Unfreedom Monitor
The Unfreedom Monitor is a project to analyze, document, and report on the growing use of digital communications technology to advance authoritarian governance around the world.
Latest stories
Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen orders police to find Facebook beach ‘insulter’
Cambodian prime minister's Facebook post attracted more than 19,000 comments, mostly fawning deferentially to the prime minister. But Facebook user “Ver To” went against the tide.
President Bukele harasses independent journalists on Twitter in El Salvador
Bukele's presidency has attacked and discredited independent journalists who expose corruption in his government, putting them at risk of harassment and violence.
Saudi Arabia: Call for release of two Saudi Wikipedians
A request for the release of doctors Osama Khalid and Ziad Al-Sufyani, who contributed to Wikipedia Arabic and were jailed in Saudi Arabia for 32 and 8 years, respectively.
Cambodia bans music video of police attacking workers in 2014
"It is LICADHO’s belief that the music video is not incitement, and is protected speech under the Cambodian Constitution. We are saddened by this restriction on freedom of expression."
Thailand’s new ministerial decree could further suppress free speech online
The new decree is “another tool of control for the authorities to silence critical dissent, and a reflection of the digital dictatorship in Thailand.”
Infrastructural content moderation: the case of Mariupol
In addition to the obvious humanitarian consequences that internet shutdowns in a war zone bring, infrastructural content moderation is a potent and dangerous approach to spreading disinformation.
Rights organization OVD-Info gives an overview of repression in Russia in 2022
In 2022 in Russia, there were more than 21,000 arrests and at least 370 defendants in criminal cases for anti-war statements and speeches. More than 200,000 Internet resources have been blocked including 11 sentences in cases of state treason.
Saudi Arabia: Government agents infiltrate Wikipedia, sentence independent admins to prison
The Saudi government infiltrated Wikipedia by recruiting the organization’s highest-ranking administrators in the country to control information about the country and prosecute those who contributed critical information about political detainees.
How Zimbabwe is building a Big Brother surveillance state
Citizens' belief that the infringement of human and digital rights does not concern them has created fertile ground for the emergence of pervasive surveillance in Zimbabwe.
Kosovo: Six attacks against journalists in December following escalating tensions
The Kosovo media sphere is endangered by the recent physical assaults and their implications for press freedom and reporting on developments in the northern part of the country
New stringent legislation threatens data privacy and surveillance protection in Tanzania
A lack of data protection and privacy legislation leaves room for abuse in Tanzania.
The construction of the 5G network brings the demise of the Chinese domination in North Macedonia’s telecommunications
Despite the real concerns around privacy and espionage, and the often debunked viral concerns around 5G and health, the installation of a 5G network in North Macedonia continues without problems — for now.
Filipino activists decry Facebook’s ‘automated censorship’
The removal of posts “exposes how the so-called community standards of Facebook are arbitrarily invoked to silence activists and revolutionaries.”
European Parliament’s Report on Pegasus spyware indicates involvement of North Macedonia companies
Pegasus and Predator spyware can allegedly extract all communications records from mobile devices. A European Parliament report and journalist investigations suspect wide illegal use in and outside of the European Union.
Governments are still free to use the Pegasus software without human rights safeguards in place
There is an urgent need to regulate the global trade in surveillance technology with the inclusion of human rights safeguards.
A fact-check of India’s socio-political undercurrents: the case of Zubair
The reactions and subtle usage of language and labelling by and of different actors in the Indian ecosystem symbolise the undercurrents in Indian society.
Hong Kong launches a national security legal battle against media tycoon Jimmy Lai
"Jimmy Lai, a 75-year-old media tycoon, is PRC's no.1 national enemy in Hong Kong...He may not be able to get out of prison alive."
No good news for media freedom in Kyrgyzstan as government arrests journalists, activists, and bloggers
In the meantime, the government continues its practice of freezing media outlets’ bank accounts and blocking websites, publicly harassing journalists and social media activists.
Data privacy rights advance in Tanzania under new law, but obstacles remain
While the Data Protection Act offers in safeguarding the privacy of personal data, it raises serious concerns in key areas, such as security breaches and the independence of the Data Protection Commission.
Indonesia's new penal code revisions don't just threaten sexual freedoms
Indonesia's recent penal code revisions threaten journalists, free speech, bodily autonomy and more — severely undermining democracy in the region.
