Stories about Access
As we enter an era of Elon Musk's Twitter, is it time for us in civil spaces to find alternatives?
Looking ahead, the rest of us must resume the debate about the enormous power we have bequeathed social media platforms and the overdependence on Twitter by those who work in social justice, governance, human rights, and democracy.
Ecuador: the temptation to control technology
Whether under the table or by legal means, organisations fear that the government will try to control telecommunications, especially during massive protests.
The world must hear the voice of Iranian women
The Iranian government is attempting to silence the online and offline voices of women and all dissidents through a brutal and ongoing crackdown.
Unfreedom Monitor report: Morocco
Advox research into digital authoritarianism in Morocco is now in a report. Read an excerpt and download the full pdf.
Unfreedom Monitor Report: Egypt
Advox research into digital authoritarianism in Egypt is now in a report. Read an excerpt and download the full pdf.
Unfreedom Monitor report: Tanzania
Advox research into digital authoritarianism in Tanzania is now in a report. Read an excerpt and download the full pdf.
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.
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.
Unfreedom Monitor Report: Turkey
Advox research into digital authoritarianism in Turkey is now in a report. Read an excerpt and download the full pdf.
How the government in Sudan legalized internet categorizing and content filtering
One regulation obliges telcos to block and filter a list of URLs, and to “daily monitor” the filtering equipment to verify that it is being updated.
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...
How the economically marginalised navigate digital adoption in India amid the pandemic
COVID-19 drove the shift to digital services in India, but this has left informal workers struggling to access basic services and protect their personal data within an incomprehensible system.
In Sri Lanka, state-sponsored disinformation and suppression of dissent taint COVID-19 response
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the Sri Lankan government has used the digital space to further an authoritarian agenda, affecting the digital rights and freedoms of citizens.
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.
Access denied: the social and economic costs of Nigeria’s Twitter blackout
President Buhari of Nigeria has perceived Twitter’s support for the 2020 youth-led #EndSARS protests, together with the deletion of his tweet, as an act of hostility.
China blocks Clubhouse after netizens discuss Xinjiang and Tiananmen
For a brief moment in time, Clubhouse cracked the Great Firewall.
Indigenous-led telecommunications organization wins historic legal battle in Mexico
The Indigenous-led telecommunications organization can continue to provide affordable cell phone access to local communities in Oaxaca.
