Internet

China is laying down the law on what behaviour is – and isn’t – allowed on a “civilised”, Marxist Internet, in a sweeping set of guidelines for governing what is already one of the world’s most-heavily policed digital spheres. The upcoming regulations, many based on previous draft guidelines, span greater protection for minors against online bullying to combating fake news and verifying online accounts. The over-arching idea is to ensure online content abides by “the guiding status of Marxism in the ideological cyberspace sphere”, the official Xinhua News Agency reported, citing an online summary posted by the State Council. The new guidelines potentially provide a framework to further tighten the government’s grip on Internet giants from Tencent Holdings Ltd to ByteDance Ltd and the vast amounts of content and data they generate. They coincide with a broad campaign to influence online norms, from suppressing what Beijing calls “fan culture” to forcing giants to open up their ... » Learn More about China lays out what’s allowed on a Marxist ‘civilised’ Internet

A Soyuz-2.1b rocket booster with a Fregat upper stage and satellites of British firm OneWeb blasts off from a launchpad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan September 14, 2021. Roscosmos/Handout via REUTERS MOSCOW — British-based firm OneWeb launched 34 satellites into orbit from a cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, expanding its in-orbit constellation to 322 satellites, it said on Wednesday. The satellites lifted off from Kazakhstan’s Baikonur cosmodrome at 1807 GMT on Tuesday (September 14, 2021), it said in a statement. OneWeb plans to launch a total of 648 low earth orbit satellites to roll out a high-speed global internet connection including to the most remote corners of the world. The launch, carried out by Arianespace, keeps OneWeb on track to start a service in swathes of the northern hemisphere this year and to deliver a global service next year, it said. OneWeb resumed satellite launches in December after emerging from bankruptcy protection with $1 billion in equity ... » Learn More about OneWeb launches satellites in global internet service push

(pic) will announce steps to be implemented by his ministry to achieve the aspiration of internet access as a human right. "As I emphasised before, the internet and connectivity are human rights. The Communications and Multimedia Ministry's next steps will be towards achieving this aspiration. I will announce something in the near future, InsyaAllah,” he wrote on his official Twitter account on Saturday (Sept 11). On Aug 30, Annuar, who officially began duties as the Communications and Multimedia Minister, emphasised that access to internet facilities must be considered as a human right along with other basic necessities such as clothing, food and shelter. He said internet access was a priority that he would pay attention to, when leading the ministry. He added that apart from the National Digital Network (Jendela) initiative, access to internet facilities must be viewed in a comprehensive manner as to be a developed and modernised nation, the country’s internet and related ... » Learn More about Internet access a human right: Multimedia Ministry to announce next steps soon, says Annuar Musa

HANOI (Vietnam News/Asia News Network): Speedtest statistics showed that the download speed of mobile networks in Vietnam reached 42.46 Mbps in July, lower than the world average of 55.07 Mbps. Speedtest also said that for fixed broadband internet, Vietnam achieved a download speed of 78.43 Mbps, far behind the world index of 107.50 Mbps. Significant improvement is that the upload speed of Vietnam's internet exceeds the average mark, such as the mobile network at 19.25 Mbps compared to 12.35 Mbps, and the fixed broadband at 68.38 Mbps compared to 58.27 Mbps. The fastest mobile network access speed in the world belongs to the UAE with 190.03 Mbps, followed by South Korea at 189.2 Mbps. In the South-East Asian region, the lead is Singapore with 85.93 Mbps, ranking 18th globally, Brunei with 59.34 Mbps (36th), Thailand 48.89 Mbps (51st) and Vietnam (58th). In terms of fixed broadband Internet, the world leader is Monaco with 256.7 Mbps, followed by Singapore with 256.03 Mbps. ... » Learn More about Internet speed in Vietnam below world average

China will accelerate the drafting and implementation of laws to prevent online crimes and protect minors using the internet, Xinhua News Agency reported, citing Communist Party guidelines. The guidelines seek to enhance "internet civilisation,” with more regulation required to improve ethics and behavior, according to the report on Tuesday from the official news agency. It’s the latest move by Beijing to strengthen oversight of online activities. In late August, China’s cyberspace regulator asked website platforms to remove all ranking lists of celebrities, enhance management of posts and commercial promotion in a crackdown on fan culture. On Monday, China’s top technology regulator warned internet firms against blocking links to rival services, reaffirming Beijing’s order for online giants from Tencent Holdings Ltd. to ByteDance Ltd. to dismantle walls around their platforms and curb their growing power. – Bloomberg ... » Learn More about China to draft internet rules for protection of minors: Xinhua

YANGON - Myanmar's military launched air strikes at the weekend after clashes with fighters opposed to the junta in the Sagaing region, according to media and a militia member, as phone lines and the internet were also severed in some districts. The Southeast Asian country has been in crisis since the army seized power on Feb 1, ending a decade of tentative steps towards democracy and triggering outrage at home and abroad and the setting up of People's Defence Forces (PDFs) to take on the military. The DVB news portal reported the air strikes occurred as the army staged an offensive in the Pinlebu area of Sagaing in northwest Myanmar, citing residents who heard aircraft and explosions on Saturday (Sept 25) night before phone lines and the internet went down. A member of the Pinlebu PDF, speaking from outside the area, also confirmed by telephone that air strikes had taken place, but said there had been no casualties amongst his group. "We cannot contact them due to the internet ... » Learn More about Myanmar air strikes reported in battle, internet cut in more areas

INQUIRER.net stock images MANILA, Philippines — Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Secretary Gringo Honasan said the Philippines is “no longer in the last place” for internet connectivity as both fixed and mobile broadband have improved over the years. Honasan said connectivity for fixed broadband has improved by as much as 700 percent while mobile broadband has improved by 300 percent. “Our connectivity programs have improved by 700 percent sa fixed at saka more than 300 percent sa mobile. Di pa po tayo nasa itaas, pero ‘di na tayo kulelat ngayon,” Honasan said. (Our connectivity programs have improved by 700 percent for fixed and more than 300 percent for mobile broadband. We’re not yet on the top, but we are no longer in the last place.) Honasan said they are also starting to convince telecommunication companies to strike a balance between income and public interest. “Nakukumbinse na po namin yung mga telco na magtulungan tayo dito. Hindi na ... » Learn More about ‘No longer in last place’: DICT sees improvement in PH internet access

MANILA, Philippines—The Philippines’ internet speed remained in the middle ground in terms of international levels despite getting slight bumps in both fixed and mobile platforms. As per the Department of Information and Communications, the Philippines’ fixed broadband speed was recorded at 58.73 megabits per second (Mbps) while mobile speed was at 31.97 Mbps marking an improvement of 19.1 percent and 9.8%, respectively, across the platforms as of May 2021. These speeds were faster than what the country had in April (49.31 Mbps for fixed broadband; 29.12 Mbps for mobile) and marked slight improvements in Ookla’s report. The Philippines moved up to the 65th spot, from 84th in the previous report, in fixed broadband speeds across 180 countries and to the 77th place, from 80th, out of 137 countries in the mobile platform. DICT Secretary Gregorio “Gringo” Honasan lauded the efforts of both his office and the private sector in the improvements in internet speed but stressed the ... » Learn More about PH internet speed middle of the pack worldwide – DICT

Follow us on Telegram for the latest updates: https://t.me/mothershipsg Some 18 days after she was effectively cancelled on the internet in China, Chinese movie star Vicki Zhao made a momentary return to social media on Sep. 12. Her return has sparked even more speculation as anyone wiped off the Internet has been declared persona non grata. What happened initially On Aug. 26, fans noticed the removal of Zhao's name, Zhao Wei, from the credits of TV shows and movies, while some of her fellow colleagues had unfollowed her and deleted mentions of Zhao on their social media. Without an official reason for her disappearance, those online could only speculate about what was going on behind the scenes. Zhao's return Zhao's return to the online space was almost unremarkable as she was detected to have come back, owing to a short comment left on Queena Li's Weibo post, wishing the Chinese director a "happy birthday". Li was one of the directors of the 2020 series ... » Learn More about Vicki Zhao returns to Weibo 18 days after being wiped off Chinese internet

SAN FRANCISCO (NYTIMES) - Apple introduced a pop-up window for iPhones in April that asks people for their permission to be tracked by different apps. Google recently outlined plans to disable a tracking technology in its Chrome web browser. And Facebook said last month that hundreds of its engineers were working on a new method of showing ads without relying on people's personal data. The developments may seem like technical tinkering, but they were connected to something bigger: an intensifying battle over the future of the internet. The struggle has entangled tech titans, upended Madison Avenue and disrupted small businesses. And it heralds a profound shift in how people's personal information may be used online, with sweeping implications for the ways that businesses make money digitally. At the centre of the tussle is what has been the internet's lifeblood: advertising. More than 20 years ago, the internet drove an upheaval in the advertising industry. It ... » Learn More about Apple, Google and Facebook in battle for digital privacy to reshape the Internet