Featured stories about Latin America
Stories about Latin America
Venezuelan authorities spied on 20% of major telecom's clients
A major telecommunications company released a report giving evidence of privacy abuse on behalf of Maduro's government.
President Bukele harasses independent journalists on Twitter in El Salvador
Bukele's presidency has attacked and discredited independent journalists who expose corruption in his government, putting them at risk of harassment and violence.
Australian PM Anthony Albanese adds to growing political pressure to #FreeJulianAssange
The Australian PM has finally talked about Julian Assange ... and while distancing himself from Assange’s well-motivated actions, has said he has raised it with representatives of the US administration.
How the Venezuelan government uses social media to cover up its biggest corruption case
Alex Saab’s case has become one of the most relevant incidents to understand Maduro’s propaganda machine in Venezuela, and the effect it has on social and political events.
‘In Ecuador, disinformation has spread like a fungus,’ says Ecuadorian investigative journalist
"Most politicians resort to the tactic of hiring an advertising agency to campaign, but the troll center is part of the deal."
Mexican collective pirating books to make culture accessible is blocked
Since 2019, the Pirateca.com website has provided open access to more than 279 Spanish titles, under the slogan “Books are not stolen, they're expropriated!”
El Salvador’s Pegasus spyware case left uninvestigated ten months later
The use of Pegasus spyware against journalists represents a serious threat to freedom of the press, digital rights, and a key challenge to investigate the configuration of a digital authoritarianism in El Salvador.
WhatsApp postpones Brazil launch of new Communities feature until after elections
Initial media reports suggested WhatsApp's decision to withhold the launch was part of an agreement with the Supreme Electoral Court (TSE), with whom Bolsonaro has been at loggerheads due to his groundless remarks about fraud in the electoral system.
Twitter and Facebook have suspended accounts affiliated with the Cuban government
For the first time in Cuba, Twitter has also marked some accounts as "government-affiliated"
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.
Ola Bini, the cyberactivist who causes panic in Ecuador
"There is a fear of the knowledge of the computer security and cybersecurity community.”
Can citizens of democracies still trust the law? A GV Insights discussion
The flip side of regulating the internet is that this enables the state to mobilise itself and erase the existence of these communities and their identities from popular culture and discussion.
Under Bolsonaro, political attacks gain institutional legitimacy in Brazil
In February 2022, the Federal Police delivered a partial report to the Supreme Court detailing the structure of “digital militias” coordinating attacks against rival politicians, democratic institutions, and the dissemination of "false news."
Brazil's Electoral Court brings platforms closer ahead of presidential elections, but questions over companies’ commitments remain
All the agreements are non-binding, however, which means there will be no enforcement in the case a platform does not meet the actions listed in the MoU.
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?
In Brazil and India we are seeing an increase in tensions between platforms and states
Research from the Unfreedom Monitor uncovers a pattern in the way that social media and tech platforms engage with states that practise digital authoritarianism.
Advocacy groups in the Americas focus on tackling rising surveillance technology
Digital surveillance continues to spread in the Americas, human rights groups raise awareness, research, and earn small judicial victories to limit its negative impacts on communities.
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...
Brazilian facial recognition ruling can set an important precedent for country-wide use
This lawsuit could generate a "process of recognition that this is a wrongful practice, both on the side of the public authority, as well as the private enterprise."
