Police officials rescued a senior police official abducted in the Indian state pf Manipur. Tensions escalated in the state after a group of 200 armed men kidnapped him. He has been rescued now by the senior police officials in Manipur.

Manipur: Abducted officer rescued, internet ban lifted in Churachandpur district

This year, India has earned the dubious distinction of shutting down the internet and communication services for the largest chunk of the global population and for the longest period of time.&nbsp;

Recent media reports have indicated that India was home to 67 per cent of the Internet Shutdowns globally in 2019.&nbsp;

Internet Shutdowns are known to have terrible consequences on civil liberties, fundamental rights and have led to massive economic losses. These shutdowns have been used to curb protests and civil society movements, which thrive on attention and symbolism. When the state tries to strangulate the voices of dissent by shutting down the internet, it only amplifies the resistance against it.

A 2018 report by Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER) analysing the economic impact of Internet shutdowns during 2012-17, found that 16315 hours of shutdowns caused the Indian Economy approximately $3.04 billion.

Furthermore, the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) has estimated the cost at close to 24.5 million rupees for an hour of internet shutdown. In 2019, Kashmir had continued to be under a blackout for more than 150 days. States of Assam, Meghalaya, and several parts of West Bengal also suffered a connectivity cut. Several areas in Delhi also suffered a blackout during the Anti-Citizenship Amendment, Act 2019 (Anti-CAA) protests.&nbsp;

Moreover, 80 districts in Uttar Pradesh have been subject to intermittent internet shutdowns since the last week of December. Indiscriminate censorship of internet has occurred in India since 2012 implemented by governments of all hues and shades.&nbsp;

An internet shutdown may be partial or complete. While a partial shutdown pertains to blocking of specific content or platforms, a complete shutdown is when all internet services are blocked without specific targeting.&nbsp;

As per information accessed from the portal - internetshutdown.in - which is maintained by Software Freedom Law Centre, India (SFLC), there were a total of 93 internet shutdowns imposed in India in 2019. Of these, 72 were taken as preventive measures. Internet shutdowns in India are ordered under the Temporary Suspension of Telecom Services (Public Emergency or Public Safety) Rules, 2017.

Under these rules, an officer – of no less than joint secretary rank in the state or Union government – may order the suspension of telecom services “due to public emergency or public safety”. The United Nations declared internet access a basic human right in 2016.

In India, though only the state of Kerala recognises this, following an order by the Kerala High Court in 2017. The legality of indiscriminate internet censorship has been subject to questioning by the legal fraternity, particularly with regard to the process that may have been followed in imposing these shutdowns.&nbsp;

This also leads one to speculate as to why the government may take such a measure. However, the underlying reasons for internet censorship during a protest are to discourage people’s participation in protests and denying the protestors control over the narrative.&nbsp;

Herein, we also need to look at how the role of the internet has evolved in protests. The term ‘networked protest’ has been used by scholars, for protests that use social media to organise them. These may include a call to mobilise, or arranging supplies. One of the first instances of these ‘networked protests’ are the protests that took place in the Middle East during the Arab Spring and the ‘India Against Corruption Movement’ in 2011. A networked protest strongly relies on the Internet to both disperse information and also avail that information. This is what happened recently in India too, in the backdrop of Anti-CAA and Anti-NRC protests.&nbsp;

Protests are essentially symbolic public relations exercises to drive a narrative. Attention by the state fuels them and non-attention weakens them. The state is the most coercive actor. As Mahatma Gandhi puts it incomparably — “The individual has a soul, but a state is a soulless machine, it can never be weaned from violence to which it owes its very existence.”&nbsp;

The state has this irresistible temptation to exercise coercion. Purely from the state’s perspective shutting down the internet exposes lack of statecraft and a weak understanding of the phenomena of collective protests and how they are actually carried out. &nbsp;Not only are internet shutdowns an assault on the personal and collective liberties of the people, they are also a tacit admission that the state’s coercive power is depleting. In mature democracies, shutting down the internet only provides the requisite adhesive to coalesce a collective action of a protest and intensify its purpose.

There is enough empirical evidence that shutting down the internet backfires, not just because it’s a draconian move to suppress dissent, but also because it provides the much-needed attention to the protests. In fact, in the digital age, attempts at censorship of the internet bring much more attention to the suppressed piece of information. This has been popularly termed as, the ‘Streisand Effect’.&nbsp;

In 2003, American singer Barbra Streisand sued photographer Kenneth Adelman for displaying a photograph of her Malibu home, along with 12,000 other photos of the California coastline taken to illustrate coastal erosion. The picture had at that point been downloaded a total of six times, two of which were by Streisand's lawyers.&nbsp;

The suit had the unintended consequence of drawing attention to the photograph, which suddenly became wildly popular and was rapidly copied to multiple mirror sites outside the immediate reach of US law. On December 19, 2019, when telecom operators announced through Twitter that they were following the government’s order of internet shutdown in parts of Delhi at about 12:15 PM, the social media platform erupted with multiple hashtags such as #IndiaAgainstCAA, #JamiaMilia, #CAAProtests #JantarMantar and such. An unplanned protest took place at Jantar Mantar prompting the government to close as many as 19 metro stations in the heart of Delhi. Subsequent to this, peaceful protests broke out in almost all major cities of India. Delhi’s Shaheen Bagh has been witnessing protests for 17 days where thousands of women are on a marathon sit.

Even during a complete internet shutdown, they need one single conduit to spread the information for a call to action. The violence which happened in Uttar Pradesh recently has come out in the public domain through the internet, even though there were complete internet shutdowns. The information has managed to find its way out. Social media is dotted with stories that people in Delhi have started using pollution masks and caps to dodge the facial recognition tools of the police. In Hong Kong, protests in 2014 were termed as ‘Umbrella Protests’ by the media as the protestors used a colourful umbrella to protect themselves from the tear gas and pepper spray. More recently, in 2019 Hong Kong protestors did not use their ‘Octopus Card’- a rechargeable smart card to use public transport and buy groceries because they were afraid that the government would track their database. Thus, acts of state repression, sometimes lead to innovative methods to circumvent it. This is clearly true for internet shutdowns, as well.

There is a dire need for accountability, transparency and a thorough test of inevitability, as also cost-benefit analysis to implement internet shutdowns. To take away a basic human right requires extraordinary circumstances like a foreseeable national security threat or a complete breakdown of law and order. Milder options which are less disruptive and cost-effective must be exercised first. &nbsp;

The economic, social and ethical cost of any censorship on communication must be comprehensively weighed in before subjecting the people with such drastic action. Like the Supreme Court has made forced bandhs or hartals by protestors unconstitutional, it has now become necessary for it to examine the legality, social and economic costs of internet ‘bandh’ before enforcing them arbitrarily.&nbsp;

(The article is co-authored by Prakriti Anand who is a former LAMP Fellow)

(Views expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

This year, India has earned the dubious distinction of shutting down the internet and communication services for the largest chunk of the global population and for the longest period of time.

This year, India has earned the dubious distinction of shutting down the internet and communication services for the largest chunk of the global population and for the longest period of time. Recent media reports have indicated that India was home to 67 per cent of the Internet Shutdowns globally in 2019. Internet Shutdowns are known to have terrible consequences on civil liberties, fundamental rights and have led to massive economic losses. These shutdowns have been used to curb protests and civil society movements, which thrive on attention and symbolism. When the state tries to strangulate the voices of dissent by shutting down the internet, it only amplifies the resistance against it. A 2018 report by Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER) analysing the economic impact of Internet shutdowns during 2012-17, found that 16315 hours of shutdowns caused the Indian Economy approximately $3.04 billion. Furthermore, the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) has estimated the cost at close to 24.5 million rupees for an hour of internet shutdown. In 2019, Kashmir had continued to be under a blackout for more than 150 days. States of Assam, Meghalaya, and several parts of West Bengal also suffered a connectivity cut. Several areas in Delhi also suffered a blackout during the Anti-Citizenship Amendment, Act 2019 (Anti-CAA) protests. Moreover, 80 districts in Uttar Pradesh have been subject to intermittent internet shutdowns since the last week of December. Indiscriminate censorship of internet has occurred in India since 2012 implemented by governments of all hues and shades. An internet shutdown may be partial or complete. While a partial shutdown pertains to blocking of specific content or platforms, a complete shutdown is when all internet services are blocked without specific targeting. As per information accessed from the portal - internetshutdown.in - which is maintained by Software Freedom Law Centre, India (SFLC), there were a total of 93 internet shutdowns imposed in India in 2019. Of these, 72 were taken as preventive measures. Internet shutdowns in India are ordered under the Temporary Suspension of Telecom Services (Public Emergency or Public Safety) Rules, 2017. Under these rules, an officer – of no less than joint secretary rank in the state or Union government – may order the suspension of telecom services “due to public emergency or public safety”. The United Nations declared internet access a basic human right in 2016. In India, though only the state of Kerala recognises this, following an order by the Kerala High Court in 2017. The legality of indiscriminate internet censorship has been subject to questioning by the legal fraternity, particularly with regard to the process that may have been followed in imposing these shutdowns. This also leads one to speculate as to why the government may take such a measure. However, the underlying reasons for internet censorship during a protest are to discourage people’s participation in protests and denying the protestors control over the narrative. Herein, we also need to look at how the role of the internet has evolved in protests. The term ‘networked protest’ has been used by scholars, for protests that use social media to organise them. These may include a call to mobilise, or arranging supplies. One of the first instances of these ‘networked protests’ are the protests that took place in the Middle East during the Arab Spring and the ‘India Against Corruption Movement’ in 2011. A networked protest strongly relies on the Internet to both disperse information and also avail that information. This is what happened recently in India too, in the backdrop of Anti-CAA and Anti-NRC protests. Protests are essentially symbolic public relations exercises to drive a narrative. Attention by the state fuels them and non-attention weakens them. The state is the most coercive actor. As Mahatma Gandhi puts it incomparably — “The individual has a soul, but a state is a soulless machine, it can never be weaned from violence to which it owes its very existence.” The state has this irresistible temptation to exercise coercion. Purely from the state’s perspective shutting down the internet exposes lack of statecraft and a weak understanding of the phenomena of collective protests and how they are actually carried out. Not only are internet shutdowns an assault on the personal and collective liberties of the people, they are also a tacit admission that the state’s coercive power is depleting. In mature democracies, shutting down the internet only provides the requisite adhesive to coalesce a collective action of a protest and intensify its purpose. There is enough empirical evidence that shutting down the internet backfires, not just because it’s a draconian move to suppress dissent, but also because it provides the much-needed attention to the protests. In fact, in the digital age, attempts at censorship of the internet bring much more attention to the suppressed piece of information. This has been popularly termed as, the ‘Streisand Effect’. In 2003, American singer Barbra Streisand sued photographer Kenneth Adelman for displaying a photograph of her Malibu home, along with 12,000 other photos of the California coastline taken to illustrate coastal erosion. The picture had at that point been downloaded a total of six times, two of which were by Streisand's lawyers. The suit had the unintended consequence of drawing attention to the photograph, which suddenly became wildly popular and was rapidly copied to multiple mirror sites outside the immediate reach of US law. On December 19, 2019, when telecom operators announced through Twitter that they were following the government’s order of internet shutdown in parts of Delhi at about 12:15 PM, the social media platform erupted with multiple hashtags such as #IndiaAgainstCAA, #JamiaMilia, #CAAProtests #JantarMantar and such. An unplanned protest took place at Jantar Mantar prompting the government to close as many as 19 metro stations in the heart of Delhi. Subsequent to this, peaceful protests broke out in almost all major cities of India. Delhi’s Shaheen Bagh has been witnessing protests for 17 days where thousands of women are on a marathon sit. Even during a complete internet shutdown, they need one single conduit to spread the information for a call to action. The violence which happened in Uttar Pradesh recently has come out in the public domain through the internet, even though there were complete internet shutdowns. The information has managed to find its way out. Social media is dotted with stories that people in Delhi have started using pollution masks and caps to dodge the facial recognition tools of the police. In Hong Kong, protests in 2014 were termed as ‘Umbrella Protests’ by the media as the protestors used a colourful umbrella to protect themselves from the tear gas and pepper spray. More recently, in 2019 Hong Kong protestors did not use their ‘Octopus Card’- a rechargeable smart card to use public transport and buy groceries because they were afraid that the government would track their database. Thus, acts of state repression, sometimes lead to innovative methods to circumvent it. This is clearly true for internet shutdowns, as well. There is a dire need for accountability, transparency and a thorough test of inevitability, as also cost-benefit analysis to implement internet shutdowns. To take away a basic human right requires extraordinary circumstances like a foreseeable national security threat or a complete breakdown of law and order. Milder options which are less disruptive and cost-effective must be exercised first. The economic, social and ethical cost of any censorship on communication must be comprehensively weighed in before subjecting the people with such drastic action. Like the Supreme Court has made forced bandhs or hartals by protestors unconstitutional, it has now become necessary for it to examine the legality, social and economic costs of internet ‘bandh’ before enforcing them arbitrarily. (The article is co-authored by Prakriti Anand who is a former LAMP Fellow) (Views expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Protests in the times of Internet shutdowns

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/jaishankar-meets-iranian-president-hassan-rouhani-discusses-progress-in-india-iran-bilateral-ties-269834">Iran</a>'s authorities have restricted mobile&nbsp;internet&nbsp;access in several provinces, an&nbsp;Iranian&nbsp;news agency reported on Wednesday, a day&nbsp;before&nbsp;new&nbsp;protests&nbsp;were expected to kick-off following calls for demonstrations on social media.

Social media posts, along with some relatives of people killed in unrest last month, have called for renewed&nbsp;protests&nbsp;and for ceremonies to commemorate the dead to be held on Thursday.

State media, meanwhile, said intelligence ministry agents had seized a cache of 126 mostly US-made guns smuggled to the central city of Isfahan from abroad.

The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/opinions/protests-in-iran-seen-as-a-consipiracy-to-destabilise-current-political-regime-266160">protests</a>&nbsp;were initially sparked in November by hikes in gasoline prices but demonstrators quickly expanded their demands to cover calls for more political freedom and other issues.

The government, which launched the bloodiest crackdown on demonstrators in the 40-year history of the Islamic Republic, blamed foreign enemies for stoking tensions.

An official denied any order by the authorities to <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/3-reportedly-killed-in-ongoing-protests-in-iran-government-blocks-internet-28144">block the&nbsp;internet</a>, which was shut down for about a week in the November unrest. A&nbsp;news agency also cited mobile operators saying their services had not been disrupted.

The semi-official&nbsp;news agency ILNA quoted an informed source at the Communications and Information Technology Ministry as saying mobile&nbsp;internet&nbsp;access to overseas sites was blocked by "security authorities" in Alborz, Kurdestan and Zanjan provinces in central and western&nbsp;Iran&nbsp;and Fars in the south.

"According to this source, it is&nbsp;possible&nbsp;that more provinces will be affected by the shutdown of mobile international connectivity," ILNA said.

Internet&nbsp;blockage observatory NetBlocks said on Twitter: "Confirmed: Evidence of mobile&nbsp;internet&nbsp;disruption in parts of #Iran&nbsp;...real-time network data show two distinct drops in connectivity this morning amid&nbsp;reports&nbsp;of regional outages; incident ongoing."

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Confirmed: Evidence of mobile internet disruption in parts of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Iran?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Iran</a> beginning ~6:30 a.m. (03:00 UTC); real-time network data show two distinct drops in connectivity this morning amid reports of regional outages; incident ongoing 📉 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Internet4Iran?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Internet4Iran</a> 
 
📰<a href="https://t.co/BNTPP9wEyt">https://t.co/BNTPP9wEyt</a> <a href="https://t.co/1l1ZkLnQKJ">pic.twitter.com/1l1ZkLnQKJ</a>
— NetBlocks.org (@netblocks) <a href="https://twitter.com/netblocks/status/1209796588324958208?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 25, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

The shutdown appeared to be spreading.

"I just checked myself and asked a friend, and the&nbsp;internet&nbsp;is off on our mobiles," a resident in Ahvaz, the capital of the oil producing <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/new-oil-field-adds-222-billion-barrels-with-current-technology-iran-261333">Khuzestan</a> province, told sources.

But a communications ministry spokesman denied there was an order to shut down the&nbsp;internet. "No such order has been issued by the judiciary or other relevant authorities. The Fake&nbsp;News are at work," Jamal Hadian said in a Twitter post.

Iran's three mobile operators also denied experiencing any&nbsp;internet&nbsp;disruptions, the local sources reported.

In <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/tehran-air-pollution-forces-week-long-school-closure-269782">Alborz</a> province, one of the areas affected by the shutdown, authorities this week arrested the parents of a young man who was shot dead during the&nbsp;protests, after pressuring them to call off a commemoration for their son scheduled for Thursday, citing concerns it could create unrest.

The weapons seized in Isfahan included assault rifles, handguns and pellet guns, the state&nbsp;news agency IRNA said. "Most of the weapons carry USA badges and are American-made," it added.

The&nbsp;internet&nbsp;blockage made it difficult for protesters to post videos on social media to generate support and also to obtain reliable&nbsp;reports&nbsp;on the extent of the unrest.

Security forces have been on alert for any events that could spark more unrest after 1,500 people were killed in less than two weeks after&nbsp;protests&nbsp;erupted on November&nbsp;15, according to reports.

That figure is much higher than estimates by international human rights groups and was also dismissed as "fake&nbsp;news" by a spokesman for&nbsp;Iran's top state security body.

The United States imposed <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/iran-unveils-development-at-arak-reactor-amid-us-sanctions-pressure-269852">sanctions</a> on&nbsp;Iran's communications minister last month for his role in "widescale&nbsp;internet&nbsp;censorship," a reference to the nationwide shutdown.

Iran&nbsp;has blamed "thugs" linked to exiles and foreign foes - the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-says-he-and-xi-jinping-will-sign-china-trade-deal-270340">United States</a>, <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/israel-launches-air-strikes-on-gaza-after-rocket-attack-270314">Israel</a> and <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/turkey-will-seek-accountability-on-khashoggi-no-matter-how-high-it-goes-270052">Saudi Arabia</a> - for stirring up unrest through social media.

During the&nbsp;protests, hundreds of banks and public buildings were attacked and damaged.

Iran's authorities have restricted mobile internet access in several provinces, an Iranian news agency reported on Wednesday, a day before new protests were expected to kick-off following calls for demonstrations on social media.

Iran's authorities have restricted mobile internet access in several provinces, an Iranian news agency reported on Wednesday, a day before new protests were expected to kick-off following calls for demonstrations on social media. Social media posts, along with some relatives of people killed in unrest last month, have called for renewed protests and for ceremonies to commemorate the dead to be held on Thursday. State media, meanwhile, said intelligence ministry agents had seized a cache of 126 mostly US-made guns smuggled to the central city of Isfahan from abroad. The protests were initially sparked in November by hikes in gasoline prices but demonstrators quickly expanded their demands to cover calls for more political freedom and other issues. The government, which launched the bloodiest crackdown on demonstrators in the 40-year history of the Islamic Republic, blamed foreign enemies for stoking tensions. An official denied any order by the authorities to block the internet, which was shut down for about a week in the November unrest. A news agency also cited mobile operators saying their services had not been disrupted. The semi-official news agency ILNA quoted an informed source at the Communications and Information Technology Ministry as saying mobile internet access to overseas sites was blocked by "security authorities" in Alborz, Kurdestan and Zanjan provinces in central and western Iran and Fars in the south. "According to this source, it is possible that more provinces will be affected by the shutdown of mobile international connectivity," ILNA said. Internet blockage observatory NetBlocks said on Twitter: "Confirmed: Evidence of mobile internet disruption in parts of #Iran ...real-time network data show two distinct drops in connectivity this morning amid reports of regional outages; incident ongoing." Confirmed: Evidence of mobile internet disruption in parts of #Iran beginning ~6:30 a.m. (03:00 UTC); real-time network data show two distinct drops in connectivity this morning amid reports of regional outages; incident ongoing 📉 #Internet4Iran 📰https://t.co/BNTPP9wEyt pic.twitter.com/1l1ZkLnQKJ — NetBlocks.org (@netblocks) December 25, 2019 × The shutdown appeared to be spreading. "I just checked myself and asked a friend, and the internet is off on our mobiles," a resident in Ahvaz, the capital of the oil producing Khuzestan province, told sources. But a communications ministry spokesman denied there was an order to shut down the internet. "No such order has been issued by the judiciary or other relevant authorities. The Fake News are at work," Jamal Hadian said in a Twitter post. Iran's three mobile operators also denied experiencing any internet disruptions, the local sources reported. In Alborz province, one of the areas affected by the shutdown, authorities this week arrested the parents of a young man who was shot dead during the protests, after pressuring them to call off a commemoration for their son scheduled for Thursday, citing concerns it could create unrest. The weapons seized in Isfahan included assault rifles, handguns and pellet guns, the state news agency IRNA said. "Most of the weapons carry USA badges and are American-made," it added. The internet blockage made it difficult for protesters to post videos on social media to generate support and also to obtain reliable reports on the extent of the unrest. Security forces have been on alert for any events that could spark more unrest after 1,500 people were killed in less than two weeks after protests erupted on November 15, according to reports. That figure is much higher than estimates by international human rights groups and was also dismissed as "fake news" by a spokesman for Iran's top state security body. The United States imposed sanctions on Iran's communications minister last month for his role in "widescale internet censorship," a reference to the nationwide shutdown. Iran has blamed "thugs" linked to exiles and foreign foes - the United States, Israel and Saudi Arabia - for stirring up unrest through social media. During the protests, hundreds of banks and public buildings were attacked and damaged.

Iran curbs internet before possible new protests: Reports

What Does The U.S. Want From Iran? Does U.S. Want A Regime Change In Iran?

Gravitas: What US wants from Iran?

Beijing has broadened its block of online encyclopedia Wikipedia to include all language editions, reported <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/china-jails-former-internet-regulator-lu-wei-for-14-years-over-graft-205795">an internet censorship research group</a>, ahead of the country's most politically explosive anniversary.

According to a report by the Open Observatory of Network Interference (OONI), <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/chinas-xi-says-internet-must-be-clean-and-righteous-160893">China started blocking all language editions</a> of Wikipedia last month.

Previously, most editions of Wikipedia -- besides the Chinese language version, which was reportedly blocked in 2015 -- &nbsp;were available, OONI said in their report.

AFP could not open any of Wikipedia's versions in China on Wednesday.

"At the end of the day, the content that really matters is Chinese-language content," said Charlie Smith, the pseudonym of one of the co-founders of Greatfire.org, which tracks online censorship in China.

"Blocking access to all language versions of Wikipedia for internet users in China is just symbolic," he told AFP. "It symbolises the fear that the Chinese authorities have of the truth."

Wikimedia Foundation, the non-profit organisation that hosts Wikipedia, did not immediately respond to AFP's request for comment.

China's online censorship apparatus -- dubbed the "Great Firewall" -- blocks a large number of foreign sites in the country, such as Google, Facebook and The New York Times.

Topics that are deemed too "sensitive" are also scrubbed, such as the 1989 crackdown on Tiananmen pro-democracy protesters which will mark its 30th anniversary on June 4.

The expanded block of Wikipedia comes as Chinese authorities ramp up online controls and crack down on Great Firewall circumvention tools, such as virtual private network (VPN) software, under Chinese President Xi Jinping.

In November, China's cyberspace authority said it had "cleaned up" 9,800 accounts on Chinese social media platforms like messaging app WeChat and the Twitter-like Weibo that it accused of spreading "politically harmful" information and rumours.

Chinese Twitter users have also told AFP that they have experienced intimidation from local authorities -- and even detention -- for their tweets.

The latest move to block all versions of Wikipedia could be linked to online translation tools, which make it easy for Chinese users to read anything on Wikipedia, explained Smith.

Images can also be considered taboo, he said.

"A picture is worth a thousand words, and there is no dearth of Tiananmen-related imagery on the Wikipedia website," Smith added.

Beijing has broadened its block of online encyclopedia Wikipedia to include all language editions, reported an internet censorship research group, ahead of the country's most politically explosive anniversary.

Beijing has broadened its block of online encyclopedia Wikipedia to include all language editions, reported an internet censorship research group, ahead of the country's most politically explosive anniversary. According to a report by the Open Observatory of Network Interference (OONI), China started blocking all language editions of Wikipedia last month. Previously, most editions of Wikipedia -- besides the Chinese language version, which was reportedly blocked in 2015 -- were available, OONI said in their report. AFP could not open any of Wikipedia's versions in China on Wednesday. "At the end of the day, the content that really matters is Chinese-language content," said Charlie Smith, the pseudonym of one of the co-founders of Greatfire.org, which tracks online censorship in China. "Blocking access to all language versions of Wikipedia for internet users in China is just symbolic," he told AFP. "It symbolises the fear that the Chinese authorities have of the truth." Wikimedia Foundation, the non-profit organisation that hosts Wikipedia, did not immediately respond to AFP's request for comment. China's online censorship apparatus -- dubbed the "Great Firewall" -- blocks a large number of foreign sites in the country, such as Google, Facebook and The New York Times. Topics that are deemed too "sensitive" are also scrubbed, such as the 1989 crackdown on Tiananmen pro-democracy protesters which will mark its 30th anniversary on June 4. The expanded block of Wikipedia comes as Chinese authorities ramp up online controls and crack down on Great Firewall circumvention tools, such as virtual private network (VPN) software, under Chinese President Xi Jinping. In November, China's cyberspace authority said it had "cleaned up" 9,800 accounts on Chinese social media platforms like messaging app WeChat and the Twitter-like Weibo that it accused of spreading "politically harmful" information and rumours. Chinese Twitter users have also told AFP that they have experienced intimidation from local authorities -- and even detention -- for their tweets. The latest move to block all versions of Wikipedia could be linked to online translation tools, which make it easy for Chinese users to read anything on Wikipedia, explained Smith. Images can also be considered taboo, he said. "A picture is worth a thousand words, and there is no dearth of Tiananmen-related imagery on the Wikipedia website," Smith added.

Now, China blocks all language editions of Wikipedia

The month-long ban imposed by the Jammu and Kashmir government on social media applications and internet sites to curb the unrest in the valley has come a cropper with almost everyone accessing these platforms using Virtual Private Networks.

The state&#39;s home department, through an order issued on April 26, had banned 22 social media applications and sites including Facebook, Whatsapp and Twitter in a bid to curb the street protests in Kashmir.

&quot;In the interest of maintenance of public order, the government hereby directs all internet service providers that any message or class of messages to or from a person or a class of persons relating to any subject or any pictorial content through the following social networking sites shall not be transmitted in Kashmir Valley with immediate effect for a period of one month or till further orders, whichever is earlier,&quot; Principal Secretary, Home Department R K Goyal had said.

The inaccessible sites included Facebook, Twitter, Whatsapp, Wechat, QQ, Qzone, Google Plus, Skype, Line, Pinterest, Snapchat, Youtube, Vine and Flickr.

&quot;On careful examination of all relevant factors, it is observed that the use of social media platforms, which are being misused by anti-national and anti-social elements by transmitting inflammatory messages in various forms are immediately required to be regulated/curbed,&quot; the order read.

While the government order put the onus on Internet service providers to ban the access to these sites, it was silent on the possibility of users being able to bypass the ban.

Top politicians and officials of the government, including the director general of police have been using some of the banned applications like Twitter to put out posts on the current situation in the valley.

Opposition National Conference leader and former chief minister Omar Abdullah is one of those seemingly unaffected by the ban. He frequently tweets about the developments in Kashmir and other parts of world.

The ruling PDP has also used Twitter to put out press releases and at times counter the criticism levelled by opposition parties.

Both the National Conference and PDP entered into a war of words on Twitter yesterday over the raising of &#39;azaadi&#39; (freedom) slogans at a self help group function presided over by Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti.

Some of the senior police officials of the state frequently use Whatsapp and Facebook to put out updates.

&quot;Whatsapp is supposed to be out of bounds for internet users in Kashmir but we still receive press releases and invitations for official functions through this application. They probably know the ban has been ineffective ....It is high time the government revokes it,&quot; Yusuf Jameel, a journalist, told PTI.

Although the ban initially limited the common man&#39;s access to these applications, the discovery of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) by the people has made the ban redundant.

&quot;The use of VPNs has helped in accessing most of the banned sites ...These applications and sites have become the communication lifeline not only in Kashmir but across the world,&quot; Umar Bhat, a businessman, said.

Bhat, however, loathed the slow internet speed in Kashmir which has made online business transactions almost impossible.

&quot;I frequently travel between Srinagar and Delhi and the difference in the internet speed is huge. This has severely affected my business as I find it difficult to make online transactions,&quot; he said.

(PTI)

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Virtual Private Networks have made the ban redundant

The month-long ban imposed by the Jammu and Kashmir government on social media applications and internet sites to curb the unrest in the valley has come a cropper with almost everyone accessing these platforms using Virtual Private Networks. The state's home department, through an order issued on April 26, had banned 22 social media applications and sites including Facebook, Whatsapp and Twitter in a bid to curb the street protests in Kashmir. "In the interest of maintenance of public order, the government hereby directs all internet service providers that any message or class of messages to or from a person or a class of persons relating to any subject or any pictorial content through the following social networking sites shall not be transmitted in Kashmir Valley with immediate effect for a period of one month or till further orders, whichever is earlier," Principal Secretary, Home Department R K Goyal had said. The inaccessible sites included Facebook, Twitter, Whatsapp, Wechat, QQ, Qzone, Google Plus, Skype, Line, Pinterest, Snapchat, Youtube, Vine and Flickr. "On careful examination of all relevant factors, it is observed that the use of social media platforms, which are being misused by anti-national and anti-social elements by transmitting inflammatory messages in various forms are immediately required to be regulated/curbed," the order read. While the government order put the onus on Internet service providers to ban the access to these sites, it was silent on the possibility of users being able to bypass the ban. Top politicians and officials of the government, including the director general of police have been using some of the banned applications like Twitter to put out posts on the current situation in the valley. Opposition National Conference leader and former chief minister Omar Abdullah is one of those seemingly unaffected by the ban. He frequently tweets about the developments in Kashmir and other parts of world. The ruling PDP has also used Twitter to put out press releases and at times counter the criticism levelled by opposition parties. Both the National Conference and PDP entered into a war of words on Twitter yesterday over the raising of 'azaadi' (freedom) slogans at a self help group function presided over by Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti. Some of the senior police officials of the state frequently use Whatsapp and Facebook to put out updates. "Whatsapp is supposed to be out of bounds for internet users in Kashmir but we still receive press releases and invitations for official functions through this application. They probably know the ban has been ineffective ....It is high time the government revokes it," Yusuf Jameel, a journalist, told PTI. Although the ban initially limited the common man's access to these applications, the discovery of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) by the people has made the ban redundant. "The use of VPNs has helped in accessing most of the banned sites ...These applications and sites have become the communication lifeline not only in Kashmir but across the world," Umar Bhat, a businessman, said. Bhat, however, loathed the slow internet speed in Kashmir which has made online business transactions almost impossible. "I frequently travel between Srinagar and Delhi and the difference in the internet speed is huge. This has severely affected my business as I find it difficult to make online transactions," he said. (PTI)

Kashmir government's internet ban goes for toss

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