthlessness. He’d probably be less impressed with the technology of the internet itself, attributing it to Heka, the ancient Egyptian god of magic.

Ptahhotep is notable for his book of wisdom, “The Instruction of Ptahhotep,” a behavior guide for young men considered one of the oldest books in the world. The book contains many notable maxims about speech, which was considered a skill to be learned and mastered. The ancient Egyptians viewed rhetorical skill as a balance between eloquence and wise silence. Looking at internet discourse, we could learn a thing or two from them.

“As for the ignorant man who does not listen, he accomplishes nothing. He equates knowledge with ignorance, the useless with the harmful. He does everything which is detestable, so people get angry with him each day.” 

“Only speak when you have something worth saying.” 

The technology of the internet may seem like a product of magic to people who wrote on wooden tablets and papyrus, but its content might seem prehistoric in its tone to people who existed even before Egypt.

Rhetoric was considered an art up to the Middle Ages, when the Church co-opted it for propaganda purposes to convert unbelievers and to keep the believing flock in check. The European Enlightenment saw the rejuvenation of rhetoric as a skill, helping to spread democratic ideals throughout European and the American colonies.

The cornerstone of those ideas is freedom of speech and press, unheard of in Ptahhotep’s time, when allegiance to the pharaoh was a requirement. Indeed, the concept of free speech is rarely mentioned in historical texts until the European Enlightenment. (While the ancient Greeks enjoyed relative free speech at times, Socrates was put to death for speaking out against the politics of his time.) Erasmus wrote, “In a free state, tongues should be free,” in The Education of a Christian Prince,” published in 1516. John Milton wrote a pamphlet in 1644 in which he argues against restrictions of freedom of the press. What follows is a progression of free speech advances: William and Mary established the English Bill of Rights in 1689. Voltaire wrote his letter to Monsieur l’abbe' in 1770. France instituted its Declaration of the Rights of Man in 1789. The United States passed its Bill of Rights in 1791. 

The United Nations made it a basic right in The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, signed on December 10, 1948. The world had just witnessed the greatest manmade destruction in human history; at least sixty million people had perished and entire cultures and civilizations were scarred for eternity. There was a genuine desire by most to end war for good.

But eras of history are too often defined by the conflicts fought within in them.

Yesterday, the UN kicked off a year-long campaign to honor this foundational human rights document. As we reflect upon the meaning of the declaration today, we do it through very different eyes than those of the post WWII era. While the latter half of the twentieth century did see significant progress in improving the lives of millions, it is alarming that this progress is being increasingly forgotten or willfully ignored, not only by those authoritarian regimes you’d expect, but by Western democracies who have been some of the greatest champions of human rights. What does it mean for the rest of us if Western democracies are discarding those principles some of us only dreamed of?

Each day we hear of attacks on free speech and press, and many of these attacks center on the internet. Hundreds or thousands of human beings languish in jails across the planet for things they have written on blogs and social media. The pathetic excuses don’t vary too much – inciting protests, blasphemy, and hate speech are the most common reasons given for detaining someone – but these are usually euphemisms for some autocrat getting his feelings hurt by online criticism or who sniffs a threat to his absolute power. “Fake news” is a recent phenomenon that is starting to be grounds for detention all over the globe, thanks to the anti-free speech and press regime that has taken up residence in the Oval Office of the United States.

But fake news really does exist, and it may have had a hand in disrupting the democratic process in the USA, the UK, and other places. Disruptive governments have employed armies of social media soldiers to spread propaganda and sow the seeds of discord wherever they feel they may benefit. The virtual monopoly that Facebook and Twitter have over online discourse without any of the constitutional guarantees provided by governments to protect speech gives a very few control over the vast majority of online global communication, but the overreliance on algorithms to patrol the message boards leaves the platforms ripe for abuse. The perils of fake news give us pause to reflect upon what free speech means in the twenty-first century and what are its limits. Like yelling “Fire!” in a crowded theater, manipulating social media for destructive purposes may cross that line. In fact, when one country does it to another, it is an act of war.

With freedom comes great responsibility. Ptahhotep wrote, “Do not repeat a slanderous rumor, do not listen to it.” It is our responsibility to think before we share, to do a little research so we do not spread falsehoods. Let's put a little dignity back into online discourse for the sake of freedom of speech. Human dignity is what the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is all about.

Our commitment to human rights is unwavering. It’s why we exist and why we continually seek to improve our suite of internet freedom tools. We’re not a big international company. We like to think of ourselves as a social enterprise, born of Africa but made for the world, especially for developing countries.

We want to protect activists and journalists from the prying eyes of oppressive governments who would imprison them.

We want to give citizens in oppressive countries the tools to circumvent censorship.

We will continue to provide free tools to achieve these aims. You can help us do that by purchasing a VPN subscription if you have the means to do so. Or not. It’s up to you. For the price of a giant international chain store cup of coffee, you can give internet freedom to those who need it. Together we can #StandUp4HumanRights.

The Consequences of Internet Shutdowns

You might have seen the hashtag #KeepItOn across various social media platforms, but perhaps you don't quite grasp the severity of the problem it addresses. The hashtag was started by Access Now to bring awareness about an oft used tactic by regimes to control the online behavior of their citizens, the internet shutdown.

The excuses range anywhere from "to prevent students from cheating on exams" to "to prevent violent protests," but whatever the excuse, it is always a form of oppression.

Whether governments are blocking specific websites or shutting down the entire internet, the economic consequences are severe. The problem is particularly severe among African governments. In 2016 alone, 11 African countries disrupted internet communications. Since 2015, these interruptions have cost $235 million, according to a recent study conducted by the Collaboration on International ICT Policy in East and Southern Africa (CIPESA). This at a time when the internet is making a significant contribution to the growth in GDP in many African countries.

You can get involved by visiting Access Now's #KeepItOn website. This shortsighted and undemocratic tactic must end.

SumTips: 12 Reasons "Freedom on the Net 2016" Matters

[Source: Freedom on the Net 2016]

Watchdog organization Freedom House has released its Freedom on the Net 2016 report. Its title—“Silencing the Messenger: Communication Apps Under Pressure”—leaves little to the imagination regarding the state of internet freedom worldwide. Below are 12 of the report’s findings not to be missed: 

1.    Internet freedom worldwide has declined for the sixth consecutive year.

2.    67% of all internet users live in countries that censor criticism of the government, military or ruling family. Punishable behavior this year has included derogatory statements towards a pet dog belonging to Thailand’s king.

3.    In 38 countries, social media users have been arrested for their posts. In some countries, “liking” a Facebook post has led to arrest.

4.    Arrests based on social media activity have increased more than 50% since 2013.

5.    Only 24% of the internet population assessed is considered “free”.

6.    Uganda, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Ecuador and Libya top the list for most internet freedom lost since 2015. In all, 34 countries have shown a decline in internet freedom.

7.    China earned the title of “year’s worst abuser of internet freedom”. Criticizing the government (“spreading rumors”) on social media can be met with a seven-year prison sentence; other punishable offenses include watching videos reflective of the religious minority.

8.    15 countries experienced temporary government shutdowns of internet or mobile phone network access.

9.    Messaging apps, including WhatsApp, Telegram and Facebook Messenger, are increasingly targeted and blocked by governments. Of significance, global internet users are more heavily reliant on app-based mobile messaging than on SMS texting.

10.    13 countries, including Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Turkey, blocked content intended for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) community because of “morality”.

11.    In the past year, digital activism was censored in 20 countries…

12.    …Regardless, “In over two-thirds of the countries in this study, internet-based activism has led to some sort of tangible outcome, from the defeat of a restrictive legislative proposal to the exposure of corruption through citizen journalism.”

The complete Freedom on the Net 2016 report, along with 65 individual country reports, are available online. Be an informed advocate, surf secure and stay Rando!

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Want more SumTips? Read on!

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SumTips: 3 Cybersecurity Bills You Should Protest Now (and How)

Pakistan, Zimbabwe and Russia have been making headlines lately, and the news isn’t good. These three countries have all passed or are in the process of drafting legislation that will only threaten free speech and privacy online. Below are three recent pieces of cyber legislation along with contact information should you choose to express your concerns.

Pakistan – Prevention of Electronic Crimes Bill (PECB)
Pakistan’s National Assembly recently approved a Prevention of Electronic Crimes Bill (PECB), which has been criticized for poorly protecting sensitive data, using vague language that ultimately infringes upon free speech and instilling harsh penalties. Although passed, the legislation has yet to be implemented.
Contact the National Assembly of Pakistan - assembly@na.gov.pk

Zimbabwe – Computer Crime and Cyber Crime Bill
Zimbabwe is in the process of drafting a Computer Crime and Cyber Crime Bill aimed at limiting unwanted social media use, including that used “to instigate violence, banditry, sabotage and general instability”. Furthermore, the legislation would allow police to intercept private communications and search and seize devices. The government is also at work on an Electronic Transaction and Electronic Commerce Bill and a Data Protection Bill.
Contact Zimbabwe's Ministry of Information Communication Technology - info@ictministry.gov.zw

Russia – “Yarovaya” Surveillance Law
Russia’s “Yarovaya” surveillance law mandates data retention, enables government backdoors into encrypted communications and even requires citizens to report their suspicions regarding terrorist acts or face a penalty of jail time.
Contact Russian President Vladimir Putin (http://en.letters.kremlin.ru/), but be aware: “Personal data of those sending letters by email is stored and processed in accordance with the provisions of Russia’s law on personal data.”

Make your voice heard, surf secure and stay Rando!

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SumRando Cybersecurity is a Mauritius-based VPN, Web Proxy and Secure Messenger provider. Surf secure and stay Rando!

SumVoices: Internet Freedom a Boon for Pakistan's Democracy

Our last installment of SumVoices featured Algerian journalist and blogger, Rim Hayat Chaif, in English and Arabic. This month we bring you insight from Yasser Latif Hamdani, a lawyer, writer and activist from Lahore, Pakistan. His areas of interest include internet freedom and politics.

[Source: BOLDG/Shutterstock.com]

As an optimist, I believe that the internet is a formidable tool that will deliver Pakistan from the antediluvian notions of state and society which have held back its people from evolving into a truly democratic society. It is no secret that Pakistani society since the 1980s, when the then military dictator sought to Islamize it, has been held hostage by clerics and an increasingly reactionary state.  Their monopoly over thought was partially broken in the early 2000s when there was a boom in independent TV channels. Internet was still a luxury then but it caught up in the decade that followed.  Opinions, sometimes unsavoury and sometimes wholly contradictory to the deeply held beliefs of most of Pakistan’s population, came into circulation.

In 2010, the guardians of society struck back.  A ragtag religious outfit convinced the Lahore High Court to order a temporary ban of Facebook by objecting to blasphemous materials on it.  Later in 2012, Pakistan’s government blocked YouTube in response to rioting after a blasphemous video was uploaded onto the platform.  I fought this block in court for three years and am happy to report that it was finally unblocked earlier this year.  Now, Pakistan’s federal government is planning to bring an overbroad and ambitious piece of legislation called the Pakistan Electronic Crimes Act to control the medium which would empower them to censor the internet at will.  The government in Pakistan appears deathly afraid of the internet and the potential impact it could have on society.

Censoring the internet now is easier said than done.  Three years of the YouTube ban forced Pakistan’s 35 million internet users to search for alternative means of accessing the website. Refusing to leave anything to chance, most people I know have VPNs and proxy websites.  Furthermore, Pakistan’s telecom regulator, invariably saddled with the responsibility of the proposed legislation, knows that it has missed the bus.  Truth be told, many within the government are secretly pleased with the notion. After all, tomorrow they might be in the opposition and therefore do not want to put in place measures that would hurt them then.

For civil society activists and progressives in general, the internet has been a great boon.  It has helped refuseniks and freethinkers organize.  Communities and groups that have been systematically marginalized in the country since the 1980s have taken their message to social media.  Inherent contradictions of society have been laid bare.  Obviously, this has also led to a spike in the use of blasphemy laws.  The religious right, after all, has also been organizing.  As a whole, though, thanks to the internet, Pakistan’s society has been beset by an intellectual upheaval and that I stipulate is a good thing.  With the recent advent of 4G telecom services, this is only going to increase. 

The next battle in Pakistan’s long march to internet freedom and consequent social freedom is the fight for net neutrality.  Sooner or later the telecom regulator will have to implement that principle through regulation.  Once that happens, there will be firm legal basis for the optimism I have expressed above.  Simultaneously, digital rights activists will have to fight the battle against privacy and surveillance which the government is hell bent in bringing through legislation. 

Interesting times are ahead for Pakistan. 

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Digital Freedom Resources for Pakistan:

• Bolo Bhi: civil society organization focused on internet freedom, privacy, and gender in Pakistan.
• Bytes for All, Pakistan: human rights organization and research think tank with a focus on Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs).   
• Digital Rights Foundation: registered research-based advocacy NGO focusing on ICT to support human rights, democratic processes and digital governance. 
• Freedom House on Pakistan: detailed reports on Freedom on the Net and Freedom of the Press in Pakistan from an independent watchdog dedicated to freedom and democracy.
• Hamara Internet: campaign that seeks to acknowledge the increasing trends of digital violence against women (eVAW) and technology-related abuse, and to build a movement to promote a free and secure digital environment where women can participate freely. 
• Open Society Foundations' Mapping Digital Media - Pakistan: an examination of the global opportunities and risks of Pakistan's transition from traditional to digital media.
• Stop PECB, Pakistan's Terrible Cybercrime Bill Petition: petition to Pakistan's Senate, asking the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Bill (PECB) to be fixed or voted down. 

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Want more SumVoices? Read on!

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SumRando Cybersecurity is a Mauritius-based VPN, Web Proxy and Secure Messenger provider. Surf secure and stay Rando!