Category: Media and Society

Mexico president denies spying on critics after Pegasus allegations

On By mexicoinstituteIn Media and SocietyLeave a comment

10/07/2022

Source: Reuters

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador denied on Tuesday that his administration spied on journalists or opponents after a report that the phones of at least three people investigating human rights abuses were infected with Pegasus spyware.

Digital watchdog Citizen Labsaid on Sunday it had found that phones belonging to two journalists and a human rights activist were infected with Pegasus between 2019 and 2021.

Lopez Obrador won office in 2018 after an election campaign in which he pledged to put an end to the government spying on its citizens and later said he would not use Pegasus.

Pegasus belongs to Israeli spyware firm NSO Group, which typically only sells the software to governments or law enforcement.

When asked whether he knew about the purchase of Pegasus, which can be used to remotely break into phones, Lopez Obrador said: “It’s not true that journalists or opponents are spied on.”

READ MORE

El hackeo del ejército mexicano expone secretos de la institución más poderosa del país

On By mexicoinstituteIn Media and SocietyLeave a comment

07/10/2022

Fuente: The New York Times

Un gran ataque cibernético dirigido contra la Secretaría de la Defensa Nacional de México ha revelado muchos detalles sobre la institución más secreta y poderosa del país, documentando su influencia cada vez mayor sobre el gobierno civil, sus intentos de evitar cooperar en una investigación histórica sobre derechos humanos y el uso del software espía conocido como Pegasus para espiar a periodistas.

El hackeo detalla las investigaciones internas del propio ejército y las sospechas de que poderosos funcionarios del gobierno, como los gobernadores estatales y el actual secretario de Gobernación, están vinculados a redes del crimen organizado, incluidos cárteles de la droga.

LEER MÁS

AMLO attacks after Europe calls for restraint in rhetoric against media; AMLO calls them sheep

On By mexicoinstituteIn Media and SocietyLeave a comment

Resolution criticizing president draws swift and unsubtle attack 

Date: March 11th, 2022

Source: Mexico News Daily

The European Parliament (EP) condemned the harassment and killing of journalists and human rights defenders in Mexico Thursday, drawing an extraordinarily blunt reply from the president’s office that likened European lawmakers to sheep.

The federal government responded by accusing European lawmakers of “corruption, lies and hypocrisy” and describing them as misinformed sheep following the lead of its adversaries.

Read More

Journalists rally to defend newspaper in face of ongoing attacks by government

On By mexicoinstituteIn Media and SocietyLeave a comment

07/30/2021

Source: Mexico News Daily

More than 100 columnists and other contributors to El Universal have put their names to an open letter to President López Obrador to defend themselves and the newspaper in the face of ongoing attacks by the federal government.

“The president of Mexico has mentioned El Universal and its columnists and contributors on several occasions, sowing the idea that all criticism of his administration has an interest unconnected to journalism,” the letter said.

READ MORE

Mexico Makes Its Olympic Baseball Debut Against the Dominican Republic

On By mexicoinstituteIn Media and SocietyLeave a comment

07/30/2021

Source: The New York Times

Mexico, a country where soccer reigns supreme, has nonetheless produced former baseball stars like Fernando Valenzuela, Bobby Ávila and Vinny Castilla. None of them played in the Olympics.

Baseball has been absent from the Games for 13 years, and Mexico had never qualified for the tournament when it was played.

That changed on Friday, when Mexico made its Olympic debut against the Dominican Republic at Yokohama Baseball Stadium, instilling a sense of national pride back home and hope that the sport could assume a higher profile there as well.

READ MORE

Mexican president under fire for defending politician accused of rape

On By mexicoinstituteIn Media and SocietyLeave a comment

02/24/2021

Source: The Guardian

A growing row over a gubernatorial candidate facing accusations of rape has once again pitted Mexico’s populist president against women’s rights campaigners.

Félix Salgado Macedonio has registered to run for governor in southern Guerrero state with the ruling Morena party, despite accusations of sexual violence and rape by five women dating back as far as 1998.

READ MORE

Mexico to require appeals on social media account blocking

On By mexicoinstituteIn human rights, Media and Society, TechnologyLeave a comment

09/02/2021

Source: Yahoo! News

MEXICO CITY (AP) — The party of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador presented for public comment a proposed set of regulations on Twitter, Facebook and other social media companies, a move that drew criticism Tuesday.

The new law proposed Monday by López Obrador’s Morena party would open the companies to fines of up to $4.4 million for violating users’ right to free speech. The law would apply only to platforms that have over one million users in Mexico, apparently covering only sites like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok or YouTube.

READ MORE

Mexican president mounts campaign against social media bans

On By mexicoinstituteIn Government, human rights, Media and SocietyLeave a comment

1/14/2021

Source: The Associated Press

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico’s president vowed Thursday to lead an international effort to combat what he considers censorship by social media companies that have blocked or suspended the accounts of U.S. President Donald Trump.

President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s administration is reaching out to other government to form a common front on the issue.

READ MORE

Statue of Liberty is ‘green with anger’: Mexico president slams media curbs

On By mexicoinstituteIn Media and Society, U.S.-Mexico RelationsLeave a comment

1/13/2021

Source: Yahoo! News

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Wednesday stepped up his criticism of restrictions on freedom of expression following moves by leading social media firms to suspend U.S. President Donald Trump’s access to their platforms.

Without mentioning Trump by name, Lopez Obrador said it was not right that private companies should appoint themselves arbiters of what was acceptable for global consumption.

READ MORE

Mexican regulators ban showing president’s full conferences

On By mexicoinstituteIn Government, Media and SocietyLeave a comment

1/13/2021

Source: The Associated Press

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico’s election regulatory agency announced Tuesday it will ban media outlets from transmitting at full length President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s daily morning news conferences.

The temporary ban is aimed at ensuring equity in the country’s June congressional and state elections, after opposition parties complained that López Obrador uses the conferences to tout his public works projects and criticize opponents.

READ MORE