Media Monitoring Africa Reveals SABC Failed to adhere to the ICASA order and the Public Protest Ban

The SABC has elected to walk out of the parliamentary inquiry into the public broadcaster to divert attention from a deluge of damning evidence… mediamonitoringafrica.org/

​#DataMustFall – how cellphone giants are milking you

South African cellphone giants are not only charging higher prices for data than those in other developing countries but, in general, they are also banking substantially more profit… mg.co.za/

Trump as Cyberbully in Chief? Twitter Attack on Union Boss Draws Fire

Thirty years as a union boss in Indiana have given Chuck Jones a thick skin. But even threats to shoot him or burn his house down did not quite prepare him for becoming the target of a verbal takedown by the next president of the United States… nytimes.com/

The global economic slowdown

John Pilger: The Coming War on China

The greatest build-up of American-led military forces since the Second World War is well under way… telesurtv.net/

‘Fear of testimony’: Ruling parties try to block Snowden’s questioning on German soil

Germany’s ruling CDU and SPD parties have filed an appeal to the Federal Supreme Court to revise its earlier decision that allowed the US whistleblower Edward Snowden to testify before the German parliament on the NSA scandal and Berlin’s ties to it…. rt.com/news/

Extensive British Spying Throughout Africa Revealed in Le Monde

Top-secret British surveillance operations targeted the director of the World Trade Organization, several multinational corporations, a top French businessman, and heads of state across Africa, according to a new series of reports by Le Monde… theintercept.com/

E.U. Court’s Decision on Uber Will Set Precedent for the Gig Economy

The European Court of Justice will decide whether Uber is a taxi transportation company or a digital platform. A Barcelona judge submitted the request for a decisive clarification for the future of platform capitalism in Europe. On Aug. 7, 2015, the judge referred the decision to the Luxembourg-based courts after a complaint of the Spanish company Elite Taxi against Uber… ilmanifesto.global/

Amazon’s Grocery Would Eliminate Thousands Of Jobs

What happens when you start to enable the dismissal of huge numbers? It’s been one of the concerns about robotics and artificial intelligence. The latest sign is Amazon’s plan to run automated grocery stores — eventually establishing 2,000 of them… forbes.com/

Warehouses promised lots of jobs, but robot workforce slows hiring

When Skechers started building a colossal distribution center in Moreno Valley six years ago, backers promised a wave of new jobs. Instead, by the time the company moved to the Moreno Valley, it had closed five facilities in Ontario that employed 1,200 people and cut its workforce by more than half. Today, spotting a human on the premises can feel like an accomplishment. latimes.com/

Rio Tinto’s plan to use drones to monitor workers’ private lives

In the remote Australian outback, multinational companies are embarking on a secretive new kind of mining expedition… theguardian.com/

Can technology replace teachers? You asked Google – here’s the answer

Anxiety about losing your job to technology is both a rational and growing fear. Andy Haldane, the chief economist at the Bank of England, recently estimated that 15m jobs in the UK were threatened by automation. Technology is reaching such levels of sophistication that it is capable not only of manual tasks but cognitive ones too, putting a wide range of jobs are at risk… theguardian.com/

“The rise of digital empires is creating a colonial vision of the internet – we have to stop it”

The internet’s decentralised nature has diminished and its status as a global public resource is under threat. In the 21st century, a handful of tech giants with massive sway and reach are consolidating power, playing the parts of gatekeeper and rule-maker online… newstatesman.com/

The Internet, Privatization And Communication Rights With Leandro Navarro from Pangea

The IFG 16 started on December 5, 2016 in Guadalajara, Mexico and the issue of privatization of the internet and communication rights is part of the debate. Leandro Navarro of Pangea.org in Spain discusses the affect of the privatization and corporatization of the internet. Leandro Navarro was part of the APC delegation at the conference.

https://youtu.be/kqHrOk14rO0

The Internet is becoming a rapacious instrument of capture

Anita Gurmurthy at the Internet Governance Forum 2016

Most of us who come back to the IGF, year after year, share a dream; a dream that the internet – as a cherished innovation, can make possible a society that is free and equal.

With ten IGFs behind us, we need to ask ourselves, how well we have done. Let’s take access. Over 40% of the 7.5 billion people on this planet are connected. However, we are told that connectivity rates are slowing down… itforchange.net/

Petition to Facebook: Don’t Censor Human Rights Documentation

Facebook, a platform increasingly used to document human rights abuses, has censored human rights documentation, including content that depicts police violence…petitions.signforgood.com/