Monday, May 4, 2015

Social media in government: 27 April to 4 May

Summary

Sunday, May third, was World Press Freedom Day.

In Ireland, discussions over privacy regulation and Facebook continue. The UK elections are heating up (with Facebook supporting literal political conversation art on the London Eye). Austrians are a-Twitter about a politically insensitive pastry and Serbians suspect their Government may be threatening political satire on TV and social media. (If only the Serbs were as good at the Croats when it comes to Government engagement online. Thanks, Twiplomacy!)

Rwanda is supporting some positive buzz for women in social media and Nigeria is evacuating citizens from an island in Lake Chad. Burundi is holding protests (or riots?) despite (or in part because of?) the Government's shutdown of social media and private radio (and the current President's bid for a third term.) Zambia's leaders are tacitly suggesting social media users need to tone it down.

Turkey is making fun of the US reaction to the Baltimore protests (or is it riots?) on Twitter and American diplomats are not amused (but kind of amusing in their reaction.) Iran doesn't imprison people for their opinions - yet social media suggests this could be wrong...Egypt is mad about porn at the Pyramids and on social media - again. Brazilians are out to reclaim a Palestinian on a hunger strike.

The tragedy in Nepal continues and the volunteers online and on-the-ground are chronicling their work on social media. Meanwhile, the Nepalese are using social media to chronicle their reactions to other countries' help (as well as other countries' "help." Yes, slight sarcasm implied in that last bit.) China is mad about surrogate pregnancy using social media to advertise - and the Chinese authorities are probably planning to factor this in when they release their citizen-rating algorithm by 2020. Pakistan is considering some controversial cybercrime legislation and journalists and social media activists are not happy about it. Indonesia, the Philippines, and Australia are not happy with each other. Governments in the Maldives and Nauru are becoming more restrictive when it comes to social media.

The USA is holding an election...next year, but it's already all over social media. Canada is holding an election this year (did you not realise? The federal election is in October.) Mexico's civil society is finding social media "name and shame" campaigns a great way to improve transparency and Guatemalans may follow suit. Brazilians are already doing so - and the Brazilian Government is responding to criticism on social networks.

Then there are reports and tools.

And don't forget - out this past week is the Twiplomacy Study 2015: How World Leaders Connect on Twitter.

Europe

Facebook, under investigation for privacy concerns in several European countries, may soon face a single probe from the European Commission. Up till now, Facebook has pointed out that European law only allows investigations from the country where the company is located (in this case, Ireland.) The EU is paying particular attention to Facebook's ads and acquisition of WhatsApp.

Sources: +New York Stock Exchange

Ireland

If certain EU regulations are finalised later this year, this could dramatically impact the current position of the Irish Data Protection Commissioner, who, critics claim, lacks too much power. In particular, the Irish office does not have the power to fine companies or release audits without the company's permission.

Sources: +Lisa Fleisher

The United Kingdom

The famous London Eye is lighting up every night in the colours of the political parties most discussed on Facebook in the lead-up to the UK's May 7th election. Elizabeth Linder, Facebook's politics and government specialist for Europe, said, "We've seen over 52 million interactions related to the General Election so far this year, and we're excited to be able to bring this conversational election to life in the heart of London using our data and the iconic Coca-Cola London Eye." UKIP is the most widely-discussed party, followed by the Conservatives and then Labour.



Sources: +The Telegraph

The Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Europe and External Affairs Fiona Hyslop (@FionaHyslop) penned a blog post for the USA's Capitol Hill Congress blog on the Scots use of social media to engage young (and future) voters in political discussions. Hyslop cites Facebook Q&As, Scottish ministers active on Twitter, and the ever-present hashtag #indyref, used to rally voters over the Scottish independent referendum. Hyslop sums up the Scottish approach in light of the May 7th UK elections with the following: "Nicola Sturgeon (@NicolaSturgeon), our new first minister, adopted the cardinal principle of social media: It isn’t for you to listen to us. It’s for us to listen to you."


Sources: +The Hill

"The Local Government Association and Comms2point0 jointly launched ‘Digital Councils’, a social media hub for local government," according to Digital by Default News. The hub, found here, includes partnerships with Facebook, Google, and Twitter. The hub includes case studies, checklists, and advice for local government officials and departments that want to use social media more effectively with their constituents.
Sources: @DByDNews

Eleven UK Government departments spent more than £1.1m between 2012 and 2015 on promoting policies in social media, with £20,000 spent on a Facebook campaign about restorative justice which attracted just 2,000 likes, according to documents released under the Freedom of Information Act. For example, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills paid £3,428 for two Twitter adverts. The House of Lords paid almost £600 on an IT course in 2015 for just one staff member, and the Cabinet Office’s 'GREAT Britain' campaign to encourage people to do business in the UK cost £394,979.

Sources: @TheDrum,  @gillow14

The UK election will be this week, and social media is at the heart of the debate. Analysts say that Labour prefers Twitter while Conservatives like Facebook. Labour Party Leader Ed Miliband has his young #Milifandom following while Conservative leader David Cameron has his #Cameronettes in response. Memes are rampant (and quite humorous - though some are downright mean.) Read more about social media and UK politics here.

More on the UK general election on Twitter:


Austria

Austria's youthful foreign minister Sebastian Kurz, @SebastianKurz, is making up for Austria's lack of social media engagement, according to Tuesday's Twiplomacy report. Austria's Government halted most social media activity after being criticised for "astro-turfing," using fake profiles to bolster the Government's online image, in 2011. However Kurz maintains his own social media presence and is known for his personal engagement on Twitter, his Tweetchats, and his hashtag #kurzgefragt - a play on his name and the German words for "quick question."

Sources: +The Local

Thomas Kienbauer, a baker, was so unhappy with the policies of the ruling coalition in Austria that he felt he should make a bold statement. “Sometimes, you have to present an exaggerated view of the situation if you really want to make a point,” he said. His statement is a cake of the twin towers on 9/ll. The two towers represent the Social Democrats (SPÖ) and the conservative People’s Party (ÖVP). The two planes crashing into the towers represent the Greens and the right-wing Freedom Party (FPÖ). The cake has created a stir on social media with many criticising the baker's way of expressing his frustration.


Sources: +RT

Croatia

The new Twiplomacy Study promoted the Croatian Government (@VladaRH) as "the most prolific government on Twitter in Europe and 2nd most communicative government in the world." In an interview with Twiplomacy, @VladaRH noted, "Croatia, particularly The Government, is very active on Twitter, currently counting over 60,000 followers, 42 tweets per day and increasing rapidly. In addition, we have a strong presence via the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, EU Commissioner Mimica, two heads of missions and several spokespersons in ministries. The Government is also very active on Facebook (daily posts and direct communication with citizens), Instagram, YouTube, Flickr, Scribd, Soundcloud…"



Source: @VladaRH , +Twiplomacy


Serbia

24 Minutes (@24minuta) is a popular television programme presenting fake news - similar to Jon Stewart or Stephen Colbert in the USA - with over 54,000 fans just on Facebook and a #24minuta hashtag on Twitter. Yet this April 26th the planned episode looking at the public persecution of Serbia's ombudsman Saša Janković by public officials was pulled and a rerun was aired. This stoked online speculation that the show was being shut down due to political pressure - not a first in Serbia. Discussion online continues despite an official statement claiming the episode was postponed till the following Monday as a result of issues in post-production. Janković, who is less than loved by Serbian officials, was slated to be the show's guest. ("A recent poll showed that more people trust Janković (36%) than the combined government in Serbia (34%).")
Sources:  +DanicaRadisic

Africa

Rwanda

The Government of Rwanda has launched a campaign to show Rwandans how to . The campaign is designed to raise awareness about cybercrime among Rwandans, who are increasingly incorporating ICT into their professional and personal lives. With advances in mobile tech, more and more Rwandans are expected to have access to the Internet in the coming years, and the Government wants (particularly mobile) netizens to be smart about how they share their information and money online (last year the mobile money transfer sector in Rwanda included more than 104 million transactions worth 1 billion US dollars.) The Ministry Youth and ICT, Rwanda Development Board, and the Rwanda National Police's department of intelligence will carry out the campaign.


Sources: +AllAfrica

Already in its second year, Rwanda's #MsGeekRw2015 is a government-supported competition designed to attract women to computer science. This year, the winner is 15-year-old Vanessa Mutesi, from Kigali International Community School. Miss Mutesi designed an open education access platform that she called "Rwanda Online Open School." Students can use the platform to share educational materials.
Sources: +AllAfrica

Nigeria

The African Union and others paid respects online and offline for the Niger civilians and soldiers killed by the Boko Haram terrorist group the 25th of April. The residents of Karamga Island in Lake Chad, the site of the attack, have been ordered to evacuate in fear of future attacks.  


Sources: +ABC News


Burundi

President Pierre Nkurunziza is seeking a third term despite protests that in doing so he violates the country's Constitution. Following protests throughout Burundi, the Government shut down access to several social networks including Twitter, Facebook and WhatsApp. The networks have been used to co-ordinate the protests. Diplomats online are joining the protest, including Erik Solheim (@SolheimDAC) of the OECD's Development Assistance Committee and American diplomat Tom Malinowski, dispatched to reach out to Nkurunziza. At least 10 people have died during the week-long protests and the Burundi Security Minister has since stated, "The security forces will from now on take every necessary measure to stop and arrest these criminals. The police, with the army, will do everything to stop this uprising....From today we will no longer see demonstrations. We see criminals, terrorists and even enemies of the country."
Sources: @viewfromthecave, +Yahoo News 

 On May 3rd, World Press Freedom Day, Burundi journalists protested the media clampdown by wearing black shirts and tape over their mouths. Antoinne Kaburahe (@AntoineKaburahe), head of Iwacu press group, said, "It is time to stay independent, neutral and professional in covering this event even if we have got difficulties in our work. Its in this situation that the big men are revealed and who do not have interest in the radicalism (politics) that some want to establish in Burundi."



Sources: +Voice of America

Zambia

Zambia's Minister of Information and Broadcasting Services Chishimba Kambwili advised journalists against abusing social media. He suggested instead journalists use social media to bridge gender imbalances in society. “Instead of using the social media to insult, defame and malign others, as has become common on some social media platforms, media practitioners in the country are called upon to use the social media to fight social ills such as GBV, child defilement and other gender-related vices,” Mr Kambwili said in a statement. “We have de-controlled and de-politicised the media, as promised in our party manifesto.  Journalists, in the public and private sector, print and electronic, are now free to set their own agenda to inform, educate and entertain the public.” His remarks were meant to honour this year's World Press Freedom Day theme: "Media and gender equality in the digital age."

Sources: Zambia Daily Mail



Middle East

In an article about social media and the Arab world, reporter Raied T. Shuqum observed, "There are more than 150 million internet users in the 22 countries of the Arab League. This is coupled with a mobile penetration rate of around 110% on a regional level and more than 71 million active users of social networking technologies....Social media need to be taken se­riously as the numbers of its users in the Arab world is rapidly growing. Facebook, with some 80 million us­ers across the region, 89% of who access it daily, is by far the most popular social networking tool in the region. A recent report observed that two out of every five Arab us­ers say Facebook is their top social website and WhatsApp the most fa­voured social tool."

Sources: @Global_Arab_Net

In another report in the Arab Social Media Series, researchers noted that despite the positive associations on both the recipient (citizen) and provider (Government) sides when it comes to Government use of social media, social media use by Governments does not solve the lack of overall trust in government experienced by many citizens.

Arab Governments usually use social media to perform two functions: to provide information to citizens and to collect citizen feedback. These functions are expected and even appreciated, according to citizen surveys. However, Governments' use of social media does not - according to the actual user/ engagement data - mean that citizens will necessarily access these social media services a lot more than more traditional Government services. So Government social media use does not equal citizen trust. However, citizens will use social media among themselves to hold the Government accountable for its actions.

Sources: @arabsocialmedia, Sudan Vision Daily

Turkey

In an interview Samanyolu Haber, a Turkish national news channel, European Parliament Subcommittee on Human Rights Vice Chair Barbara Lochbihler (@blochbihler) cited Turkey's censorship of social media as a concern to the European Parliament. "If you have the kind of political style that thinks that you have to control everything, that thinks you are strong, I think it is a mistake. Because how can you control the opinions and thoughts of so many people?" Lochbihler said. "I think it would be better actually to engage in a dialogue with the critics you have."

Turkey's Government installed police barricades throughout the capital in anticipation of protests on the first of May.

Sources: +Todays Zaman

Gültekin Avcı (@GultekinAvc), a former Turkish prosecutor, Tweeted that he had been charged with "establishing a terrorist organisation" and "attempting to overthrow the government". Avcı claims the charges stem from when he reTweeted a leaked scandal tape about the current Turkish Government's leader and his son. Avcı may face life imprisonment - and he is one of many claiming that their use of social media has been criminalised by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's Administration.

Sources: +Hürriyet Emlak

An infamous pro-Government Turkish troll has been identified by a Turkish news outlet. The owner of the troll's social media account fought in court to keep his identity a secret, but lost. Twitter user Esat Ç., run by Esat Burak Uzundere, who is registered with the AK Party Youth Branches, will now face several lawsuits over his virulent use of Twitter. Esat Ç. is not the only troll online, and this case may open the door for further troll identifications and subsequent lawsuits.

Sources: +Todays Zaman

The Turkish Government has cited the US handling of the Baltimore riots/protests as evidence of hypocrisy in how the US criticised the Turkish Government's response to the Gezi Park riots/protests. The Mayor of Ankara Tweeted, "Come on Blond answer now!" to the acting spokeswoman for the US State Department, Marie Harf. Harf ignored the comment, but the US Ambassador in Turkey posted a photoshopped image of himself with blond hair to Instagram: "American diplomats; we are all blond," said Ambassador John Bass. His post incited further reactions from Turkish netizens, many of whom view the police brutality in Baltimore as proof that the US has double standards.
A photo posted by John Bass (@amerikanbuyukelcisi) on
Sources: +BBC Trending

Iran

Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said in an American talk show last week that "Iran does not jail people for their opinions." This initiated a flurry of social media (and more traditional) criticism that Zarif is wrong: several journalists have been jailed in Iran for expressing opinions contrary to that of the Government. Despite the official ban on social media in Iran itself, Zarif is active on Facebook and Twitter (@JZarif), so much of the criticism has been posted directly to his social media accounts. The YouTube post of the interview has also generated a lot of online commentary.


Sources: +PBS NewsHour


Egypt

An adult film actress called Carmen De Luz posted images of her exposing herself near the pyramids in Egypt, prompting an investigation by Egyptian authorities. The actress clarified that the images, promoting a new erotic film, were not taken at the pyramids. De Luz explained that she was back in the USA. However, conservative groups in Egypt have called for the Government to be more restrictive in its tourism policies. Given this is not the first such scandal exposed by social media, the Egyptian Government has promised to pay more attention to tourists at Giza.

Sources: @mradamtaylor, +Washington Post


Palestine

Islam Hamed, a Brazilian-Palestinian man arrested several times throughout his life by Israeli authorities, started a hunger strike in a Palestinian prison in protest of his detention. Just twenty days from the end of his sentence, Hamed and his wife and baby son were granted permission to move to Brazil, but nothing has been done since. Hamed is forced to stay in a constantly-lit cell, a form of torture. Hamed's supporters in Brazil have begun a social media campaign with a Facebook page in a desperate effort to compel official action with regard to his case.


Por favor, assinem e divulguem!...
Posted by Libertem o Islam Hamed on Saturday, May 2, 2015
Sources: @MiddleEastMnt

Asia


Nepal

Those impacted by tragedy in Nepal when the massive earthquake hit two weeks ago continue to document stories of loss and resilience on social media. They also continue to organise search and rescue as well as reconstruction efforts via social networks:




Google launched the Google Personal Finder. The Personal Finder offers two options: "I'm looking for someone" and "I have information about someone".

@AKunrojpanya, Google Thailand's communications and public affairs manager, tweeted:

Facebook also launched its safety tool for people in affected areas: Safety Check. Users either mark themselves or their friends and family as "safe".  Mark Zuckerberg, founder and chief executive of Facebook, explained Safety Check on his Facebook timeline: "If you're in one of the areas affected by the earthquake, you'll get a notification asking if you're safe, and whether you want to check on any of your friends. When disasters happen, people need to know their loved ones are safe. It's moments like this that being able to connect really matters. My thoughts are with everyone who's been caught up in this tragedy."

Sources: @asina_nt

People in Nepal with access to social networks are also venting their anger towards the Government for its perceived inaction and towards the media for its coverage of the devastating quake. The hashtag #GoHomeIndianMedia trended in Nepal with 60 thousand Tweets as of Sunday night as a result of anger over how their neighbour India's media had treated the tragedy.

Sources: @DeShobhaa, +The Hindu

China

China aims to use algorithms to rank citizens on moral and financial decisions and issue every citizen a rating with their identity cards by 2020. A China expert at Oxford University, Rogier Creemers, recently published a translation of a document about the rating system that has been circulating throughout the Chinese Government for several years. Creemers noted that “This is a deliberate effort by the Chinese government to promote among citizens ‘socialist core values’ such as patriotism, respecting the elderly, working hard and avoiding extravagant consumption.” Journalist Michelle FlorCruz compared the plan to USA's PRISM plan and a similar ranking system found in East Germany pre-1989. The translation of the document by Creemers notes that “accelerating the construction of a [public] social credit system is an important basis for comprehensively implementing the scientific development view and building a harmonious Socialist society...” with “important significance for strengthening the sincerity consciousness of the members of society.” The "guiding ideology," the name of a subsection in the memo, explains a key principle of the system is "government promotion."

Sources: @ChinaMedia1, @mflorcruz

Chinese authorities have banned surrogate pregnancies in China, but the lucrative trade is alive and well - and advertising via Chinese social media, according to a Bejing Youth Daily investigation: "A surrogacy service center called Feifan Yunyu, which claims to have experience with overseas surrogacy, has a website, WeChat and QQ accounts, phone number and a hotline for customer information. It also published at least one article per day about advances in surrogacy technology and posts articles on subjects such as parenting." Feifan Yunyu is by no means alone; many other groups as well as individuals also advertise surrogacy services on social media - even offering cohabitation surrogacy in which potential mothers live with the family and have sex with the future father until becoming pregnant.

Sources: +Beijing Today

Pakistan

Pakistan's Government is considering the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Bill 2015, cybercrime legislation. Civil society actors in an interactive session organised by the National Press Club Islamabad criticised clauses in the Bill that could be used by the Government to pressure journalists and social media activists. “All segments of society, including journalists, doctors and engineers, should be engaged in the effort to raise their voice against the cybercrime bill as it is bound to curtail freedom of expression if passed by parliament,” Tahir Malik, professor at the National University of Modern Language stated at the event. If passed as is, the Bill would allow the Pakistani Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to criminalise social media that they deem "obscene" or "immoral." The Bill is partly in reaction to the overt support offered on social media to the terrorists behind the Peshawar Massacre. Those protesting the Bill are using the hashtag #WeRejectCyberBill.



Sources: @etribune, @Haigojan

India

Section 375 of India’s Penal Code defines rape as a crime, with the exception of a rape committed by a man against his wife. Recently, an Indian MP asked if the UN Committee on Elimination of Discrimination Against Women had recommended marital rape be criminalised in India - the Committee has. Yet the Indian Government has responded that the recommendation will not be implemented due to the “level of education, illiteracy, poverty, myriad social customs and values and religious beliefs” in India. This has spurred online outrage over the issue from global as well as Indian netizens.

Sources: +The Independent

The Indian Government issued warnings to citizens impacted by the earthquake in Nepal to be cautious about potential rumours spreading on social media. Telecom and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad warned "Many comments come on social media that earthquake is going to happen at this hour. We should adopt restraint and not spread rumours on social media. I also appeal to people not to pay attention to such rumours being spread on social media."

Sources: +DNA

The Indian Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) is Tweeting regular information about the Nepal earthquake as is the new Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Vikas Swarup (@MEAIndia) and the Ministry of Defence Sitanshu Kar (@SpokespersonMoD.) There is also a  Google Document here put together by Indian netizens with details of official Embassy names, the official on-ground organisations that are helping out, and volunteering opportunities for those who want to participate.




Sources: @ShrutiDhaps

India's Government is concerned about the use of social media to share hate speech. This may encourage further government monitoring of popular social networks in India (Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp...) "The Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines) Rules 2011 under Section 79 of the Information Technology Act requires that the Intermediaries shall observe due diligence while discharging their duties and shall inform the users of computers resources not to host, display, upload, modify, publish, transmit, update or share any information that is harmful, objectionable, affect minors and unlawful in any way," Minister of State for Home Haribhai Parthibhai Chaudhary observed in reply to a written question on the issue. "Instances of misuse of Twitter, Facebook, email, blogs and Whatsapp to spread hate campaign in the country have come to the notice of the government from time to time."

Sources: +NDTV

India's current Administration is getting ready to celebrate the achievements of Prime Minister Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) and his first year in office. Achievements will be shared and discussed on the radio, in traditional and of course in social media. Perhaps Modi will even share his accomplishments on Weibo, which he just joined to better connect with his Chinese regional neighbours.



Also read under the section on Nepal about Nepal's online rage against Indian media coverage of the terrible earthquake (#GohomeIndianMedia trended last week in Nepal's social media.)

Nauru

The Nauru Government has ordered the national service provider Digicel to shut down Facebook and any "internet sites that show pornography, particularly those featuring children." Opposition leaders claim the move is to stop dissent. Nauru citizens on Facebook have been calling the current Government a "dictatorship." Nauru houses refugees, many of whom, like the Nauru locals, use Facebook to keep in touch with their families abroad. Refugee advocates claim the move is to stop refugees from communicating about problems in the refugee camps.

Sources: +ABC News

Maldives

In the Maldives, President Abdulla Yameen ratified the Public Service Media Act on April 29th and dissolved the old Maldives broadcasting corporation and its five member board. These individuals will be replaced with a new governing board made up of representatives selected by the President. Opposition worries that this is an attempt by the Government to stifle media criticism. “The [new] law requires public service media to establish and run their news and programs through social media. This is an attempt to spread propaganda at all levels of the media,” said MDP MP Imthiyaz Fahmy.

Sources: +Minivan News

The Maldives Government has declared a May Day protest in which protesters were dispersed by police an attempted coup. Several protestors and opposition leaders have been arrested and the Government has asked that private employees and civil servants that supported the protest on social media be fired. The protest was in reaction to the arrest of Mohamed Nasheed, a former Maldive President. Despite pleas from family members of those arrested, the ruling Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM) has refused to release prisoners from the protest. “A president is elected for five years. It’s very clear how [the state] must act towards those who come out to oust the government before that. Those people [were] attempting a coup. That is un unlawful protest,” a PPM Member of Parliament Riyaz Rasheed said.

Sources: @ZaheenaR


Indonesia

Despite global protests, the two Australians that led the Bali 9 drug operation in Indonesia have been executed by firing squad. The Australian Prime Minister expressed his regrets for the families on Facebook and in traditional media, and several hashtags - from #boycottIndonesia to #Bali9 to #IStandforMercy trended as people expressed their support for the families of those executed. While the two Australians, both alleged leaders in the operation, were executed despite Australia's plans to withdraw their Ambassador from Indonesia as a result, Mary Jan Veloso, a single Philippine mother involved in the lower echelons of the scheme, was spared. Ms. Veloso was supported under the hashtag #MaryJane and received widespread support for clemency even within Indonesia. In addition to the Australians executed, Nigerians Raheem Salami, Silvester Obiekwe Nwolise, Okwudil Oyatanze and Martin Anderson; Indonesian Zainal Abidin and Brazilian Rodrigo Gularte, who was said to be mentally ill, were executed for their participation in the drug ring.


The Australian Government deeply regrets the executions of Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran. The Government had hoped...
Posted by Tony Abbott on Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Japan

A new marketing study has noted that half of Japan's social networkers will be on Twitter by 2017. "Twitter has relatively high penetration among social network users in Japan, at 46.1% this year. That figure will surpass the halfway mark in 2017, when more than a quarter of all internet users in Japan will also be Twitter users. That’s the highest penetration of any country in the world."

Sources: +eMarketer

Australia

Social media drove protests online and offline against the planned forced closures of Aboriginal communities in Australia. Using the hashtag #SOSBlakAustralia to rally support, Aboriginal families and supporters are protesting the cutbacks that will close a number of remote Aboriginal communities. The Western Australian Government has cited cases of sexual abuse of minors in certain communities and stated that, overall, the communities are simply not sustainable. Activists counter that the Government has provided tax breaks for corporations while threatening to dispossess - yet again - Australian Aboriginals. The protests online are not new - Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott received a lot of criticism in social media after claiming that living in indigenous communities was a #lifestylechoice that Australian taxpayers could not be expected to endorse. (This was covered in the blog the week of March 8th.) 

Sources: +Radio Australia, @sosblakaust

SBS Australia, a hybrid-funded Australian public broadcasting radio, online, and television network, fired a journalist after controversial remarks made via Twitter on ANZAC Day caught the eye of a high-level Government Minister. ANZAC Day honours the Australians and New Zealanders involved in military actions on behalf of their country. The journalist, Scott McIntyre, Tweeted: “Wonder if the poorly read, largely white nationalist drinkers and gamblers pause today to consider the horror that all mankind suffered”; “Remembering the summary execution, widespread rape and theft committed by these ‘brave’ Anzacs in Egypt, Palestine and Japan”. The Australian Government's Minister for Communications, Malcolm Turnbull called the remarks "despicable" and pointed them out to SBS Management, which then sacked McIntyre. Australian social media continues to debate whether or not SBS violated McIntyre's right of free speech.

Sources: @TheMandarinAU, @mcintinhos

Rob Pyne, the first quadriplegic Member of Parliament in Australia, announced on Facebook that he planned to quit social media. A film about Edward Snowden's NSA revelations caused him to consider his participation in social networking. "Clearly the government, corporations and the media control the place with an iron grip...Between the media, political trolls and apparatchiks I am not sure one can make a big difference. No more social media from me until I can make sense of it." To date, Pyne still appears to posting to his personal Facebook account here as well as his political account here.


GOODBYE: Watching the Edward Snowdon movie in town tonight makes you wonder if it really is all beyond the capacity of...
Posted by Rob Pyne: Standing Up For Cairns on Sunday, April 26, 2015
Source: +9 News & Current Affairs


North America


Canada

The 42nd general Federal election in Canada is scheduled for October 19th, 2015. Parties are already gearing up online and off. Follow their leaders on Twitter here and check out real-time Tweets below.



My research on Canada suggests the leaders are less active on Facebook than the parties, so I'll be putting together a party Facebook list next week.

USA

The Baltimore riots in the US State of Maryland began after the mysterious death of yet another African-American man picked up by the police for unknown reasons. The man's name, #FreddieGray, along with the hashtag #Baltimore can be followed on Facebook and Twitter for updates about events on the ground. Baltimore Mayor Rawlings-Blake (@MayorSRB) along with other city officials are posting regular updates to Twitter.

One stream of Tweets, posted by John P Angelos, the Executive Vice President of the local baseball team the Orioles, received a lot of attention. @JohnPAngelos  took Baltimore sports-radio broadcaster Brett Hollander to task on Twitter, defending the protests as a reaction to "the past four-decade period during which an American political elite have shipped middle class and working class jobs away from Baltimore and cities and towns around the U.S. to third-world dictatorships like China and others, plunged tens of millions of good, hard-working Americans into economic devastation, and then followed that action around the nation by diminishing every American’s civil rights protections in order to control an unfairly impoverished population living under an ever-declining standard of living and suffering at the butt end of an ever-more militarized and aggressive surveillance state."

Following a week of protests and on-the-ground reporting by citizen and professional media (with varying reactions from and about both), Freddie Gray's mysterious death has been ruled a homicide. The City of Baltimore will pursue murder charges against the officials involved. A victory rally was held May first.



Meanwhile, the American Civil Liberties Union has created a phone application designed to help users film and automatically upload videos of police brutality to their website. The app, available in English and Spanish, actively turns on and off when you just shake your phone. There are a number of other "justice apps" out there. Here's just eight more.



The first conference aimed at government social media managers and communicators working at the local, regional, and state level in the USA finished up Saturday.  #GSMCON collected over 300 such employees from across the USA to share best practices and trends with each other as well as representatives from major social networks like Facebook and Twitter. Among award winners at the event: Provo, Utah's mayor John Curtis (@Curtisut) won the Golden Post for top elected official on social media for his daily blog as well as his Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest accounts; the City of West Hollywood was presented with Best Government Social Media Campaign for its avoid-digital-distractions safety video Alice in WeHoLand, viewed more than 780,000 times on YouTube.


Sources: +Government Social Media 

 Individual companies (Facebook, Google...?) may soon be able to challenge National Security Letters which normally come with a gag order and a demand for data. The House of Representatives Judiciary Committee voted in favour of the USA Freedom Act, an Act that aims to install a few limits on the National Security Agency. The Act is gaining traction (and criticism for not going far enough) in light of the June 1st deadline to renew some controversial  surveillance regulations of the Patriot Act. 

 Sources: +NPR Politics 

 May Day protests in Seattle, Washington against racism and income inequality turned violent when protestors clashed with police. Using the hashtag #MayDaySea, protestors, media, and police shared information, images, and opinions on the protests-turned-riots, each trying to spin the narrative. The Seattle Police Department (@SeattlePD) used Twitter (and not so much Facebook) to keep the public up-to-date with developments impacting traffic and public safety.



Sources: +NPR Politics
A government safety regulator conference last Tuesday cited the low response rate of consumers who own cars recalled due to serious safety concerns. Solutions discussed included apps and more social media engagement and social network ads targeting owners of said vehicles. 

 Sources: +Associated Press 

 In a at the Milken Global Institute Global Conference last Monday, President Clinton’s second Treasury Secretary, Bob Rubin, told Facebook's Sheryl Sandberg that social media was one of the primary causes of political disfunction in the United States today: "the fundamental challenge for our country is having effective government–and I’m not going to get invited to the next panel after I say what I’m about to say–I think social media plays an enormous role in public opinion. And I think it’s become to some extent a conductor of ideology, an echo chamber. The converse could be if those who had responsibility in the area of social media, whoever they may be, could find a way to engage the American people in recognizing that we must have effective government, whatever your views may be on issues. We should insist that our elected leaders should be committed to effective governance and to principled compromise to find common ground across divides."
Sources: @crobmatthews

 Finally, it's already election season in the USA as the Democratic and Republican parties start considering candidates for President. (A Harvard study even looks at how millennials use social media based on political affiliation - young Dems prefer Twitter and young Republicans like Pinterest while Republicans are more likely to engage politically in social media. )

 This past week Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders), the longest-serving Independent candidate in US Congress, announced his Presidential bid. Sanders is known for his adherence to his principals, which include stopping tax breaks for corporations and more focus on job creation and public spending.
Today (Monday, April 4th), Dr. Ben Carson (@RealBenCarson), a neurosurgeon from Detroit announced his campaign for the Republican Presidential nomination. He began his campaign with a Facebook page and then live-streamed his announcement to the page and his website.

This morning I will take the stage in Detroit and say, "my name is Dr. Ben Carson and I am running for President of the United States"
Posted by Dr. Ben Carson on Sunday, May 3, 2015
Also, Carly Fiorina, the somewhat controversial former head of Hewlett-Packard has joined the race seeking the Republican nomination for President. She announced her bid and led a "town hall" chat on Periscope.

I just announced that I'm running for President because I believe our nation is at a pivotal point. I'm excited to hear...
Posted by Carly Fiorina on Monday, May 4, 2015


More organisations are jumping into the campaign as well, including Represent.Us, a group dedicated to pointing out political corruption in the election process - including where that corruption "has been made legal" according to studies from universities like Princeton. More in the video below, circulating widely on Twitter and Facebook.



If you want to keep up with the USA Presidential candidates on Twitter, you can subscribe to this 2016 Presidential Twitter list or check out the Tweets below.



Alternatively, you can follow this Facebook list.

State-level stuff:
The Michigan State legislature is discussing budget and policy behind closed doors in caucuses, but much of what is said can be read (between the partisan lines) on social media. "There’s a Twitter account for each legislative caucus, plus a YouTube channel and, in the House, a Facebook page. It’s all run by caucus communication staffs, state employees whose workload also includes website posts, email press releases, constituent conference calls and news-media inquiries," Jordan Schrader of The Olympian notes. Regulations concerning how Congress uses social media are being debated by Congressional authorities.

 Sources: @Jordan_Schrader

Mexico

Featured in The Economist this week, Viridiana Rios (@Viri_Rios) heads an NGO called México ¿Cómo Vamos? (How are we doing, Mexico?) The goal of the NGO, which works with many others in Mexico's civil society sector, is to be "an anti-corruption 'breathalyser.'" The group uses social media and other tactics to name and shame corrupt politicians and to call for the existing Government to move ahead with real reform. “We are the technocracy of civil society,” Rios told The Economist. Two Mexican NGOs have created a platform called Three out of Three. Three out of Three asks candidates in mid-term elections (June 7th) to make their assets, interests, and proof of tax payments public. So far, 100 politicians have done so.



Sources: +The Economist

Jamaica

UNICEF in Jamaica is participating in a month-long campaign to highlight domestic abuse and child rape. Follow the hashtags #‎NuhGuhDeh and #‎EndViolence for facts, inspirational stories that should never have happened, and related rallies dedicated to raising awareness about the issue. 


Sources: +Jamaica Gleaner 

Central America


Guatemala 

Over the last two Saturdays, Guatemalans have used Facebook and Twitter to organise massive protests demanding the resignation of President Otto Pérez Molina and Vice President Roxana Baldetti. Using the hashtag #RenunciaYaFase2, or “Resign already, phase 2,” protestors have filled the streets and the Internet with their anger and frustration with the Government.
While mainstream, state-aligned media largely ignored the protests, students at public and private schools used social media to organise and share these unprecedented demonstrations. Iduvina Hernández, director of the Guatemalan Human Rights organization SEDEM, said, “That is the first time, in all my life, that I have seen students from the private and the public schools unite.” The movement appears to have been precipitated by a widespread bribery scandal that includes several high-level customs officials and even the personal secretary to vice president Baldetti (currently rumoured to be hiding out in Honduras to avoid punitive action.) "The scandal has been nicknamed La Linea, or the telephone line, for the special number people could call to evade customs duties." In a country already overly-familiar with political corruption, violence, and scandal, these protests could be a signal to the Government that citizens have had enough. As a World Bank report noted “all of Guatemala’s social indicators reflect ... widespread poverty and severe inequality.” Yet President Molina has responded with a flat refusal to resign, claiming he's done nothing wrong.


Sources: @JaredGoyette, @PRI


South America


Brazil

Brazil's President Dilma Rousseff (@dilmabr) took to Twitter and Facebook to release three videos this past May Day reaffirming her party's commitment to workers' rights. "Over the past 13 years, Labor Day has been a day to value and celebrate the victories of the working class..." President Roussef began, and she insisted throughout the videos that "my government is committed to maintaining worker rights and guarantees." The President has come under fire for scandals with the state oil company Petrobras and for approving legislation that will allow companies to outsource work as well as other austerity measures.


COMPROMISSO COM OS TRABALHADORES
É importante regulamentar o trabalho terceirizado para que 12,7 milhões de trabalhadores tenham proteção e emprego, direitos trabalhistas e previdenciários e garantia de um salário digno. Confira no vídeo a posição do governo Dilma sobre o tema!
Posted by Dilma Rousseff on Friday, May 1, 2015
Sources: +Yahoo News



Tools (and Reports)


Hazelwood response: managing social media in a crisis

While not exactly a tool or a report, this is recommended reading for any Government looking at a potential crisis (so any Government, okay?) This short article provides the Australian state of Victoria's social media response plan. The plan includes objectives and key performance indicators based on the United States Navy's approach to social media, which links all communication back to outcomes and "provides a clear framework for action." The framework is abbreviated as TOAST:
  • Tone: be mindful of the tone;
  • Open: be open with what we know and don’t know;
  • Archive: make sure you archive information appropriately in case there is a royal commission and investigation;
  • Source: what’s the source? “from what we know is that in a crisis that information’s being spread and it’s on a tweet, it doesn’t really matter, you can take it or leave it — so it’s linking back to verifiable information that’s available back on an authoritative government website, because that’s what people really trust,” said Darren Whitelaw, Assistant Director, Strategic Communication and Protocol Branch at the Department of Premier and Cabinet;
  • Time: time limits “are crucial” Whitelaw argues – “I remember in the early days having a conversation with someone senior in a government department and I said ‘we’ve got to get this information out there onto your website faster’. They were delighted, and said, ‘we’ve cut down the time it takes to publish something on our website from ten days to two days’. They were over the moon that they managed to do this. I said ‘two days? I can’t wait two hours’.

via @darrenwhitelaw, @TheMandarinAU


Reports

China: Planning Outline for the Construction of a Social Credit System (2014-2020)

This is a not-to-be-missed translation and explanation of China's plans to use big data (online, offline, basically anything they can get their hands on) to rank citizens with regard to their moral and financial decisions. It's PRISM meets Facebook data meets Google, but all made public and not to necessarily sell products but rather policies and the Chinese Government itself to citizens. For more, see the section above on China.

Twiplomacy Study 2015: How World Leaders Connect on Twitter

And one more reminder - out this past week is the Twiplomacy Study 2015: How World Leaders Connect on Twitter.



Sources: @luefkens

And, as always, for more, follow @Linda_Margaret on Twitter or subscribe for weekly updates in your email (remember, if you do so, to check your spam for the email.)

You can also follow this and relevant news on +Social media in government on Google Plus or on Facebook.


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