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MOGADISHU

U.N. agencies, the Somali government and the Somali journalists' union are working to address the problem of censorship and the threat of violence against journalists in Somalia.

So far this year, at least three journalists have been killed and three more seriously wounded in the country.

Abdirizak Ilmi, a local TV journalist, was the latest victim.

Unknown gunmen shot Ilmi at close range outside his Mogadishu home. He survived but suffered severe wounds.

'Become a peaceful nation'

The government said its time to address the safety of journalists.

Mustafa Duhulow, Somalia's Minister of Information, said, As you are all aware, Somalia is moving forward to become a peaceful nation. Therefore, this is the best time to address all the challenges, such as impunity, safety of journalists and understanding the need to develop Somali media, as each countrys development depends on how free its media are."

Journalists in Somalia have been meeting with key partners to discuss their security concerns.

Recently, representatives from the United Nations, Somali government and Somali journalists union jointly expressed their concern over attacks on the media.

See the original post here:
Safety of Journalists in Somalia a Major Concern

18 hours ago

In his graduation research, computer science student Krzysztof Okupski has developed software to encrypt messages with the Bitcoin network. Using his software, it costs around 50 cents to send an A4 page of text. This easily accessible and low-cost method can provide an attractive option for dissidents to avoid censorship, so they can send messages unhindered across national borders. Okupski graduates on 1 December.

Bitcoin is a virtual currency that can be used at increasing numbers of places to make online payments. In fact Bitcoins are unique pieces of code that are calculated by computers. The basic principle is that the system has no central organization or regulators to control the currency. At present the exchange rate of the currently fluctuates around 300 euros for one Bitcoin.

Okupski has developed two programs: one that posts messages and another to read them. If you want to post a message, the first program converts the text into Bitcoin transactions. The underlying principle is similar to the idea that a succession of payments are transferred to someone, and you have agreed with them that one euro represents an A, two euros represent a B etc. The recipient can then 'see' which word the sender meant to transmit, using the received amounts.

Many options

But in Okupski's case, the way the method works is a lot smarter. "The program that posts the messages creates a million Bitcoin accounts, free of charge, after which money is transferred backwards and forwards between those accounts", explains Boris Skoric, TU/e researcher and supervisor of Okupski. "The number of different accounts, and the fact that you can divide an amount of money into multiple parts, offers a lot of options. The currency itself is extremely small; one Bitcoin consists of 100 million 'Satoshi', and all amounts are expressed in Satoshi. The program that posts the messages converts them into a chain of transactions, and sends them out into the Bitcoin network."

Identifier

Because all Bitcoin transactions are public, the second program is able to convert the chain of transactions back to text. All that's needed is an 'identifier', through which the program knows where it has to start 'reading' the transaction. The principle is similar to tuning an antenna to the right frequency. The only charges involved are the administration costs that have to paid to the Bitcoin network for each transaction. These are around 50 cents for an A4 page of text. There are no real costs to be paid because senders simply recirculate money within their own accounts.

Anonymous

This method allows uses to avoid censorship, because anyone with an internet connection can use Bitcoin. In other words, no government that allows citizens to use Bitcoin can censor messages that are posted in the transaction chain anywhere else in the world. Only the sender is traceable. "Even if only your account number is known by the Bitcoin network, it's still possible in theory using the IP address to trace the owner of an account", says Skoric. "But the readers of messages are always totally anonymous."

See more here:
Bitcoin lets users avoid censorship

Why the Oxford University censorship of a pro-life debate is a positive development
In this episode of 3 Minutes or Less we explore why the censorship of a pro-life debate at Oxford University is actually a positive development. Subscribe to...

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Read the original:
Why the Oxford University censorship of a pro-life debate is a positive development - Video

MOGADISHU

U.N. agencies, the Somali government and the Somali journalists' union are working to address the problem of censorship and the threat of violence against journalists in Somalia.

This year, at least three journalists have been killed in Somalia and three more badly wounded.

Abdirizak Ilmi, a local TV journalist, was the latest victim. Unknown gunmen shot him at close range outside his Mogadishu home. He survived, but suffered severe wounds.

Mustafa Duhulow, Somalia's Minister of Information, said now is the time to address the safety of journalists.

As you are all aware Somalia is moving forward to become a peaceful nation. Therefore this is the best time to address all the challenges such as impunity, safety of journalists and understanding the need to develop Somali media, as each countrys development depends on how free its media are," said Duhulow.

Journalists in Somalia have been meeting with key partners to discuss their security concerns.

At one meeting, representatives from the United Nations, the Somali government and the Somali journalists' union jointly expressed their concern over attacks on the media.

The U.N.'s Cassandra Nelson pointed out that Somalia is among the top ten deadliest countries for journalists in the world.

And despite significant progress that has been made in Somalia, assassinations, imprisonment, harassment still continue and often without impunity, and that's what we are here to talk about together as a group," said Nelson.

Continued here:
Safety of Journalists a Major Concern in Somalia

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By: Wasted Time Productions

Originally posted here:
BullSkit!: Skit 1 - Censorship Stupidity: Misapropos - Video