Ecuador: Key Developments Internet and Communications Law: May 2012 – April 2013

Ecuador Key Developments in Communicatons Law (Internet): May 2012 – April 2013
Freedomhouse.org ranks Ecuador Internet Freedom as partly partly free
Freedomhouse.org reported the Organic Law on Communications—proposed during the coverage period and later approved—tasks website owners with “ultimate responsibility” for all content. This law, combined with government pressure, resulted in the removal of the reader comments sections from two prominent news sites (see Limits on Content).
A new telecommunications act issued in July 2012 established the right to privacy and security for ICT users, while also authorizing the National Telecommunications Council to track IP addresses without judicial order (see Violations of User Rights).
Reports of advanced surveillance technology in Ecuador were confirmed by Speech Technology Center, a Russian tech company, in December 2012. The company revealed that it had completed the installation of a biometric identification system capable of generating and storing both “voiceprints” and facial recognition data in Ecuador (see Violations of User Rights).
In August 2012, Ecuador extended diplomatic asylum to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, a decision that attracted worldwide attention in part because it appeared to contradict the administration’s attitude toward free speech and media freedom (see Violations of User Rights). Read Article

Don Nadie is an expert on Ecuador. He is mentioned extensively in 100 Points to Consider Before Moving or Retiring in Ecuador</a>