Stories
Netizen Report: UN Authorities Pluck Protesters from Global Internet Conference in Brazil
The UN fails to walk the walk on free expression, Tanzanians face prosecution over WhatsApp messages, and the UK rolls out a new surveillance bill that is 'worse than scary'.
When Were You Sexually Harassed for the First Time? Brazilian Women React to Online Violence
Social networks are increasingly filled with hate speech. This alarming phenomenon, however, is being countered by creative, irreverent, and organized women's groups online.
Netizen Report: Will Brazil Give Up On Defending Digital Rights?
Brazilian legislators seek to undercut the Marco Civil while Ecuador’s president wields tools of censorship to avoid hurt feelings.
Netizen Report: Wanna Comment on Social Media? Submit Your State ID First, Says Brazilian Deputy
While India's porn ban makes headlines, online harassment of Indian women has peaked. Meanwhile in Europe, Google balks at proposals to globalize the Right to Be Forgotten.
Netizen Report: Macedonian Leak Scandal Reveals Mass Surveillance, Corruption
Protests are heating up both on and offline in Macedonia, Myanmar, and Paraguay.
Protests, Blackouts, and a Bill of Rights for the Internet: Advox in 2014
From Egypt to Ethiopia to Tajikistan to Turkey, our authors wrote what they saw on the ground, on the Internet, in court and behind bars.
Netizen Report: Hungarians Reject “Internet Tax” With Protests, Motherboards
This week, protesters reject the Internet tax in Hungary, Italian wonks cook up a new Internet bill of rights, and malware menaces use Ebola paranoia to their own gain.
Right to Be Forgotten: A Win for Argentina's Lawsuit-Happy Celebrities?
What kind of information is in the public interest? Is it possible (or desirable) to define this? Free expression attorney Ramiro Alvarez examines this question in the context of Argentina.
On 1st Anniversary of Snowden Revelations, World Governments Urged to End Mass Surveillance
A year after Edward Snowden revealed governments' large-scale monitoring of individuals, an international group comprising nearly 350,500 organizations and individuals are rallying in support ofNecessary and Proportionate Principles .
Julian Assange on Digital Sovereignty and Surveillance at #NETmundial2014
On a panel with Jacob Appelbaum, Sérgio Amadeu and other leaders in the field of digital security and privacy, Assange envisioned a citizen-led "redistribution of power."
NETmundial Closes With Thorny Issues Left Unaddressed
Reporting from Sao Paulo, Sarah Myers writes that for members of civil society, "the outcome was less a step forward for online rights than many had hoped."
Netizen Report: Pakistan’s Anti-Terror Ordinance May Endanger Online Speech
This week, Brazil kicks off the Internet world cup, activists in Algeria condemn online harassment, and Sina Weibo says censorship is bad for business.
#NETmundial2014: Does the Web Need a Magna Carta?
An all-star panel including Web inventor Tim Berners-Lee, musician and former Minister of Culture Gilberto Gil, and Web We Want campaign lead Renata Avila discusses human rights and the Internet.
#NETmundial2014: Activists Scrutinize Brazil's New “Bill of Rights” for the Internet
Brazil's landmark rights-protective Internet bill has now become law -- yet some activists feel that human rights protections have become diluted in the current text.
NETmundial 101: The Run-Up to the Internet World Cup
The NETmundial global Internet governance meeting is just days away. Despite much anticipation of the meeting following the Snowden revelations, many remain skeptical of what it will accomplish.
Netizen Report: Egyptian Activists To Be Tried Under Anti-Protest Law
This week, we look at Gambia's 48-hour Internet blackout, the ongoing assault on Twitter in Turkey, and the approval of landmark Internet legislation in brazil.
Advocates Hail Brazil's “Bill of Rights for the Internet”
Though privacy concerns remain, the approval of the Marco Civil "is important not only for the country, but also for the world," says Joana Varon, an original author of the law.
Brazilian Congress Approves Pioneer Bill of Rights for Internet Users
Brazil's Chamber of Deputies passed the Marco Civil da Internet, the now-famous "Bill of Rights" for the Internet, on the evening of March 25. Advocates worldwide are celebrating.
Brazilian Activists Fight Back Against Mass Surveillance
As the world comes together to take a stand against mass surveillance on February 11, 2014, Brazilian citizens, organizations and collectives are bringing momentum to #TheDayWeFightBack campaign.
Netizen Report: Will Saudi Take the “You” Out of YouTube?
Fresh back from a holiday hiatus, this week we look at post-Snowden fallout in Southeast Asia, activist push-back on censorship in Morocco, and a new site that "translates" terms of service for the average user.




















