WEB NEWS - Hong Kong protesters use Firechat to evade censorship
- 10 years ago
In this edition: Hong Kong protesters using the FireChat app to evade censorship; South African activists calling for the boycott of a supermarket chain; and an astronaut shares images of Earth, seen from space.
HONG KONG PROTESTERS USE FIRECHAT TO EVADE CENSORSHIP
The unprecedented protests continue in Hong Kong with a growing number of pro-democracy activists now fearing the authorities will further restrict Internet access in the former British colony following Beijing’s move on Sunday to shut down access to Instagram in China. And so a lot of demonstrators are now turning to the FireChat app to communicate during the mass protests, to coordinate actions and share information. It’s an instant messaging service and functions without any kind of centralized cellular or Wi-Fi network.
Developed by a company called Open Garden, the tool enables smartphone users to communicate using Bluetooth technology. And it`s proving very popular among pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong, with a surge of FireChat sign-ups; over 100,000 in 24 hours between Sunday and Monday according to the South China Morning Post's website. This was largely down to Saturday’s Facebook post from prominent student protester Joshua Wong, who urged his fellow demonstrators to install the app.
And although many have done just that, the communication tool does carry some risk. As several Twitter users have pointed out, none of the messages are encrypted and the discussion forums are open to anyone who has downloaded FireChat. So users must be wary, and take certain precautions, like adopting a pseudonym before using the app.
SOUTH AFRICAN ACTIVISTS CALL FOR BOYCOTT OF RETAIL CHAIN
Calls for a boycott of South Africa's largest supermarket chain Woolworths ... Go on reading on our web site.
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HONG KONG PROTESTERS USE FIRECHAT TO EVADE CENSORSHIP
The unprecedented protests continue in Hong Kong with a growing number of pro-democracy activists now fearing the authorities will further restrict Internet access in the former British colony following Beijing’s move on Sunday to shut down access to Instagram in China. And so a lot of demonstrators are now turning to the FireChat app to communicate during the mass protests, to coordinate actions and share information. It’s an instant messaging service and functions without any kind of centralized cellular or Wi-Fi network.
Developed by a company called Open Garden, the tool enables smartphone users to communicate using Bluetooth technology. And it`s proving very popular among pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong, with a surge of FireChat sign-ups; over 100,000 in 24 hours between Sunday and Monday according to the South China Morning Post's website. This was largely down to Saturday’s Facebook post from prominent student protester Joshua Wong, who urged his fellow demonstrators to install the app.
And although many have done just that, the communication tool does carry some risk. As several Twitter users have pointed out, none of the messages are encrypted and the discussion forums are open to anyone who has downloaded FireChat. So users must be wary, and take certain precautions, like adopting a pseudonym before using the app.
SOUTH AFRICAN ACTIVISTS CALL FOR BOYCOTT OF RETAIL CHAIN
Calls for a boycott of South Africa's largest supermarket chain Woolworths ... Go on reading on our web site.
Visit our website:
http://www.france24.com
Like us on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/FRANCE24.English
Follow us on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/France24_en