Stories about Censorship
Burqa ban in Sri Lanka would undermine national security and human rights
Many in Sri Lanka and abroad are condemning the impending ban on wearing burqas and other full-face coverings in public as a breach of human rights.
Russian feminist activist Yulia Tsvetkova announces hunger strike
Demanding a swift trial, Tsvetkova wrote: "Let’s stop waiting for people being persecuted to be heroes. We don’t need heroes. We need to prevent the persecution of the innocent."
Journalist becomes first person convicted over 2019 mob attack that injured dozens of Hongkongers
Bao Choy was found guilty of violating the city's Road and Traffic Ordinance by "making false statements" while searching public records of license plates as she investigated the mob attack.
European Court backs Ukrainian journalist's right to phone data privacy from the state
Natalia Sedletska has been waging a three-year battle to protect her phone data from being seized by Ukrainian prosecutors investigating a state secrets leak that occurred almost four years ago.
Hong Kong's pro-Beijing camp wants to ‘get rid of’ pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily
The call for a purge of Hong Kong's critical press comes as Apple Daily founder Jimmy Lai was sentenced to 1 year and 2 months in prison.
Feminist activist in Russia faces prison term for ‘body-positive’ drawings
Human rights groups have labeled Yulia Tsvetkova a prisoner of conscience and have called on Russia to remove all charges and to "stop targeting feminist, LGBTI and other activists."
Russian authorities crack down on student journalism outlet over protest explainer video
Supporters of DOXA journal have called the charges against its editors "preposterous" and demanded that "all harassment of students immediately cease."
In Latin America, mental health can only be achieved through collective memory
"Our individual and collective history is not a static point in time and space, but a dynamic process that can be redefined and interpreted in another way."
Algerians’ speech freedoms strained by media laws passed under COVID-19 pretext
As Hirak protests continue to protest unmet public demands, Algerian government uses the pandemic to restrain independent media platforms and people's digital rights through suppressive laws.
Israeli phone hacking firm stops sales to Belarus and Russia
Cellebrite, an Israeli software company known for making tools used to extract data from smartphones, has announced it will halt sales to Russian and Belarus state bodies and law enforcement.
Belarus banned from 2021 Eurovision contest for controversial song lyrics
The European Broadcasting Union found Belarus to be "in breach of the rules of the competition that ensure the Contest is not instrumentalized or brought into disrepute."
Ukrainian Central Election Commission official resigns after criticism over Facebook sex toys post
Anzhela Yeremenko faced a barrage of judgmental comments after blogging about a faulty vibrator on her personal Facebook page, igniting a discussion about the line between impropriety and professionalism.
Pakistan bans TikTok for the second time
TikTok was blocked in Pakistan for 10 days in October 2020. Access was restored after the app's parent company ByteDance assured authorities it would bolster moderation.
Did the Ethiopian government use its COVID-19 restrictions to silence dissent?
The state of emergency restrictions were used as grounds to arrest a lawyer and a journalist last year -- both known critics of the government in Addis Ababa.
Malaysia’s ‘fake news’ ordinance takes effect amid continuing concern over the COVID-19 state of emergency
"This ordinance strengthens the perception that the state of emergency we are currently in is a smokescreen to curb any form of criticism towards the government of the day."
The toxic masculinity of Georgia’s gangster prince
The sexist tropes parroted by Bera Ivanishvili tell us a lot about how gender and power operate in Georgia, and the incompatibility of celebrity with the real-world power of a...
Twitter could be fully blocked in Russia within the next month
Russian internet regulator Roskomnadzor says it is prepared to block Twitter completely if the platform continues to ignore its requests to take down content flagged as illegal.
How India's new internet regulations will change social media, online news and video streaming
If failing to comply, social media platforms could lose intermediary immunity, which means they could be prosecuted for content posted by its users.
Egypt's 2011 revolt barely exists in school textbooks
Throughout the last decade, pages on Egypt's 2011 uprising in school syllabi have massively shrunk since 2012. Some blame lack of official documents. Others say it's purely political.
Russian internet regulator Roskomnadzor throttles Twitter loading speeds
Twitter has a small audience in Russia, but more popular platforms such as Facebook and YouTube could also see slower loading speeds if they fail to address state takedown requests.
