Stories about Feature from August, 2017
India’s Latest Internet Shutdown Hits Haryana and Punjab
According to the New Delhi-based Software Freedom Law Centre, India has seen 106 internet shutdowns since 2012.
India’s Supreme Court Says Privacy Is a Fundamental Right. How Did This Happen?
A series of citizen petitions attempting to challenge the implementation of India's Aadhaar biometric ID system preceded the historic court decision.
Netizen Report: Vietnam Targets ‘Illegal Cyber Information’ — and Political Speech
Global Voices Advocacy's Netizen Report offers an international snapshot of challenges, victories, and emerging trends in internet rights around the world.
The Evolution of China's Great Firewall: 21 Years of Censorship
Technically speaking, circumvention technologies have outwitted the Great Firewall. Yet the new legal regime has changed the rules of the game.
Murdered Mexican Journalist Cándido Ríos: ‘Our Weapons Do Not Shoot Bullets. Our Weapons Shoot Truth’
"His tireless efforts to denounce injustice brought him popularity among readers, but also enemies like the former mayor of Ríos' hometown Hueyapan, who threatened him with death several times."
Chinese Tech Firms Are at the Cutting Edge of Artificial Intelligence — But at What Cost?
China has a more open attitude toward new technology, but is their success built upon a lack of awareness of individual rights?
Cambodia Shutdown of Media Outlets: Tax and Licensing Issue or Censorship?
"It appears that the Cambodian government has been using legal technicalities to hide behind its real aim of silencing independent voices."
China to Ban Anonymous Online Comments, Blacklist Users
"With or without real name registration, they know who you are. What they intend to do is to make you fearful."
Macedonian Citizen Fined 400 Euro For Insulting Turkish President Erdoğan on Facebook
A Macedonian court ordered a person to pay 400 euros for writing "ironical statements and insulted a leader of a foreign country."
Venezuelan Government Wants to Regulate Hatred on Social Media
Today, with an all-powerful ANC composed solely of representatives from the governing party, it seems unlikely that anything will be able to stop the law from being approved.
Chinese Police Arrested a Man for Complaining About Hospital Food. Netizens Say It’s Police Abuse.
Even state-affiliated media outlets are criticizing police actions against a man who publicly complained about the price and quality of food at a state hospital.
‘Privacy is a Fundamental Right': Advocates Hail India's Supreme Court Ruling
The ruling followed multiple citizen petitions that challenged the government's move to make Aadhaar -- India's national digital ID system -- mandatory for various social welfare benefits.
Malaysian Political Cartoonist Zunar Sues Police for Unlawful Arrest, Seizure of Books
"You can ban my books, you can ban my cartoons, but you cannot ban my mind. I will keep drawing until the last drop of my ink."
‘You Can Lock Up Our Bodies, But Not Our Minds': Hong Kong Court Sends 16 Activists to Prison
"The appeal and jail sentence is a form of institutional violence and political suppression – it has ‘created’ the youngest group of political prisoners since the handover."
Netizen Report: US Tech Company Bans White Supremacist Group for Being ‘Assholes’
Global Voices Advocacy's Netizen Report offers an international snapshot of challenges, victories, and emerging trends in Internet rights around the world.
In Tunisia's ‘State of Emergency’, a New Police Protection Law Could Allow More Abuse — With Impunity
Supported by the interior ministry and police unions, the bill is being criticized by human rights groups.
Palestinian Journalists Become First Targets of Controversial Cybercrime Law
The journalists were accused of "leaking information to hostile entities" under a newly-adopted cybercrime law.
India Bans the Internet Archive and More Than 2,600 File-Sharing Websites to Protect Bollywood
The ban is the result of a court ruling, based on the petitions of two Bollywood producers, to stop file-sharing websites from distributing pirated copies of recently released movies.
Rights Group Website and Columnist's Blog Become Latest Targets of Egypt's Censorship Campaign
From May 24 to August 6, Egyptian authorities blocked 133 websites, according to the Association for Freedom of Thought and Expression.
‘Troll-in-Chief'? Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte Admits Hiring Online Defenders During 2016 Election
The study found out that $200,000 were spent to fund the pro-Duterte troll army composed of 400 to 500 individuals.