More Saudi women take the lead with over 78,000 in senior roles, 551,000 business owners    Over 40,000 expatriates face legal procedures for regulatory enforcement    King Salman and Crown Prince donate SR70 million to National Charitable Campaign    World Bank estimates Lebanon needs $11 billion for economic recovery and reconstruction    Saudi Arabia reaffirms rejection of Palestinian displacement at OIC meeting    Russia accuses EU of 'dangerous geopolitical games' over rearmament plans    Powell: Fed in no rush to adjust policy amid Trump administration's economic shifts    France begins military withdrawal from Senegal    Al Shabab stuns 10-man Al Nassr with late equalizer; Al Hilal closes gap at the top    Grand Mosque receives record number of Umrah pilgrims on Wednesday    From scholarships to housing, college students struggle with the effects of Trump orders against DEI    Saudi taekwondo star Dunia Abu Talib wins IOC gender equality award for Asia    Jeddah launches test run of sea taxi, connecting 3 waterfront locations Fare ranges between SR25 and SR50, and operation from 3:30 pm to 1:30 am during Ramadan    How TikTok is nurturing Saudi Arabia's STEM scene to support Vision 2030 goals    Mitrović returns to boost Al Hilal ahead of crucial clashes, Savić sidelined    Kanté rescues Al Ittihad with last-gasp equalizer against Al Qadsiah    Real-life shipwreck story wins major book award    Islamic Arts Biennale celebrates Ramadan with 'Biennale Nights' in Jeddah    Nora Razian and Sabih Ahmed appointed artistic directors for 2026 Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale    UK death rate 'reaches record low'    King Salman prays for peace and stability for Palestinians in Ramadan message King reaffirms Saudi Arabia's commitment to serving the Two Holy Mosques and pilgrims    Bollywood star Saif Ali Khan 'out of danger' after attack at home in Mumbai    Order vs. Morality: Lessons from New York's 1977 Blackout    India puts blockbuster Pakistani film on hold    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Turks skip suspected censorship with Internet lifelines
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 07 - 06 - 2013

ISTANBUL/LONDON — Turks are turning to encryption software to thwart any ramp up in censorship of the Internet after six days of anti-government demonstrations and a wave of arrests reportedly for urging people to protest on social media sites.
Hotspot Shield, a VPN (virtual private network) that disguises users' identities and encrypts traffic on the Web, said more than 120,000 people had signed up to its service in Turkey since the weekend, more than 10 times typical levels.
The software has been used in recent years by democracy movements around the world, including in the Arab Spring, to circumvent government censorship of social media services such as Facebook and Twitter, said David Gorodyansky, founder of Hotspot Shield creator AnchorFree. Authorities in Egypt, Libya and Syria attempted to close down Internet access completely to quell protests.
Gorodyansky said authorities had not blocked access in Turkey, but they had “throttled down” speeds, making the sites unusable for periods of time.
Police raided 38 addresses in the western port city of Izmir and detained 25 people on suspicion of stirring insurrection on social media with comments on the protest, opposition CHP party deputy Alaattin Yuksel told Reuters on Wednesday.
Izmir Deputy Prosecutor Ali Haydar confirmed that a detention order was issued for 38 people, but declined to give information on charges or how many were detained.
Before the arrests, protesters in Istanbul had voiced suspicions that the Internet was being restricted. “We had problems accessing Twitter and Facebook Saturday when the protests were intense,” said Deniz Utku, a digital marketing agency founder whose office is close to Taksim Square, the center of the demonstrations.
“I used VPN to access social media for 1.5-2 hours. I don't think this (slowness) was caused by the high demand ... We couldn't open the pages without VPN.”
The government has made clear its disapproval of social media services, which are being used more and more as newspapers and television come increasingly under the sway of the state.
In a television interview last week, Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan described sites such as Twitter as a “scourge,” saying they were used to spread lies about the government with the aim of terrorizing society.
Regulators and operators, however, said no sites had been blocked. “No restrictions have been made in accessing social media sites,” Tayfun Acarer, head of the telecommunication regulator Information and Communication Technologies Authority (ICTA), told Reuters.
Turkcell, the country's leading operator, said it had not received any request to block mobile communications in any part of Turkey. “Our technical teams are working to provide uninterrupted communications services as always,” the company said on Twitter.
Industry experts said thousands of protesters in Istanbul would have put a heavy strain on networks.
Vodafone, a British company that was criticized when it complied with government demands to switch off service in Egypt along with other operators in 2011, said it had increased capacity in Turkey to meet demand for social media, in particular for sending images and video over mobiles.
Turks have also turned to other smartphones apps that can be used to maintain communications in case of a clampdown, such as Zello, which allows an iPhone to function like a walkie-talkie. It is currently a top-ranking app, according to App Annie analytics.
“The really interesting thing here is that tens of thousands of people are downloading Hotspot Shield and other communication apps in anticipation of further censorship,” said AnchorFree's Gorodyansky.
“It just goes to show how evolving internet and mobile app technology is helping to thwart attempts to limit democratic rights and freedoms.” — Reuters


Clic here to read the story from its source.