Singapore Seeks Even More Control Over Online Media
An anonymous reader writes "Currently ranked 149th globally in terms of press freedom, alongside Iraq and Myanmar, the Singapore government has chosen to further tighten its grip on the media instead of letting up. The Media Development Authority (MDA) announced yesterday that 'online news sites' reporting regularly on issues relating to Singapore and have significant reach among readers here will require an individual license from the MDA. Under the regime, website operators have to comply within 24 hours with any directives from the MDA to take down content that breaches standards. These sites also have to put up a 'performance bond' of S$50,000. The Government also plans to amend the Broadcasting Act next year, to ensure that websites which are hosted overseas but report on Singapore news are brought under the licensing framework as well."
act
authorities
development
freedom
government
iraq
mda
myanmar
performance
singapore
France Presses Mali for Quick Elections
The French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius urged Mali's interim authorities to hold general elections by the end of July to help build a government legitimate enough to make peace with the country's manifold rebels.
authorities
election
fabius
france
french
government
laurent
mali
minister
Decade-Old Espionage Malware Found Targeting Government Computers
alancronin writes "Researchers have unearthed a decade-long espionage operation that used the popular TeamViewer remote-access program and proprietary malware to target high-level political and industrial figures in Eastern Europe. TeamSpy, as the shadow group has been dubbed, collected encryption keys and documents marked as 'secret' from a variety of high-level targets, according to a report published Wednesday by Hungary-based CrySyS Lab. Targets included a Russia-based Embassy for an undisclosed country belonging to both NATO and the European Union, an industrial manufacturer also located in Russia, multiple research and educational organizations in France and Belgium, and an electronics company located in Iran. CrySyS learned of the attacks after Hungary's National Security Authority disclosed intelligence that TeamSpy had hit an unnamed 'Hungarian high-profile governmental victim.'"
authorities
belgium
crysys
documents
encryption
europe
european union
france
government
hungarian
hungary
hungary-based
intelligence
iran
lab
national security
nato
operations
organization
russia
russia-based
teamspy
teamviewer
Found more than 1 month ago on channel
Slashdot
France Proposes a Tax On Personal Information Collection
Dupple writes in with a story about a French proposal to tax companies that collect personal data online. "France, seeking fresh ways to raise funds and frustrated that American technology companies that dominate its digital economy are largely beyond the reach of French fiscal authorities, has proposed a new levy: an Internet tax on the collection of personal data. The idea surfaced Friday in a report commissioned by President François Hollande, which described various measures his government was taking to address what the French see as tax avoidance by Internet companies like Google, Amazon and Facebook. These companies gather vast reams of information about their users, harnessing it to tailor their services to individuals' interests or to direct customized advertising to them. So extensive is the collection of personal details, and so promising the business opportunities linked to it, that the report described data as the "raw material" of the digital economy."
amazon
american
authorities
avoidance
business
collection
dupple
facebook
france
françois hollande
french
google
government
information
internet
opportunity
president
service
technology
Found more than 1 month ago on channel
Slashdot
France: Open source for public authorities
France's Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault has called on the country's public authorities at all levels to use open source software wherever possible so that the government is able to control operating costs in the long term
authorities
ayrault
france
government
jean-marc
prime minister