"This manual is divided into four parts which can be read in any order. The reader does not require any special expertise, although some basic knowledge of computer and Internet operations would come handy. The chapters, containing information of a more technical nature, are marked ‘For Techies’
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. The First Section is about understanding your security needs and vulnerabilities. It describes a non-technical approach to the digital environment. A method of mapping the threats, posed by a particular situation, is off e red to help you decide on the strategies for implementing privacy and security solutions. The Second Section lists various elements of computer and Internet security. It introduces the reader to computer operations and Internet infrastructure. Methods of securing data, bypassing Internet censorship and protecting yourself against malicious attacks are explained in detail. The Third Section is a summary of worldwide legislation to restrict and monitor information flow and communications. It shows the downward trend, caused by the growth of restrictions to the rights to freedom of expression, privacy and communication, in many countries. Cases of human rights defenders currently in prison or persecuted because of their work through the Internet are presented as examples of the ways some governments enforce these pieces of legislation. The Fourth Section drafts possible scenarios for human rights defenders and their organisations of dealing with problems of electronic insecurity and ensuring continuation of their work. The scenarios relate to the concepts presented throughout the book and solutions are based on realisable actions." (Page 3)
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"While China’s policies of reform and opening-up have triggered far-reaching economic transformations in the media sector, and the leeway for uncensored reporting has widened, the principles of political supervision remain essentially unchanged. The article sketches the interplay of numerous gover
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nment and Party organs responsible for media supervision and censorship in terms of mission, personnel and work assignments. The main emphasis is on the present situation and changes since 1990. Despite some organizational reshuffling and recurrent jurisdictional adjustments, the basic bureaucratic set-up for enforcing media compliance with Party policies stays in line with the Leninist arrangements of the 1950s. The challenges for effective control posed by the technological revolution in mass communication have been met by new innovations in the monitoring and filtering of sensitive reports. Although principles of rule by law have also spread to the media, they lag behind some other spheres of Chinese public life. Regulations stipulate a host of licensing requirements. They stress media duties and remain largely silent on media rights. On the background of reorganizations in the magazine „Freezing Point“ of the Youth League effected during 2004 - 2006, the article highlights the tensions of current media policies, the conflicts between multiple actors and the unresolved contradictions between commercial and political interests." (Abstract)
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Provides a mappping of 26 initiatives to develop indicators of media development and their respective methodologies, and analyses these initiatives in terms of their value and relevance to the priorities of the IPDC. The paper also proposes sample indicators and data sources for five principal media
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development outcomes which are broken down into separate categories.
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"The Russian mass media system has experienced tremendous change since the Soviet era. It has been argued that some similarities still exist between the old Soviet system and the new post-Soviet media, such as the practice of self-censorship. Pressure has been mounting on the mass media's level of e
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ditorial freedom since the late Yeltsin era, beginning with a raft of new laws introduced under the guise of keeping the media ‘honest’. One contemporary influence constraining and shaping media de velopment is Russia's ‘war on terrorism’. Ever since the infamous apartment bombings of August 1999, over 1000 people have been killed and scores more physically and emotionally scarred by acts of terrorism on Russian soil. The political, social and economic costs have been considerable. Russia's ‘war on terrorism’ has provided the authorities with ample excuses to curtail media reporting, such as protecting the work of the security forces in combating terrorist activity, stopping the spread of terrorist ‘propaganda’ and protecting victims of terrorist acts. Numerous bills have been debated in the Duma on prohibiting activity by the mass media during an incident. Senior representatives from the mass media have been involved in talks with the authorities on the issue and in drawing up industry guidelines for reporting on a terrorist act." (Abstract)
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