Stories about Free Expression from August, 2018
‘Fake news’ is in the eye of the beholder: China is centralizing efforts to stop online ‘rumors’
In July 2018, Chinese state internet regulators received 6.7 million reports of illegal and false information.
Netizen Report: It’s not just Myanmar — ethnic hate speech runs rampant on social media in Cameroon, India
The Advox Netizen Report offers an international snapshot of challenges, victories, and emerging trends in Internet rights around the world.
Is Russian social media giant VKontakte sidestepping the GDPR? One user is trying to find out.
Russia's largest social network VKontakte is in hot water again for playing fast and loose with their users' privacy — this time allegedly violating the GDPR regulations.
In Mozambique, new licensing fees have raised the cost of doing journalism — and may threaten media freedom
The fees were described by Mozambican online newspaper @Verdade as "astronomical".
Russian social media giant evades hard questions about privacy failures
One user challenged Vkontakte: "How many times have you challenged the security services in court over their demands to hand over user information? You have that right."
Fearing reprimand, student protesters in Bangladesh go silent
The government has blamed social media users and activists for trying to create unrest by sharing provocative posts and content on Facebook.
#FreeKhayrullo: Human rights groups demand justice for Tajik journalist facing trial
A bold and popular journalist is appealing a 12 year-sentence he received after speaking out against official corruption.
Facebook bans 196 pages in Brazil, attempting to rein in abuse and disinformation
Free Brazil Movement is accusing the platform of censoring right-wing groups.
Lebanon ramps up interrogations of online activists
“You cannot bring us up with a mentality of freedom and then try to oppress us.”
Condemnation of independence activist draws a red line for Hong Kong's press freedom
The Hong Kong Foreign Correspondents' Club is under fire for organizing a talk by independence activist Andy Chan.
Russians are facing criminal prosecution for sharing memes online, thanks to anti-extremism laws
Repressive laws and cumbersome bureaucracy are putting hundreds of Russians behind bars for sharing memes online.
Netizen Report: Bangladesh protests trigger mobile network cuts, journalist arrest
Venezuela goes after journalists' cameras after drone attack, Iran re-routes Telegram (to government servers) and Google tries to go back to China.
As Malaysia's new government marks 100 days in office, is free speech still under threat?
"We hope to see a genuine departure from the old oppression, and a transition into a Malaysia where all ideas can be discussed peacefully and our constitutional rights exercised maturely."
Killing speech softly: How the world’s biggest tech companies are quietly censoring critical expression in the Middle East
The failures of tech giants in moderating content in the region is a big and complex problem.
