Inside LabourStart

There was a security breach at LabourStart, with hackers being able to install scripts that were sending out spam.  This was due to us using PHP version 4 (which our web hosting company uses by default) instead of version 5, which is inherently more secure.  The hacked scripts have been removed, the site was unlocked, and I’ve just given the entire site a global instruction to use PHP 5.  This may cause problems in some PHP scripts, but probably not.  If you notice anything, email me.  For now, we appear to be OK.

Last night we received this message from our web host, 1&1 Internet:

“we received further complaints about spam being sent from your 1&1 webspace. As this represents an imminent danger of a blacklisting for 1&1 mail relays, your 1&1 webspace will be locked after this e-mail. To get this lock released, please advise us within which period of time you will be able to address the problem. To do so, reply to this e-mail and please preserve our reference [Ticket AB11098796] in your message. In case the number of complaints is extremely high, you might be receiving this message only a short time after our first one. In this case, we regret that you might not have had the opportunity to prevent the lock and resolve the problem on your side. Please understand nevertheless that this lock is inevitable to protect our infrastructure. Thank you for your understanding. We appreciate your cooperation.”

I replied: “We do not spam – and we do not maintain a mailing list on 1&1.  We have had this discussion before with your colleagues. Please let us know the nature of the complaints and we will deal with them, but right now we have no idea what you are talking about.”

Two hours before, we received a similar warning, and I replied to that one as well: “We are not transmitting spam and never have.  Can you send us details about who is complaining and what they are receiving and we will look into this.  Thank you.”

Eleven hours have passed; the site appears to be up.  I will update you if I hear more.

I’ve set up a special page on LabourStart with news about Egypt and links to key sources of information, here.  All clicks on the word ‘Egypt’ on our home page now redirect to here.

I’ve also written an article about what I saw and learned last week in Cairo, here.

I’m currently following up with the various contacts made there.

I have been invited to speak about UnionBook and other online tools at the upcoming congress of SIGTUR – the Southern Initiative on Globalisation and Trade Union Rights.  I’ll be in Brazil from 16 April through 22 April.  The conference is being hosted by the CUT, a national trade union center, and we’ll also take the opportunity to meet with them about the relationship between CUT and LabourStart.

CTUWS founder Kamal Abbas addressing the meeting.

I just returned from a three-day visit to Cairo as the guest of the Center for Trade Union and Worker Services, an NGO which for 20 years has fought to create independent and democratic trade unions in Egypt.

I’ll be writing up a full report for my blog, but from a strictly LabourStart point of view this was a very important trip. Followup will include:

Recruiting new correspondents in Egypt
Creating a special Egypt news page with links
Reinvigorating our Arabic language page
Arranging for Egyptian trade unionists to attend our conference in July
Doing joint campaigns with the CTUWS

I will be travelling from early morning on Monday, 15 March through Saturday, 27 March, and will have very limited email access during this period.  Please email only in the event of an emergency.  I can always be reached by SMS in case of emergencies: +44 7846658571

PSI has promoted the online films database, the film festivals database, and even Tom Zaniello’s book on labour films (with a link that ensures LabourStart gets its share) in their most recent mailing to affiliates, here.

Some of you may have noticed that this blog was down for an hour — I was attempting to upgrade it to the latest version of Word Press, but failed to do so.  Will try again in a few days.

I’ve put together a very short message to our list in English about Haiti.  It includes links to the (now outdated) ITUC statement, to our Haiti page on LabourStart, and to the special pages on the websites of national trade union centers in the USA, Canada, the UK and Australia.  I looked for, but could not find, such pages on the sites of the national trade union centers in South Africa, New Zealand and Ireland.  I presume that in mailings to our non-English lists, comrades will link to the appropriate centers (e.g., LO in Norway).  As I invited people to send in reports of what their unions are doing, I expect to get a lot more information in the next 24 hours and may send out an updated mailing tomorrow.