In a recent interview with an Iranian journalist and blogger who now lives in Canada, I asked how Iranian bloggers protect themselves from government authorities that are increasing restrictions, intensifying scrutiny, and raising the cost of getting caught.   (See “Heretic” Bloggers Risk Execution Under Iran’s New Restrictions.)

He said many bloggers use “anonymizers” to hide their Internet protocol (IP) addresses, but lamented that there was no online manual to instruct new bloggers on how to change their IP address, get around filtering, and create closed blog communities.

I’m sure he will share my delight in discovering that Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has put together a Handbook for Bloggers and Cyber-Dissidents that covers everything from getting started to blog ethics to defensive strategies. It’s available in English, Persian, Spanish, Chinese, Arabic and French.

“Bloggers cause anxiety,” it reads. “Governments are wary of these men and women, who post news without officially being journalists. Worse, they frequently raise sensitive issues which the media, now known as ‘traditional,’ dare not cover.”

The handbook advises those who wish to blog anonymously to set up their accounts under pseudonyms from a public-access computer. It gives instructions on the use of proxy servers such as Tor and advice on how to cover your tracks.

If you live in a country that censors parts of the Internet, RSF also has a section on circumvention systems and how to “tunnel” to a computer in a unfiltered location. All this information is accompanied by plenty of warning that users might soon find themselves dealing with very unhappy government authorities.

For a laugh (or a cry), check out the 2008 “Golden Scissors” awards at the very end for the most effective authoritarian regime actions against the online activities of their citizens.

The international news media discovered to their consternation July 29 that Chinese censorship of the Internet will not be taking an Olympic holiday. So any online research you’d like to do on sensitive topics like Tibet, Tiananman Square or the Falun Gong had best be done before getting on the plane to Beijing.

But there is hope. U.S.-based Network World has some ideas to help you protect your access to information and hang on to information you’ve collected.

Hints in the article, Top Ten Ways to protect your Data at the Beijing Olympics, range from the obvious – “Keep your laptops, PDAs and cell phones within sight at all times” – to encryption advice and links to anonymizer sites designed to hide your Internet activity.

China’s Internet restrictions seem at odds with its pledge to allow free reporting during the Games. At the White House, press secretary Dana Perino said that Chinese Internet access has grown, but “China would be enhanced and continue to prosper if it allowed for more freedoms.”

President Bush will be attending the opening ceremonies in Beijing, but Perino said he also plans to talk to Chinese leaders about human rights, democracy and Internet freedom.

Do you have hints you’d like to share, or stories of bad experiences you can help others avoid? Please express them!

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