Stories about Censorship
A Russian girl drew anti-war picture. Now she is in a children's shelter and her dad is under arrest
One year ago, a fifth-grade student, Masha Moskaleva, drew an anti-war picture. Now, her father faces up to three years in prison and Masha may be sent to an orphanage.
In Azerbaijan, journalists unite in saying ‘we do not want licensed media’
The campaign demands that the government repeal the law, alleging it violates Azerbaijan's Constitution, and remove the requirement for registration with the Media Registry.
Meta's Oversight Board grapples with Facebook and Instagram's opaque content guidelines
If Meta is to continue to be a safe space for human rights defenders, it will have to engage seriously and in good faith with the Oversight Board.
Georgians take to the streets as parliament considers new ‘foreign agent’ bill
Hundreds of Georgians took the streets to protest what civil society describe as Georgia's very own "foreign agent" law.
Beyond Jordan’s TikTok Ban
Jordan's recent ban of TikTok has sparked concerns over freedom of expression and access to information. Concerns raised as part of a broader trend of governments restricting social media platforms.
Undertones: Zimbabwe's cyberpunk cities fueled by China
Zimbabwe is set to become Africa’s first country with a “smart” capital city built from scratch. But many are wary of Zimbabwe becoming a surveillance state.
Georgia debates a foreign agent law, which critics say sets a dangerous precedent
The bill was tabled by a group of parliament members, formally from the ruling Georgian Dream who quit the party ranks last year and formed their own political party called People's Power.
Belarusian Westernizers: Their debacle and perpetual bewilderment
Grigory Ioffe writes about the growing rupture between the new Belarusian diaspora and those who remain in the country, as well as the hopeless plight of Belarusian political prisoners.
In Turkey telecommunications watchdog blocks access to popular website Ekşi Sözlük
On February 7, another popular social media platform, Twitter was briefly blocked by the authorities on similar grounds.
Cambodia’s prime minister revokes license of independent news outlet Voice of Democracy
"We believe that the closure of VOD would represent a grave step backwards for both press freedoms and the rule of law in Cambodia."
Undertones in Turkey: Earthquakes fan the flames of election season
Erdoğan’s leadership may be on the line, with compounding accusations of corruption, economic mismanagement, and the slow and inadequate response to the earthquake.
Will Chinese advanced AI chatbots survive China’s online censorship?
China Digital Times asked a Chinese chatbot “How do you comment on Chinese leader Xi Jinping?” and the chatbot answered, “Your entry contains rule-breaking terms, please re-enter.”
In Turkey, the state resorts to censorship majeure
Rocked by a devastating earthquake, citizens in Turkey now have to also deal with censorship measures imposed by the state amid an outcry of public criticism.
Every Friday, Russia labels new citizens and organizations as ‘Foreign Agents’
Labeling people and organizations as 'foreign agents' resembles Stalin's repressive regime. It is now being used to push dissenting voices out of the country.
The main effort of Russian propaganda language is to give the impression that there is still no war
What does Russian propaganda do? It replaces the associations of words so that we perceive the world as better and safer, as a world in which there is no war
Undertones in Nicaragua: Where parallel realities coexist
A group of researchers uncovers Nicaragua's two faces
First victims of anti-LGBTQ+ law in Russia are trans persons and books
Openly trans Tiktokers, a publishing house, movies and TV shows feel the weight of the Russian anti-LGBTQ+ propaganda law.
There are almost 1,500 political prisoners in Belarus
The main tools for repressing critics of the regime and dissidents in Belarus are still criminal and administrative prosecution, arbitrary arrests, dismissals from work and de facto deportations
How military supporters are using Telegram channels to suppress dissent in Myanmar
Pro-military people are urging the military authorities to take action against those who are pro-democracy, calling for detention, imprisonment, property seizure, revoking citizenship and travel documents — even the execution of political prisoners and rebels.
State-affiliated actors launch smear campaign against Hungarian investigative nonprofit Átlátszó
Hungarian pro-government media publish defamatory texts about independent investigative outlet Atlatszo with allegations that it was receiving 'Judas money' and being a 'criminal association' involved in treason and anti-national activities.
Bollywood’s ‘Faraaz’ raises questions about trauma exploitation in art
The upcoming Bollywood thriller “Faraaz” sparked controversy in Bangladesh and a legal battle in India because of the incorrect portrayal of the key characters and the victims’ right to privacy.
