Stories from May, 2017
Ukraine Sanctions VKontakte, Other Russian Social Media Websites
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has signed an order instructing the country's Internet providers to block several major Russian social media websites.
Bangladesh's LGBT Community Launches a Blog Commemorating Slain Activists
"How can I live in this country, where if I were to be killed people would rejoice over a cup of tea that there is one less LGBT person?"
Thailand Threatens to Take Facebook to Court Over Anti-Monarchy Posts
Tha Thailand government has given Facebook until Tuesday, May 16, 2017, to remove the 131 remaining 'anti-monarchy' posts.
Netizen Report: Draft Laws in Egypt Could Lock Down Social Media
As Egypt's parliament pushes to further restrict expression, Turkey blocks Wikipedia, Russia blocks WeChat, and the UK can't seem to stop snooping.
Who's Paying for the Meme War Against Alexey Navalny?
The scheme comes in the wake of news about a major mudslingling campaign that the Kremlin was reportedly planning against Navalny.
Tunisian Media Activist Interrogated Over Sources of Leaked Documents
Sami Ben Gharbia is a significant figure in independent media and digital human rights activism in Tunisia and the Arab region.
WeChat? Not in Russia You Don't.
Last week, Russia’s federal censor blocked WeChat, China’s largest mobile messaging app. According to Russia’s media censor, Roskomnadzor, WeChat failed to register with the federal government.
Draft Law Would Require Egyptian Social Media Users to Register With Government
Users who do not register could face up to six months in jail and a fine.
Wanna Share News on Social Media? With China's New Rules, You'll Need a Permit For That.
"It is like asking us to uninstall all the communication tools or else whenever you speak, you could violate the law."
Is India's Aadhaar System an Instrument For Surveillance?
"Repeat after me: Aadhaar is surveillance technology masquerading as secure authentication technology."
Wikipedia is Turkey's First Major Censorship Target, Post-Referendum. What Will Be Next?
"Whats the aim, to stay uninformed?"
Netizen Report: Vietnam Says Facebook Will Cooperate With Censorship Requests on Offensive and ‘Fake’ Content
Vietnam makes a deal with Facebook, beef controversy leads to online harassment in India and French authorities push to globalize ‘right to be forgotten’.
‘We Told You So': Australian Federal Police Accessed Journalist's Phone Records Illegally
Australian police have breached the law by accessing a journalist's phone records without a warrant in order to trace a leak.
The World’s Largest Biometric Database is Leaking Indian Citizens’ Data — But Keeps On Growing
In spite of multiple court orders making UID voluntary and limited to selected schemes, the government continues to expand its scope.
Fighting Fire With Fire: African Regional Body Proposes High Costs for Internet Shutdowns
A new proposal would cut off technical resources for governments that shut down the Internet. But if governments go offline, the effects will unquestionably be felt by the public.