DW and CPJ: Finding new ways to stand up for freedom of speech
DW and CPJ: Finding new ways to stand up for freedom of speech
DW has launched a new campaign that is branching out into an area where Germany’s international broadcaster has never been before: fashion. With the Uncensored Collection, DW is not only bringing attention to different ways to circumvent censorship, it’s also helping support and protect journalists worldwide. Proceeds will go to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), an independent, nonprofit organization that promotes press freedom worldwide.
The Uncensored Collection was developed in cooperation with Berlin-based designer Marco Scaiano. Along with highlighting an important message, each garment includes instructions for tools to help people circumvent censorship and access independent media – no matter where they are. Information about where to purchase items from the collection online is available at uncensored.dw.com.
“Freedom is stitched into everything we do,” said Guido Baumhauer, Managing Director Distribution, Marketing and Technology and responsible for DW’s global marketing activities. “The Uncensored Collection reflects our fight against censorship and our support for freedom of expression worldwide.”
“We are grateful to DW for partnering with CPJ on this innovative campaign to ensure that no one is deprived of the fundamental right to be informed,” said Gypsy Guillén Kaiser, Advocacy and Communications Director at CPJ. “As digital media is increasingly targeted for control, we must resist and be equipped to circumvent online censorship, which this campaign aims to do.”
More people around the world than ever before can easily communicate and access information. But it is easy to forget that there are many places where people who publish dissenting thought are punished and the free flow information is blocked. DW has made fighting censorship a core principle and works consistently to provide people everywhere with the information they need to understand problems and issues affecting their societies.
In many countries, government control of infrastructure can lead to information being censored or cut off all together. DW has worked to provide solutions to circumvent censorship and provide information to the people. For example, people in countries whose governments block or restrict access to independent news can access DW content securely and anonymously with the Tor Project. Websites accessible through Tor (The Onion Routing) can be recognized by the extension ‘.onion.’ A special browser such as the Firefox-based Tor browser is necessary in order to gain access to the websites.
Over the past decade, DW has also been utilizing a censorship circumvention system called Psiphon, which works by using a network of different proxy servers (an intermediary between a user and an online source). With this technology, users in countries like China and Iran have been given the power to access unbiased information from reliable sources.
[Source: DW press release]
