China recently announced a policy that every computer sold must be packaged with specific software that bars it from being used to visit certain Internet sites. This so-called “Green Dam” software ostensibly is aimed at blocking child pornography and other vile sites. In Chinese, “green” and “clean” are interchangeable — here, the idea being that…
Category: Non-U.S.
Trial of four Google execs postponed
Paul Meller of IDG News Service reports that the criminal trial of four senior Google executives in an Italian court was postponed until Sept. 29 because the translator failed to show up, according to Google. There’s only one person in Italy capable of translating in court? No one can get all parties together before September…
Gathering phone users’ personal info in Vietnam
The Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC) has ordered all prepaid subscribers to register their SIM cards by providing their name, date of birth and ID card or passport number by Tuesday, June 30. The move is part of an effort to track down companies and individuals who send out large volumes of unsolicited text…
Harkat raid illegal, court says
The Federal Court of Canada has ruled the search of a suspected terrorist’s home violated his constitutional rights and ordered the Canada Border Services Agency to return everything it seized. In a 24-page decision released Tuesday, Justice Simon Noel says the May 12 raid violated the Charter rights of Mohamed Harkat. He also ordered the…