Tag: Telcos

From 2004, the United States has signed onto free trade agreements with nearly half of the countries in Latin America. As a product of these agreements, Peru, Colombia, Chile, Panama and other Central American countries agreed to enact new and more restrictive copyright laws, which can place important threats on the fundamental rights of internet users across the region.

Amid allegations of corruption and bribery in Uzbekistan, Swedish telco giant TeliaSonera’s chief executive resigned today after an independent probe found faults with the company’s due diligence in securing the contract.

Yesterday marked the two-year anniversary of the internet and mobile network blackout designed to undermine the anti-government protests in Egypt. This event catapulted the issue of telecoms and human rights onto the international stage. To mark this anniversary, Access has sent a letter to the telecommunication sector’s Industry Dialogue on Freedom of Expression and Privacy, an industry working group that arose in the aftermath of the incident. The letter addresses the failure of the major telecoms involved to provide principled guidance to the industry and issues a statement of expectations to governments that would request restrictions on user rights.

Two years ago, amidst the protests in Tahrir Square, telcos in Egypt shut down their networks, cutting of citizens from the global internet. Since then, the telecom industry has made promises to develop rights-respecting guidelines and principles, but has failed to deliver.