Stories about Feature
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.
‘I can see the entirety of the sky now’: Australian journalist Cheng Lei is now free
"Tight hugs, teary screams, holding my kids in the spring sunshine. Trees shimmy from the breeze. I can see the entirety of the sky now! Thank you Aussies."
A look into Uganda's digital services tax
Opposition members of Parliament expressed fears that the digital services tax could restrict access to social media and suppress freedom of speech, especially given the government’s unfriendly perception of digital activism.
Confessions from a Chinese censorship worker
A Chinese censorship worker discusses her workday, colleagues, and hatred for the Chinese censorship system.
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
Mexican government faces criticism for blocking portions of the safe internet
"Blocking entire sections of the internet based on the outdated belief that all Tor network traffic is indistinguishable or malicious is a mistake," the Tor Project spokesperson said.
Despite change in government, another Thai activist is jailed for royal defamation
"Thailand appears to be on a path toward regression, undoing the progress hoped for by millions."
Finding the space to speak: Journalism professor Francis Lee on Hong Kong’s changing media landscape
"What we can see is an ongoing negotiation through which journalists try to reconcile the pressure to self-censor with their sense of professionalism."
Digital age dilemmas: Navigating human rights threats in Botswana's online realm
In the age of digital transformation, Botswana faces a complex conundrum: the promise of progress tangled with potential threats to fundamental human rights.
Media control, a threat to Nigeria's democracy
Nigeria was ranked 123rd out of 180 countries on the World Press Freedom Index for 2023.
Australian parliamentarians visit Washington to lobby for Julian Assange's release
Despite the visit, support for Assange's release remains low in the US. If extradited, he could face a sentence of up to 175 years in prison.
Breaking down India's new data protection law: Good, bad, or ugly?
While the previous versions of the law have been criticised for not doing enough, the DPDP Act gives the government the power to grant blanket exemptions to any government, or government body.
Facebook’s news retreat: A death knell for independent MENA local news
Facebook's evolving relationship with the news industry, algorithm adjustments, and their repercussions on local media outlets add complexity to the landscape of news dissemination, particularly affecting smaller, independent media outlets.
Cambodia’s Ministry of Agriculture threatens legal action against CamboJA news
"In this system, journalists are expected to conform to the contours of power rather than challenging them."
Zimbabwe election aftermath sees human rights defenders and opposition supporters under siege
Critics claim the ongoing post-election harrassment is reminiscent of the late president, Robert Mugabe, who after failing to gain the majority vote in the 2008 election resorted to violence against opposition supporters.
The government of Bangladesh quietly passed the new Cyber Security Act 2023
The Bangladesh parliament passed the new Cyber Security Act 2023 after scrapping its predecessor, the controversial Digital Security Act, 2018. The new law poses similar threats to the freedom of expression.
Why do ‘Bart Simpson’ and ‘Monkey D. Luffy’ have registered SIM cards in the Philippines?
"The SIM registration law cannot be “fixed” without having serious implications on our right to privacy and communication."
Pakistani movie ‘Zindagi Tamasha’ is finally made available online after injunctions on its release
Pakistani Punjabi-Urdu film Zindagi Tamasha, originally scheduled for release in theatres in 2020, but halted after receiving threats from religious hardliners, was finally made available to viewers on Youtube.
Arrested humor: Comedian Nour Hajjar detained in censorship case
Comedy in Lebanon has always served as a means to find relief in challenging circumstances, but now, the tightening grip of censorship on creative freedom and satire could challenge this.
Malaysian government told to stop playing ‘Big Brother’ to media
"What is more worrying is the fact that much of the so-called 'offending' content is mere reports and opinion pieces deemed critical of the government."