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
Global Voices seeks country-level researchers for our Advox project
Advox, the digital rights initiative of Global Voices, is seeking country-level researchers to contribute to a project about networked societies and authoritarianism.
Unfreedom Monitor report: Tanzania
Advox research into digital authoritarianism in Tanzania is now in a report. Read an excerpt and download the full pdf.
Red-tagged independent media blocked in Philippine internet back online
Bulatlat news website back online after a court pushback
An estate under siege: How the press in Zimbabwe is being gagged
Journalists are caught up in the crosshairs of a strategic battle to churn out narratives acceptable to either the state or opposition parties.
LIVE on September 22: Techno-authoritarianism in India
India's rapid digitization has been accompanied by an array of practices that curtail citizens' liberties. Join us on September 22 for a discussion of how citizens are pushing back.
Repeated cyberattacks across the Western Balkans highlight need for an organized approach to security
Microsoft experts trace the Albanian attack, which took out public services websites to Iran, leading the Albanian government to take diplomatic action.
LIVE on September 15: Can citizens of democracies still trust the law?
As digital authoritarianism spreads globally, is the law, one of the pillars of democracy, being used to undermine people's rights?
Unfreedom Monitor report: Zimbabwe
Advox research into digital authoritarianism in Zimbabwe is now in a report. Read an excerpt and download the full pdf.
Will Georgia break the cycle of surveillance in return for EU membership?
The Council of Europe's Venice Commission issued an Urgent Opinion on Georgia's recently passed amendments on the so- called wiretapping law on August 26.
Chinese social media platforms add hidden digital watermarks to track screenshot sharing
At least two Chinese social media platforms have added a script to their sites and applications to generate a hidden digital watermark to track the original user behind screenshot sharing.
Solomon Islands threatens to block ‘disrespectful’ foreign journalists from entering the country
"This has nothing to do with "demeaning coverage" and everything to do with a government in Honiara allergic to scrutiny."
North Macedonia journalist organizations condemn verbal attack against female journalist
Garbage collectors in Skopje threatened a journalist who documented their lack of work by implying harm to herself, her family and even her dog, demanding that she delete incriminating photos.
Unfreedom Monitor Report: Information
Advox research into misinformation, disinformation, and mal-information is now in a report. Read an excerpt and download the full pdf.
Kenya’s corporate, NGO and public sectors keep violating copyright laws on image rights
Lawsuits for copyright violations against organisations in Kenya’s private and public sectors have been increasing. So has the appropriation of images from current and former employees and customers.
Towards digital authoritarianism in Nepal: Surveillance, data collection, and online repression
Nepal government’s COVID-19 response opened the door to various threats to human and digital rights. Nepal must decide on its own path if it envisions a democratic digital ecosystem.
Whistleblowing is a service to society: Interview with Disruption Network Lab director Tatiana Bazzichelli
Whistleblowers are painted as heroes or villains, but what motivates them? Global Voices spoke to Tatiana Bazzichelli, a writer who recently edited "Whistleblowing for Change," an anthology on the subject.
Iranian women’s rights activists face new online threats
Flooding social media accounts with fake followers and then mass reporting the accounts is a regular tactic used by state forces to silence rights defenders in Iran.
YouTube is temporarily blocked during former PM's political rally in Pakistan
After blocking Khan's speeches from satellite TV, the government seems to be trying to stop his campaigning from being heard online as well.
Unfreedom Monitor Report: Russia
Advox research into digital authoritarianism in Russia is now in a report. Read an excerpt and download the full pdf.
Myanmar detains Japanese journalist who covered protest
"We call for freedom of expression and the protection of journalists in Myanmar and abroad."
