Ukraine Tracks Protesters Through Cellphones Amid Clashes
We have news from the Ukrainian capital, Kiev: The New York Times is reporting that the Ukrainian government used technology to zero-in on the locations of cellphones in use Tuesday near clashes between riot police and anti-government protesters.
Shortly after midnight, the newspaper says, people near the fighting received a text message that read: "Dear subscriber, you are registered as a participant in a mass disturbance."
The Times adds:
"The phrasing echoed language in a new law making participation in a protest deemed violent a crime punishable by imprisonment. The law took effect on Tuesday.
"This law and a package of other legislation passed by pro-government political parties in Parliament appeared modeled on rules in neighboring Russia, which has pioneered the coordination of legislation tightening rules on free speech and public assembly with technological capabilities."