Russia invades Ukraine
Russia's brazen invasion of Ukraine marks a dangerous new phase in the history of Eastern Europe, with serious implications for the post-Cold War international order.
Sri Lanka in crisis
Sri Lanka is in crisis after protests against the nation's Rajapaksa government intensified at the end of March 2022 over economic and social issues. Officials are violently cracking down on dissenters.
Civic Media Observatory
The Civic Media Observatory is a method to investigate and decode how people understand information and create knowledge in complex and seemingly chaotic media ecosystems.
Unfreedom Monitor
The Unfreedom Monitor is a project to analyze, document, and report on the growing use of digital communications technology to advance authoritarian governance around the world.
Latest stories
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.
Australian nurse discusses her humanitarian mission to Ukraine's frontlines
"Irrespective of whichever side you may have family or friends on, there are innocent lives that are being used as pawns in a very vicious game."
Under BTK's eye: investigation reveals Turkey's information and communication authority has been collecting private user data for over a year
The private user data collected by Turkey's Information and Communication Technologies Authority (BTK) has been described by main opposition party as the biggest tapping scandal in the Republic's history.
The story of a development project that destroyed a village in Angola
Canal works began in late 2019 and aim to mitigate the effects of drought, lack of rain, and water shortages in Cunene province.
China: surveillance tech is extending from the classroom to kids’ summer holidays
China is now deploying surveillance technology to the education sector. Now students are required to do their summer homework with a "smart pen" that monitors and records them.
Undertones: How a composite sketch gone viral sparked a debate in Nicaragua
A digital campaign pressured the Nicaraguan government to show images of a political prisoner
Unfreedom Monitor Report: Sudan
Advox research into digital authoritarianism in Sudan is now in a report. Read an excerpt and download the full pdf.
Why do seabirds eat plastic? How a citizen science project in Poland is helping to find answers
What started out as a question about why sea birds mistake plastic for food, ended up as a successful citizen science project.
Brazilian lawyer after murders in the Amazon: ‘We need the state to maintain a presence in the region’
Eliesio Marubo recounted the efforts made in the search for Bruno Pereira and Dom Phillips, and talked about the demands the Indigenous movement is making to state institutions.
A new exhibit in the UK reframes the legacy of a brutal British governor; will Trinidad & Tobago follow suit?
Picton's portrait, which occupied an eminent space in the National Museum Cardiff for more than a century, was removed last year, but his name still echoes in Trinidad and Tobago.
Artists and famous personalities are competing in Kenya’s 2022 General Elections
Over 20 comedians, journalists, musicians, radio presenters, actors, and MCs hope to join the next Kenyan government.
How are the Taiwanese reacting to China's military threats following US House speaker's visit?
While most Taiwanese have anticipated Beijing's retaliation, they reacted to the crisis by living a normal life.
Can ‘Bongbonomics’ revive the Philippine economy?
"Bongbonomics: More pro-market, business friendly state supporting private profits; improved anti-poverty rhetoric; removal of remaining restrictions to self-serving economic liberalization."
How the government in Sudan legalized internet categorizing and content filtering
One regulation obliges telcos to block and filter a list of URLs, and to “daily monitor” the filtering equipment to verify that it is being updated
Azerbaijan court overlooks a hate crime against LGBTQ+ activist
The sentence omitted any mention of a hate crime and overlooked the perpetrator's targetted cruelty, including abusing the body after committing the crime, beheading Hafizil, and committing genital mutilation.
The shards of memory and Trinidad & Tobago's attempted coup
"The clues are there; once we collectively piece them together, a story will be revealed. It won't be perfectly told [...] but we will see ourselves."
Popular Chittagong University shuttle train gets a colorful graffiti makeover
A young artist from Germany has completely transformed the shuttle trains of Chittagong University into a moving work of art cheering up the students and locals.
Indonesia blocks Yahoo, Paypal, and gaming websites over new licensing rules
"The obligation of registration will open the gate for the government to intervene and censor. It's not just an administrative matter."
Umasoye: A language activist who uses technology to make learning Ekpeye fun
Umasoye is a digital language activist from Nigeria that is using media tools to make the preservation and teaching of the Ekpeye language fun and engaging for younger generations.
Controversial Guatemalan video game seeking to boost army's image cancels its release
In a country grappling with bringing elite military forces to justice for war crimes, this video game seeks to make the Army seem more likeable.
Curbing noise pollution in Trinidad & Tobago: Whose job is it, anyway?
The Summary Offences Act “clearly states that the police have the primary jurisdiction when it comes to noise, especially from the [music] trucks."
