Stories about Tech & Tools
The slow but steady erosion of India’s civil society
While India has a rich, vibrant, and ideologically diverse political and civil society landscape, the state's systemic crackdown on dissenters and NGOs is becoming increasingly concerning.
Deepfakes and the risks from the growing use of video fraud
" ... [T]he truth is on the edge of "death" because, with the increase of deepfakes in circulation, it will be more and more difficult to understand what the truth is."
Silenced voices: The X and VPN ban after Pakistan’s elections
During the political uncertainty following the elections, the voices of Pakistani citizens have been stifled through Twitter and VPN bans.
Digital surveillance and the specter of AI in Mexico
As the first recorded government client and most prolific user of the Pegasus spyware, Mexico has accumulated over USD 80 million in the technology since 2011.
In the shadows of self-censorship: The impact of the Cyber Security Act on Bangladesh’s LGBTQ+ movement
Several sections of the newly enacted Cyber Security Act (CSA) restrict the advocacy and movement for LGBTQ+ rights, criminalising published contents highlighting injustices faced by the LGBTQ+ community in Bangladesh.
Mozambique: Digital landscape and internet disruption in the context of elections
This is a new situation and could be indicative of a violation of the right to information enshrined in Mozambican law.
Turkey bans access to 16 VPN providers
Pundits say, the goal of the recent ban is to prevent access to already blocked news websites in the country that were only accessible with VPN services.
Nepal's TikTok ban is the first step towards more government control on social media
On November 13, 2023, the Nepali government imposed a blanket ban on Chinese social media platform TikTok, alleging that the platform was fostering social discord among Nepalis.
Digital Blackout: Systematic censorship of Palestinian voices
During the continuous Gaza bombardment and worsening humanitarian crisis, Palestinians face a communication blackout and tech censorship, hindering access to crucial information and the documentation of human rights violations.
Trinidad & Tobago's state telecommunications provider is hacked, raising questions about data protection laws
Social media users were getting panicky about their personal data being released onto the dark web, even as cybersecurity experts were saying there was nothing to be done about it.
Benin: Punitive online journalism legislation poses setback to press freedom
The application of Benin’s Digital Code to online journalists complicates matters for the online journalism profession in the country, thus jeopardizing press freedom.
Fraudsters impersonate African Union chair using AI
Deepfakes, the technology exploited by cybercriminals, are increasingly gaining popularity in Africa and are sometimes utilized to disseminate misinformation and propaganda on the continent.
At a crucial time for global crises, X (formerly Twitter) dilutes its violent speech policy
X has softened its violent speech policy significantly, decreasing both the scope of its provision on violent speech as well as the consequences imposed when such speech is detected.
How to use social media to win an election: Influencers from Kenya’s 2022 election explain
Interviews with three sources hired by President William Ruto’s political party as online influencers for Kenya’s last election in September 2022, reveal a kind of playbook for the use and abuse of social media during elections.
Deconstructing the ‘beheaded babies’ misinformation in Israel’s war on Gaza
"We have seen journalists, in particular, spread unverified information that is being used to justify Israeli and even American calls and actions to annihilate an entire population.”
Youth in the Balkans should be able to recognize disinformation with malign intent, Slovenian expert says
"We need to be able to communicate with the youth as effectively and as attractively as the adversaries are doing," said Petra Balažič, project manager at the Centеr of European Perspectives from Slovenia.
Brazil: Communicators and activists from marginalized communities discuss online harassment and how they protect themselves
More than half of the journalists, communicators and influencers surveyed said they had received threats or been intimidated online, while 46 percent reported that they had already suffered hacking attempts on social media profiles
In Russia, authorities filter information and algorithms help them
Social networks want their users to spend more time on their platforms, to leave a more extensive digital footprint that can be used for various purposes.
Serbian ruling party troll farm leak revealed identities of over 14,500 ‘bots’
Vidaković stated that he paid EUR 15,000 (approximately USD 16,540) for the list, with money collected from the Serbian diaspora.
Unfreedom Monitor: Civic Media Observatory findings report
The Unfreedom Monitor is a project to analyse, document, and report on the growing phenomenon of the use of digital communications technology to advance authoritarian practices.
