The "crying horse" toy taking over China's internet
A frowning stuffed horse has sold by the tens of thousands in China, garnering hundreds of millions of mentions on Chinese social media. Tony Dokoupil has more on its symbolism.
Tag: Internet
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Spacecoin aims to end internet blackouts through subversion and governmental attacks
In the current global landscape of 2026, internet shutdowns have evolved into a standard tool for state-led subversion. Governments in Iran and Uganda have already enforced severe blackouts this year to stifle dissent, Iran to mask a crackdown on inflation-related protests and Uganda to control the narrative during a general election. As centralized infrastructure remains…
Censorship-resistant internet from space
Spacecoin’s CTC-1 nanosatellite Internet shutdowns have become a tool for subversion in times of unrest. So far in 2026, Iran and Uganda both enforced severe internet blackouts to stifle dissent. Iran’s near-total shutdown masked a violent crackdown on inflation protests, while Uganda blocked access during its general election. Now US outfit Spacecoin is working on…
Sharp focus on safer online space on world internet day
Safer Internet Day educates children, parents, educators and stakeholders about the risks associated with the online space. (Image source: 123RF) This year’s Safer Internet Day (SID) comes amid heightened interest in the development of tailor-made laws to combat social media harms, with Australia’s Online Safety Amendment serving as an example. Commemorated globally on the second…
Africa: UN Warns of Rising Internet Shutdowns As Digital Blackouts Spread Worldwide
A rising trend towards government-enforced internet shutdowns – with at least 300 incidents in more than 54 countries over the last two years – is prompting renewed warnings from the UN about the threat these digital blackouts pose to freedom of expression, access to information and human rights. In a statement issued this week, UNESCO…
Why South Africa’s internet boom isn’t driving an economic boom
Net Nine Nine CEO Albert Oosthuysen Despite global trends showing a correlation between higher internet penetration rates and GDP growth, South Africa’s high internet penetration has failed to translate into robust economic growth. This is because uncapped fibre broadband reaches only 26% of the population, despite mobile internet penetration exceeding 80%, according to Net Nine…
The internet is slipping beyond authoritarian control
Authoritarian governments have long relied on a blunt but effective tool to silence dissent: switching off the internet. From nationwide blackouts during elections to targeted throttling of social media platforms during protests, cutting connectivity has become a depressingly familiar tactic across parts of Africa, the Middle East and Asia. A recent Reuters report on Iran’s…
Will Iran’s internet shutdown become permanent?
Joe Tidy,BBC cybersecurity correspondentand Farshad Bayan,BBC Persian NurPhoto via Getty Images Iran is 10 days into one of the most extreme internet shutdowns in history, with 92 million citizens cut off from all internet services and even disruption to phone and text messaging. The Iranian government cut off services on 8 January, apparently to stifle…
Uganda shuts down internet ahead of pivotal election
Ugandan authorities cut internet access and limited mobile services across the country on Tuesday, two days before an election in which President Yoweri Museveni will stand for a contentious seventh term after four decades in power. The Uganda Communications Commission ordered mobile service providers to shut down public internet connections from 6pm (5pm SAST) on…
Television at 50 | How the internet broke the broadcast schedule
Everyone’s a content creator now For the first 30 years of television’s existence in South Africa, linear broadcasting dominated the way content was served to the public. Broadcasters including the SABC, MultiChoice and eMedia enjoyed the privilege of captive audiences who were “programmed” through rigid schedules that determined the type of content that would be…