Latest stories
Eight months of ‘fakes’ and ‘discreditation’: How the Kremlin’s new laws against anti-war dissent are applied online
Censorship and political repression are not new to Russia, but, in 2022, they reached new heights. Alongside new digital tools, new legislation allows the state to expedite and industrialise the repression of dissidents.
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"
The tweets may flow: A look into India’s take-down requests
The tussle between social media giants, governments, and citizens raise questions about agency and power. Each stakeholder has tried to push back on the other to further their interests.
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.
Police detains scores of activists at an opposition party rally in Azerbaijan
According to local media reports, police started rounding up members of the party and other attendees hours ahead of the scheduled rally.
How Palestinian youth resisted Israeli occupation: With a haircut
A new generation that has become hopeless over the brutal realities of Israeli apartheid now leads the fight. Palestinians express sympathy for those youngsters but also support their resistance.
Activists predict homophobic and transphobic violence in Russia, but most avenues of escape are slammed shut
The law on prohibiting "propaganda" from the LGBTQ+ community might trigger homophobic and transphobic violence. Time is running out, and the plea to help needs to be urgently heard.
The love and hate relationship of Hungary's ruling party Fidesz and Facebook
Political analysts argued that the defeat of the opposition resulted from Fidesz’s success in making voters believe that the opposition is serving external interests and would bring Hungary to war.
Turkish lawmakers ratify new disinformation bill
Aimed to combat fake news and disinformation, the 40-article legislation passed by Turkey's parliament, is a threat to freedom of speech say critics of the bill.
Ola Bini, the cyberactivist who causes panic in Ecuador
"There is a fear of the knowledge of the computer security and cybersecurity community.”
Citizen journalists face challenges in Cambodia, Thailand, and Myanmar
"To provide coverage of the protests, citizen journalists stepped up do the job themselves. The result was a truer coverage of events."
Will banning music glorifying violence from the airwaves reduce Jamaica's crime rate?
"The music is a reflection of the environment. Change the environment and the music will be changed."
China censors online chatter after anti-Xi Jinping protest; Hong Kong media muted
Keywords such as #Haidian, #Sitong bridge, #Beijing, and even #I-saw-it were censored on Chinese social media.
The true colours of Truecaller in India: app accused of being negligent about data privacy
According to recently published research, the popular app TrueCaller is plagued with constant breaches and data security failures, and the company is avoiding regulations and taxes in India.
The world must hear the voice of Iranian women
The Iranian government is attempting to silence the online and offline voices of women and all dissidents through a brutal and ongoing crackdown.
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.
Civil society groups call for justice after a radio broadcaster is killed in the Philippines
“...the culture of impunity in the country has made members of the press easy targets by vested interest groups who want to hide the truth.”
Unfreedom Monitor report: Data Governance
Advox research on data governance as a tool of digital authoritarianism is now in a report. Read an excerpt and download the full pdf.
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."
