Tag Archives: Internet

Cuba government filtering mobile text messages, dissidents say

A Cuban flag flies at the Palace of the Revolution in Havana, Cuba

By Marc Frank

HAVANA (Reuters) – Cuba’s Communist government is filtering mobile phone text messages for key words such as “democracy” and “human rights” and then blocking them, dissidents said on Monday.

An investigative report by blogger Yoani Sanchez and journalist Reinaldo Escobar concluded that text messages failed to reach their destinations if they contained Spanish words for democracy, human rights or hunger strike, among others, as well as the names of some dissidents.

Eliecer Avila, head of opposition youth group Somos Mas, which participated in the investigation, said 30 key words that triggered the blocking had been identified but there could be more.

“We always thought texts were vanishing because the provider is so incompetent, then we decided to check using words that bothered the government,” he said.

“We discovered not just us but the entire country is being censored,” he said. “It just shows how insecure and paranoid the government is.”

It was not clear for how long the filter had been in place.

The full report was published by Sanchez’s online newspaper, 14YMedio.com.

State telecommunications monopoly ETECSA could not be reached for comment.

Cuba has repeatedly charged that the United States wants to use telecommunications to subvert the government and brands Sanchez and other opponents as mercenaries working with Washington.

Reuters on Monday unsuccessfully tried to send messages containing the words “democracy,” “human rights,” “Somos Mas” and Yoani Sanchez. Other messages containing the Spanish word for “protest” went through. The messages that did not reach their destinations appeared as “sent” on the users’ telephone.

Cuba arrived late to modern telecommunications, authorizing mobile phones in 2008 and Wi-Fi internet access only last year. Online, it blocks dissident websites and media it believes to be funded by the United States, but permits the websites of critical newspapers such as El Nuevo Herald and El Pais.

There currently are about 3 million mobile telephone accounts with local provider CubaCell, which is part of ETECSA.

Despite efforts by the Obama administration to link U.S. internet providers with the country as part of a detente begun in December 2014, Cuban authorities appear more interested in working with Russia on cyber-security, while China provides most of the Caribbean island’s communications technology.

Experts estimate that between 25 percent and 30 percent of Cuba’s 11.2 million residents has some Internet access, mainly through Wi-Fi, though it is sparsely used because of high rates.

Some 5 percent of the population enjoys home-based Internet, which requires special government permission.

(Editing by Frank Jack Daniel; Editing by Bill Trott)

EU eyes Israeli technologies for spotting militants online

By Dan Williams

TEL AVIV (Reuters) – European powers are trying to develop better means for pre-emptively spotting “lone-wolf” militants from their online activities and are looking to Israeli-developed technologies, a senior EU security official said on Tuesday.

Last week’s truck rampage in France and Monday’s axe attack aboard a train in Germany have raised European concern about self-radicalized assailants who have little or no communications with militant groups that could be intercepted by spy agencies.

“How do you capture some signs of someone who has no contact with any organization, is just inspired and started expressing some kind of allegiance? I don’t know. It’s a challenge,” EU Counter-Terrorism Coordinator Gilles de Kerchove told Reuters on the sidelines of a intelligence conference in Tel Aviv.

Internet companies asked to monitor their own platforms’ content for material that might flag militants had begged off, De Kerchove said.

He said they had argued that the information was too massive to sift through and contextualize, unlike pedophile pornography, for which there were automatic detectors.

“So maybe a human’s intervention is needed. So you cannot just let the machine do it,” De Kerchove said. But he said he hoped “we will soon find ways to be much more automated” in sifting through social networks.

“That is why I am here,” he said of his visit to Israel. “We know Israel has developed a lot of capability in cyber.”

ADVANCE WARNING

Beset by Palestinian street attacks, often by young individuals using rudimentary weapons and without links to armed factions, Israeli security agencies that once focused on “meta data”, or information regarding suspects’ communications patterns, have refocused on social media in hope of gaining advance warnings from private posts.

Israeli officials do not disclose how far the technology has come, but private experts say the methods are enough to provide often basic alerts regarding potential attackers, then require follow-up investigation.

“Nine out of 10 times, the terrorist has contacts with others who provide support or inspiration, so meta data still applies,” said Haim Tomer, a former Mossad intelligence division chief turned security consultant.

When it comes to true lone wolves, even a valedictory Facebook message can often be picked up by Israel, he said.

“But in such cases, it would be a low-level ‘green alert’, meaning the person should be looked at further, whereas a ‘red alert’ would warrant instant action. That leaves the security services to decide how to handle matters,” Tomer said.

As De Kerchove was at pains to make clear to the conference, European standards of civil rights, such as privacy, make the introduction of intrusive intelligence-gathering technologies in the public sphere and aggressive police follow-ups difficult.

While Israel’s emergency laws give security services more leeway, its intelligence minister, Yisrael Katz, called for cooperation with Internet providers rather than state crackdowns. He cited, for example, the encryption provided by messaging platform WhatsApp which, he said, could be a new way for militants to communicate and evade detection.

“We will not block these services,” Katz told the conference. “What is needed is an international organization, preferably headed by the United States, where shared (security) concerns need to be defined, characterized.”

(Editing by Jeffrey Heller/Mark Heinrich)

Proposals to curb online speech viewed as threat to open internet

Anonymous members protesting censorship of Internet usage

By Yasmeen Abutaleb and Alastair Sharp

SAN FRANCISCO/ TORONTO (Reuters) – At least a dozen countries are considering or have enacted laws restricting online speech, a trend that is alarming policymakers and others who see the internet as a valuable medium for debate and expression.

Such curbs are called out as a threat to the open internet in a report on internet governance set to be released today at an Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development meeting in Cancun, Mexico.

The report, reviewed by Reuters, warns of dangers for the global internet, including intrusive surveillance, rising cybercrime and fragmentation as governments exert control of online content.

It was prepared by the London-based Chatham House think tank and the Centre for International Governance Innovation, founded by former BlackBerry Ltd co-chief Jim Balsillie.

China and Iran long have restricted online speech. Now limitations are under discussion in countries that have had a more open approach to speech, including Brazil, Malaysia, Pakistan, Bolivia, Kenya and Nigeria.

Advocates said some of the proposals would criminalize conversations online that otherwise would be protected under the countries’ constitutions. Some use broad language to outlaw online postings that “disturb the public order” or “convey false statements” – formulations that could enable crackdowns on political speech, critics said.

“Free expression is one of the foundational elements of the internet,” said Michael Chertoff, former U.S. secretary of Homeland Security and a co-author of the internet governance report. “It shouldn’t be protecting the political interests of the ruling party or something of that sort.”

Turkey and Thailand also have cracked down on online speech, and a number of developing world countries have unplugged social media sites altogether during elections and other sensitive moments. In the U.S. as well, some have called for restrictions on Internet communications.

Speech limitations create business and ethical conflicts for companies like Facebook Inc, Twitter Inc and Alphabet Inc’s Google, platforms for debate and political organizing.

“This is the next evolution of political suppression,” said Richard Forno, assistant director of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County Center for Cybersecurity. “Technology facilitates freedom of expression, and politicians don’t like that.”

“FIGHTING DELINQUENCY”

Tanzania and Ethiopia have passed laws restricting online speech. In others, including Pakistan, Brazil, Bolivia and Kenya, proposals are under discussion or under legislative consideration, according to a review of laws by Reuters and reports by Internet activist groups.

In Bolivia, President Evo Morales earlier this year said that the country needs to “regulate the social networks.” A bill has been drafted and is ready for introduction in the legislature, said Leonardo Loza, head of one of Bolivia’s coca growers unions, a supporter of the proposal.

“It is aimed at educating and disciplining people, particularly young Bolivians, and fighting delinquency on social networks,” Loza said. “Freedom of expression can’t be lying to the people or insulting citizens and politicians.”

A bill in Pakistan would allow the government to block internet content to protect the “integrity, security or defense” of the state. The legislation, which has passed a vote in Pakistan’s lower house of parliament, is supposed to target terrorism, but critics said the language is broad.

It comes after Pakistan blocked YouTube in 2012 when a video it deemed inflammatory sparked protests across the country and much of the Muslim world.

Earlier this year, YouTube, which is owned by Google, agreed to launch a local version of its site in the country. But now, the internet report said, the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority can ask the company to remove any material it finds offensive.

COMPANIES IN THE CROSSFIRE

U.S. internet companies have faced mounting pressure in recent years to restrict content. Companies’ terms of service lay out what users can and cannot post, and they said they apply a single standard globally. They aim to comply with local laws, but often confront demands to remove even legal content.

The new laws threaten to raise a whole new set of compliance and enforcement issues.

“There’s a technical question, which is, could you comply if you wanted to, and then the bigger meta question is why would you want to cooperate with this politicized drive to suppress freedom of expression,” said Andrew McLaughlin, Google’s former director of global policy and now leading content organization at Medium.

Facebook, Twitter and Google declined to comment for this story.

(Reporting By Yasmeen Abutaleb and Alastair Sharp; Additional reporting by Daniel Ramos in La Paz, Bolivia; Editing by Jonathan Weber and Lisa Girion)

Cyber Bullying has more than emotional costs

Electronic cables are silhouetted next to the logo of Twitter in this illustration photo in Sarajevo

By Amy Tennery

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Anyone who has had embarrassing photos posted on social media or been deluged with angry messages can attest to the high emotional cost of cyber bullying. But there is also a cost in real dollars for some to clean up their online reputations, including legal fees, security measures and even counseling.

For the 40 percent of adult Internet users who are dealing with this issue, according to 2014 Pew Research Center data, and numerous school-age children, there is a new insurance policy to help mitigate the financial repercussions.

Chubb Ltd recently began offering optional cyber bullying coverage for its homeowners insurance clients. The coverage is included in the company’s Family Protection policy, which costs around $70 a year. It covers up to $60,000 in compensation to clients and their families to pay for services including psychological counseling, lost salary and, in extreme cases, public relations assistance.

“It’s so hard to have complete control online,” said Christie Alderman, vice president of client product and services, Chubb personal risk services. “We do know that when it does occur it can be really devastating.”

Nicole Prause, a neuroscientist from California, learned the costs of cyber bullying the hard way.

After publishing a 2013 peer-reviewed paper that suggested sex addiction is not a clinical diagnosis, Prause said she was subjected to online insults from people she believes oppose her work.

The abuse varied in scope, from repeated claims that she faked her data to comments about her appearance.

“I had a TED Talk (posted online) and they just filled it with ‘tranny’ comments,” said Prause, who worked at the University of California-Los Angeles at the time the attacks began. “They have definitely singled me out.”

Prause filed a cease-and-desist order against her harassers, and said those persons are no longer allowed to contact her directly. But Prause said she spent around $5,000 to mitigate the damage over the years, hiring an attorney and someone to take screenshots of the abuse lobbed at her online.

Rich Matta, the chief executive officer of ReputationDefender (https://www.reputationdefender.com/), an online reputation management firm, says that the average consumer dealing with this problem can spend around “a few thousand dollars” a year to combat cyber bullying.

“It’s no surprise that remediation of cyber bullying is now insurable,” Matta said, referencing the Chubb insurance policy.

But some feel that taking out an insurance policy against online harassment is going too far.

Sameer Hinduja, co-director of the Cyberbullying Research Center and a professor of criminal justice at Florida Atlantic University, said insurance for cyber bullying reinforces a victim mentality and is “tapping (in to) the fear.”

“You can do a lot on your own to safeguard your reputation,” Hinduja said.

Experts say it is important for consumers to be proactive in protecting their online reputation, by taking a few simple steps.

Here are a few tips to avoid the cyber bully trap:

1. Keep it private

Hinduja recommends setting social media profiles to “private,” to avoid writing posts that are too frequent and opinionated, and to block or mute accounts that go too far.

“You are going to be a much better advocate for yourself,” Hinduja said.

2. Be proactive about your child’s online presence

While more schools are educating kids about cyber abuse, Matta said parents still need to monitor how their kids use social media. “They need to establish some boundaries and rules around when it’s OK to use technology,” he said.

3. Get help when you need it

For those who feel overwhelmed managing their online presence, resources like online ReputationDefenders can offer a reprieve – for a price. ReputationDefenders typically charges private clients between $3,000 and $20,000 per year, while Reputation 911 (http://reputation911.com/) offers monthly packages for personal reputation management between $195 and $995.

(Editing by Beth Pinsker and Matthew Lewis)

U.S. concerned by Russian operations near undersea cables: NY Times

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The presence of Russian submarines and spy ships near undersea cables carrying most global Internet communications has U.S. officials concerned that Russia could be planning to sever the lines in periods of conflict, the New York Times reported on Sunday.

The Times said there was no evidence of cable cutting but that the concerns reflected increased wariness among U.S. and allied officials over growing Russian military activity around the world.

The newspaper quoted naval commanders and intelligence officials as saying they were monitoring significantly greater Russian activity along the cables’ known routes from the North Sea to Northeast Asia and waters closer to the United States.

“It would be a concern to hear any country was tampering with communication cables; however, due to the classified nature of submarine operations, we do not discuss specifics,”

U.S. Navy spokesman Commander William Marks told the Times.

Last month, the United States closely monitored the Russian spy ship Yantar, which equipped with two self-propelled deep-sea submersible craft, cruised off the U.S. East Coast toward Cuba, where one cable lands near the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, according to the Times.

Naval officials said the ship and the submersible craft were capable of cutting cables miles (km) deep beneath the sea, the Times said.

While cables are frequently cut by ship anchors or natural disasters and then quickly repaired, Pentagon officials are concerned that the Russians seem to be looking for vulnerabilities at much greater depths where cable breaks are harder to locate and repair, the paper said.

It said the cables carried more than $10 trillion daily in global business and more than 95 percent of daily communications.

(Reporting by Peter Cooney; Editing by Eric Walsh)

Russia Accused in Hacking of Joint Chiefs of Staff

Investigations into a hacking attack on the email system for the Joint Chiefs of Staff has revealed that Russia is behind the cyberassault that shut down their system for 11 days.

The hackers broke into an unclassified email network using malware or “phishing” attempts, meaning an email recipient had to open an infected attachment to an e-mail to allow the malicious programs to access the system.

An official with the joint chiefs called the attack the “most sophisticated” attack on their network.

Another official told CBS News that the attack impacted the 4,000 personnel who work for the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs.  Most of those personnel are military members.

Pentagon officials repeatedly stated that the classified email network was not impacted and said the Joint Chiefs were given an alternative method to send unclassified emails while the system was shut down to clear out the malicious software.

The attack is the latest in several high-profile attacks on the U.S. Government’s email systems this year.  Previous attacks were attributed to Chinese hackers.

“Charlie Charlie Challenge” Has Teens Summoning Demon

A new viral video challenge has teenagers attempting to summon a demon.

The “Charlie Charlie” challenge has teens all over the world filming themselves and then posting the videos to websites such as YouTube.

The challenge involves using pencils and a paper with squares on it to be a “conduit” for the demon to speak to them.  The demon, a Mexican spirit named Charlie, reportedly shows up when an incantation is chanted and the pencil moves.

Then at the end, a second chant asking if they can stop is done or else a portal for demons to enter at any time is left open in the home.

The videos, shared with a special Twitter hashtag, features the teens asking questions or freaking out when the pencils begin to move.

The game/urban legend reportedly is one that has been going around the Spanish-language internet for years but just recently moved into the English-speaking internet.

Priests and Pastors around the world have been taking a stand against the activity, saying that toying around with demons isn’t something anyone should be doing.

“I want to remind you all there is no such thing as ‘innocently playing with demons’,” Father Stephen McCarthy of Philadelphia wrote to students.

“Please be sure to NOT participate and and encourage others to avoid participation as well.  The problem with opening yourself up to demonic activity is that it opens a window of possibilities which is not easily closed.”

“I Met Messiah”

A new website is showing video testimonies of Jews who have received Jesus as Messiah.

The site, IMetMessiah.com, is aimed at bringing the good news of Christ to Jews who are interested in knowing more about Him.

“As Jewish people, most of us grow up without considering whether or not Yeshua is the Messiah expected by our people for millennia,” Eitan Bar, the site’s founder, explains in a video. “Yet, something happened in our lives that changed each of us and caused us to rethink the usual Jewish views about Jesus.”

“We offer these stories to you and hope that your relationship with God will deepen through meeting our storytellers,” Bar adds.

The site has over a dozen testimonies from Jewish businessmen and women who have discovered Jesus as Lord.

“I was frustrated,” Grant Berry recalled. “Here Maria was, this Christian girl that had a relationship with my God—the God of Abraham—and here I was, a Jew, trying to have a relationship with my God—the God of Abraham—and nothing. I was disconnected.”

Berry told his Christian friend about frustration with feeling that he was unable to reach God.

“I have been trying to tell you for six to eight months … You can’t have the Father without the Son,” Maria replied.

Disney Channel Blocks God On Their Website

If you want to thank God, you can’t do it on the website for the Disney Channel.

A girl celebrating her 10th birthday went on the Disney Channel website and noticed they were asking their visitors for what they were thankful.  Lilly Anderson wrote that she was thankful for “God, my family, my church and my friends.”

When she tried to enter the message, a message in red letters said “Please be nice!”

Lilly called in her parents where mother Julie Anderson said they kept entering information until they removed God and the post was approved by the website.

“I’m not at all anti-Disney but to shame a ten-year-old, to tell her to ‘please be nice’ for thanking god and sharing her faith with others is what is upsetting to me as a mother,” she said.

“I want my daughter, and all children of faith, to know that it is OK to share God and Jesus with their peers,” Julie told me. “I want her to know that she doesn’t have to be silent about her faith. I want her to be strong and soldier on.”

Fox News correspondent Todd Starnes contacted Disney about their banning God from their website.

“Disney employs word filtering technology to prevent profanity from appearing on our websites,” Disney said in a statement.  “Unfortunately, because so many people attempt to abuse the system and use the word “God” in conjunction with profanity, in an abundance of caution our system is forced to catch and prevent any use of the word on our websites.  The company would have been happy to explain our filtering technology to the inquiring family had they contacted us.”

Five Millionth Person Accepts Christ Through Billy Graham Online Ministry

The internet ministry of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association announced the reaching of a milestone for their website PeaceWithGod.net.

The five millionth person has messaged them that they have accepted Christ as Savior through the materials provided by the ministry.

“This is significant because we’re following Billy Graham’s legacy of taking the most advanced technical capabilities available and reaching people where they are with the hope of Jesus,” said John Cass, BGEA’s Director of Internet Evangelism. “This has given us the opportunity to go to the ends of the earth.”

The BGEA says the website has allowed them to present the gospel through videos of Dr. Graham to millions in countries where they would never be allowed to visit in person such as Saudi Arabia and Syria.

“Even though we’re celebrating and giving God praise for the 5 millionth decision for Christ through this ministry, we realize that it’s not about the number,” Cass told the Christian Post. “Each and every person who has responded to the Gospel message on our site – from the first to the 5 millionth – is somebody’s son or daughter; somebody’s mother or father. Each person is someone who has been prayed for and who is loved by God.”

When someone contacts the group that they’ve accepted Christ, the group works with them to find a local church body and answer any additional questions the person may bring to them.