Tehran, Iran | AFP | A regional boss of Iran’s state broadcaster IRIB has been fired after inadvertently letting a Jackie Chan sex scene slip through its tight censorship rules, local media reported on Monday. Viewers on Iran’s Kish Island were shocked when their local TV station showed the martial …
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How the Ugandan media has borne the brunt of censorship for decades Kampala, Uganda | GEOFFREY SSENOGA | The world watched in outrage recently as Reuters photojournalist, James Akena, was clobbered by three soldiers on the streets of Uganda’s capital Kampala in full view of television cameras. Akena was covering the …
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Vienna, Austria | AFP | Facebook apologised on Thursday for censoring the prehistoric “Venus of Willendorf” figurine, considered a masterpiece of the paleolithic era. “Our advertising policies do not allow nudity or implied nudity but we have an exception for statues. Therefore, the ad with this image should have been …
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Beijing, China | AFP | Chinese internet giant Baidu has teamed up with the country’s cyber police to control the spread of rumors and fake news, the company said Thursday, as authorities continue to tighten censorship ahead a major Communist Party congress next month. Baidu, known as China’s answer to …
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Beijing, China | AFP | Chinese authorities appear to have severely disrupted the WhatsApp messaging app in the latest step to tighten censorship as they prepare for a major Communist Party congress next month. Users in China have reported widespread disruptions in recent days to the Facebook-owned service, which previously …
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Dubai, United Arab Emirates | AFP | Saudi authorities have called on the public to supervise and report on the social media activities of fellow citizens, while issuing broad definitions of “terrorist” crimes. “When you notice any account on social media spreading terrorist or extremist ideas, please report it immediately,” …
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Mumbai, India | AFP | India’s film industry on Monday welcomed the departure of the country’s chief film censor, who had stoked controversy by axing James Bond’s kissing scenes and briefly blocking the release of a movie for being too “lady-oriented”. The government said late Friday it was replacing Pahlaj …
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San Francisco, United States | AFP | Apple’s decision to bow to Chinese officials by removing apps to sidestep online censorship underscores the dilemma faced by US tech companies seeking to uphold principles while expanding their business. The iPhone maker is the latest from Silicon Valley to face a conundrum in …
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Beijing, China | AFP | Apple has removed software allowing internet users to skirt China’s “Great Firewall” from its app store in the country, the company confirmed Sunday, sparking criticism that it was bowing to Beijing’s tightening web censorship. Chinese internet users have for years sought to get around heavy internet …
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By Julius Odeke An unprecedented rise in the number of journalists killed and imprisoned in the past year coupled with restrictive legislation and state censorship is jeopardizing independent reporting in many countries, according to Attacks on the Press, a yearly assessment of global press freedom released today by the Committee …
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The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price