Weekly Roundup 9/12/2016

Good morning, Readers! The Syrian civil war may press ‘pause’ this evening. The United States, which supports the moderate rebel groups, has opposed Russia’s favor of President Assad. Last week, however,  Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov discussed a cessation of hostilities. Both countries agreed to call for a ceasefire beginning tonight. While the worst migrant and refugee crisis since WWII is far from over, this agreement is a step towards conflict resolution. The US and Russia plan to commit airstrikes against  jihadist militants once the moderate rebels distance themselves from radical ties to al-Qaeda and ISIS. While the ultimate goal is to bring President Assad and the moderate rebels to the negotiating table, this week will signify if moves are being made towards and not just talk about peace.

Technology has the capacity to play a role in promoting peace, security, and democratic resilience, as Jim Della-Giacoma, Deputy Director of New York University’s Center on International Cooperation and Crisis Diplomacy and Peace Operations Program lead, discussed at NDI this past February. In light of recent developments to mitigate conflict, his insights are especially relevant and are reflected upon here.

Tech News:

• Apply Now: $100,000 in Grant Funding for Digital Financial Services Entrepreneurs

• How Can Sensor Technologies and Precision Farming Improve Agriculture?

• Israeli teenagers held over web attacks

• Governments Around the World Deny Internet Access to Political Opponents

• Pursuing the cyber-pirates

• Internet Governance at Crossroad as Future of ICANN Debated

• Storyhunter CEO: Virtual reality is the 'most powerful medium' for storytelling

• Can Digital Media Break Through in Cuba?

• Google's clever plan to stop aspiring ISIS recruits

• Asia will define the world's mobile Internet

Civic Tech:

• How to retain press freedom while cracking down on terrorism

• A Human Rights Response to Government Hacking

• Public service broadcasting in fragile states

• How to Reach Online Influencers

• Asia will define the world's mobile Internet

• Fears of Censorship Overshadow US-ASEAN Laos Meeting

• How Will Big Data Change the Way We Live?

• What election? Information about Hong Kong's historic vote is blocked or censored in China

• How Liberia Can Save Over $5 Million with Mobile Money Salary Payments

• Netizen Report: With Gabon's Internet Shutdown, Activists Confront Challenges of Circumventing Censorship