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November 12, 2014

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Outernet Signs RNW as Sponsored Content Partner

PRESS RELEASE

Outernet Signs RNW as Sponsored Content Partner


November 4, 2014
By Thane Richard


RNW (Radio Netherlands Worldwide) and Outernet BV, the Dutch Outernet entity, signed a Memorandum of Understanding to begin a 6 month pilot of RNW content broadcast over Outernet. The content being selected by RNW includes Ma3akom.

Ma3akom is a 24/7 satellite channel broadcasting to Syria and the millions of Syrian refugees. It’s the only independent satellite channel fully dedicated to this target group. RNW decided to devote its Arabic-language satellite transmissions entirely to Syria in view of the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the country and the lack of reliable information about the ongoing civil war in the country.

Outernet broadcasts the best content from the Internet via satellite to the entire Earth for free. To receive the broadcast, users can either purchase a receiver from Outernet or build their own using instructions provided by Outernet. Outernet targets people who live in places where data is too expensive, there is no existing connectivity, or the government restricts access to information.

Reliable information for Syrians

RNW works exclusively with carefully selected, professional Syrian media who operate according to international journalistic standards. Besides satellite broadcasting, from October Ma3akom will share content through Outernet. Andy Clark, Deputy Editor in Chief at RNW: “Our organisation is committed to free speech around the world and is always interested in new technology which helps achieve this goal. Getting independent information into Syria is vital – it helps people really know what is going on. RNW partners with independent media to help them get their message out and give people real information so they can make real choices, this helps now in the ongoing war situation and also helps build a diverse media landscape for the future for the country.”

Sharing content from RNW and Deutsche Welle

Sponsored content fills a very important component of the Outernet library. For a fee, Outernet will broadcast content that is in line with its mission of improving information access globally. In addition to Sponsored Content, Outernet allows anyone to suggest or vote on content in the Queue. Finally, content that is deemed to be of core value to humanity, either by editorial selection or vote via the Queue, is added to the Core Archive, which is re-broadcast regularly.

Syed Karim, CEO of Outernet, said, “RNW has a global reputation for delivering content of exceptional quality, not just in the traditional sense of radio broadcast but also in educational and free speech. It is very exciting to have them broadcasting on Outernet.”


END PRESS RELEASE

About Outernet (www.outernet.is)

Outernet, Humanity’s Public Library, was founded in February, 2014 and turned on its first broadcast signal on August 11, 2014. Outernet broadcasts the most important content from the web to Earth from satellites for free. Users can access the Outernet signal using a homemade receiver built from widely available components, instructions for which are available on the Outernet website. Outernet is the most significant step towards universal information access regardless of wealth, geography, or political environment.

About RNW (rnw.org)

RNW is an independent media organisation active in China and 17 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and the Arab world, where freedom of expression is severely restricted. RNW offers information unavailable in local media because of legislation or taboos. For more information about RNW, check rnw.org.

For more information, please contact:

Thane Richard
Head of User Engagement & Partnerships and Editor of the Archive at Outernet
thane@outernet.is
313-896-8504



Progress Update

At Outernet, we are constantly endeavoring to create a relationship built on trust with our audience. Whether it is allowing users to select what is broadcast, telling everyone how to build a receiver, putting our code on Github, or deciding to raise the funds for our next product via crowdfunding, for us transparency is critical.

We have decided to post weekly summaries of what we have been working on here at Outernet to give the public a feel for how the project is moving forward. Here is what we worked on last week:

1. Released first beta 0.1 version of Librarian:
- Integrated translations from POEditor (14 languages incl. English)
- First release of apps for Librarian
- First example app (Announcements) for receiving announcements from Outernet staff[1]
- Can run scripts from within file browser interface (will be used for applying Librarian updates)

2. Implemented automatic harvesting of RSS feeds
- Currently handles Radio Netherlands Worldwide content, updating every day

3. Started research on possible port of Librarian to Android
- Will probably use Kivy[2]
- Depending on the results, may need to be reformulated as native Android app, rather than a web-based app like it is now

4. We hired a Sales Director! Welcome to the team, Rachel Gottlieb Feinberg.

Rachel's pic in Outernet's Collage of Humanity (collage.outernet.is)
After graduating from Lake Forest College where she studied psychology and international relations, Rachel spent 7 years as an advertising and marketing strategist for clients across an array of different industries. As Global Sales Director at Outernet, Rachel will pursue her initial passion for people, and is dedicated to empowering and elevating women living without the freedom to learn.