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Canadian Filtering Tool Used in Middle East
Canadian company Netsweeper produces filtering software that is utilized by several countries to block web sites across various categories. In Yemen, popular blogging site Tumblr is blocked, due to Netsweeper’s categorization of the site as “pornographic.”
Similarly, a number of U.S. companies, including McAfee SmartFilter, Websense, and Cisco, produce software used by foreign governments to block and censor websites. So far, no policy exists to prevent the export of such products.
In a recent article in the Toronto Star, Netsweeper spokesperson Scott O’Neill stated that the company has a “no comment policy” regarding its use by foreign governments.
Crackdowns on ‘Anonymous’
This week saw crackdowns on the "Anonymous" movement in Turkey and Spain, following attacks on government websites in both countries. In Spain, police arrested three and seized a server that they claimed was used in attacks against several governments as well as Sony. In a YouTube video, members of Anonymous denied that the three detainees had lead the attacks. More
