Stories about Latin America
Ola Bini, the cyberactivist who causes panic in Ecuador
"There is a fear of the knowledge of the computer security and cybersecurity community.”
Can citizens of democracies still trust the law? A GV Insights discussion
The flip side of regulating the internet is that this enables the state to mobilise itself and erase the existence of these communities and their identities from popular culture and discussion.
Under Bolsonaro, political attacks gain institutional legitimacy in Brazil
In February 2022, the Federal Police delivered a partial report to the Supreme Court detailing the structure of “digital militias” coordinating attacks against rival politicians, democratic institutions, and the dissemination of "false news."
Brazil's Electoral Court brings platforms closer ahead of presidential elections, but questions over companies’ commitments remain
All the agreements are non-binding, however, which means there will be no enforcement in the case a platform does not meet the actions listed in the MoU.
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?
In Brazil and India we are seeing an increase in tensions between platforms and states
Research from the Unfreedom Monitor uncovers a pattern in the way that social media and tech platforms engage with states that practise digital authoritarianism.
Advocacy groups in the Americas focus on tackling rising surveillance technology
Digital surveillance continues to spread in the Americas, human rights groups raise awareness, research, and earn small judicial victories to limit its negative impacts on communities.
Unfreedom Monitor Report: Brazil
Advox research into digital authoritarianism in Brazil is now in a report. Read an excerpt and download the full pdf.
Access the Unfreedom Monitor database
The Unfreedom Monitor is an Advox initiative to deepen our understanding of the relationship between technology and authoritarian power. In the first phase of this project, researchers working in 11 countries and four key themes conducted analysis of incidents, narratives, and media items, to explain acts of digital authoritarianism and...
Brazilian facial recognition ruling can set an important precedent for country-wide use
This lawsuit could generate a "process of recognition that this is a wrongful practice, both on the side of the public authority, as well as the private enterprise."
Podcast: The state of press freedom
This week, we head to China, India, Colombia, Indonesia and Serbia to hear from journalists and researchers about what challenges the media faces in those countries.
What does Elon Musk's Twitter purchase mean for Venezuelan Twitter?
Twitter will change now that Elon Musk is its new owner. Will it change the way Venezuelans, inside and outside of the country, shape the political conversation?
World Press Freedom Day in the Caribbean is a mixed bag
'The environment within which journalists in the Caribbean operate is becoming increasingly perilous.'
Despite what we think, the press does not live in a free paradise in Ecuador
It is necessary to question the notion that the media have full and free space to act, without threats, in Ecuador.
‘We are living under constant video surveillance in Ecuador,’ says activist Anaís Córdova
"The millions of dollars being spent on video surveillance and facial recognition technologies is increasing."
Opacity and a lack of debate mark Brazil's ratification of the Budapest Convention
Experts warn that the roll-out was problematic, not least because the treaty may put citizen data in general at risk and open the way to criminalizing the work of InfoSec researchers and activists.
Indigenous community radio operators win court case against the Guatemalan State
The ruling ‘will be a turning point for community radios in Guatemala’, according to one of the petitioning radio stations.
Little chance of justice for Colombia's murdered journalists
Only one out of 161 murders of journalists resulted in a conviction of all perpetrators.
After writing about police killings, editor of The Intercept Brazil is made target of investigation
The journalist sent out a newsletter with a text that focused was on the police's actions, which resulted in at least 41 homicides in the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro.
From Cuba, with VPN
“I realized what was happening and immediately thought that in a few minutes the internet service in Cuba, or at least in San Antonio de los Baños, would be interrupted.”
