The Simplest Step Ethiopians Can Take to Protect Themselves From Excessive Gov't Surveillance
The Ethiopian government has at their disposal a formidable collection of surveillance technologies, and can intrusively monitor writers and activists at home and abroad. In late April the government arrested six independent bloggers and a journalist . More than 50 days later they are still being held in custody, and yet no formal charges have been filed. In March Human Rights Watch published a lengthy and detailed report warning that surveillance in Ethiopia could get even worse if the government gains the human capacity necessary to fully leverage the available technologies. One of the most invasive and potentially life-threatening things that can happen to an Ethiopian blogger, journalist, activist or dissident is to unwittingly download malware that allows the government to monitor keystrokes and passwords, to remotely turn on a computer's microphone or camera and start recording, and to extract data from the hard drive. The simplest step Ethiopians can take to protect