Stories about Censorship from December, 2015
What to Expect From Russia's State Censor in 2016
The head of Russia's state censor discusses the normalcy of media restrictions, the efficacy of blocking online resources, tackling messenger apps, and much more to come in 2016.
Latin American Journalism and Advocacy Groups Recognized by Index on Censorship's Freedom of Expression Awards
Méxicoleaks and Fundamedios from Ecuador are among the Latin American candidates for the Index on Censorship’s 2016 Freedom of Expression Awards which includes 100 individuals and groups from 53 countries.
Russian Blogger Gets Five-Year Prison Term for ‘Inciting Hate’ Online
Vadim Tyumentsev, a Russian blogger from Tomsk, has been charged with hate speech and calls to extremism online and has received a five-year sentence for videos on YouTube and VKontakte.
Ethiopia Censors Satellite TV Channels as Student Protests Draw Global Media Attention
"If the regime thinks it can cut our audience off from receiving OMN news and programs, they are too dumb to understand what we are made of."
Millions of Indians Slam Facebook's ‘Free Basics’ App
With two weeks of public advertisements, Facebook would have got the maximum opposition in India so far in rolling a free access to its products called Free Basics.
How the Soviet Union Sent Its First Man to the Internet in 1982
This is the story of a Soviet scientist who, in 1982, accidentally found himself among the first citizens of the USSR who were able to connect to the Internet.
Syrian Filmmaker Naji Jerf Killed in Turkey After Exposing ISIS Crimes in Aleppo
Syrian film-maker Naji Jerf, 38, was shot dead in broad daylight in Gaziantep, Turkey, for uploading a video exposing ISIS crimes in Aleppo, Syria, on YouTube.
Russian Censors Launch Automatic Online Media Monitoring System to Spot ‘Extremist’ Content
Roscomnadzor initially had ambitious plans to monitor all of the Russian Internet for extremist materials, but didn't have enough funding, so decided to focus on online media outlets.
Award-Winning Citizen Journalist Ahmad Almossa Killed in Idlib, Syria
Ahmad Mohamed Almossa, a member of Syrian citizen journalism collective Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently (RBSS), was assassinated by masked men in northern Syria, the group announced on Twitter.
Meet the People Who Want to Repeal Russia's Draconian Laws
A group of Russian intellectuals has created a public council to determine which Russian laws limit human rights and freedoms, and to recommend that such laws be repealed.
Bangladesh Will Demand Biometric Data From All SIM Card Users
The scheme will create a massive database of citizens' communications data that could give the government unprecedented access to the mobile communications of Bangladeshi citizens.
Massive LiveJournal Troll Network Pushes Pro-Kremlin Narratives
An in-depth analysis of Twitter bots' metadata reveals connections to Russian "troll factories" and a vast network of pro-Kremlin LiveJournal blogs populating RuNet with propagandistic content.
Roscomnadzor Head Claims Google and Apple Are ‘Relocating Servers’ to Russia
Aleksandr Zharov, head of the Russian media watchdog, told journalists Google and Apple were "working on localizing their databases on Russian territory," but said the information was "unofficial."
Russian Activist Gets Two-Year Sentence for ‘Calls to Extremism’ on Social Networks
A Russian court has found activist Darya Polyudova guilty of "public calls to separatism and extremism" on social networks and has sentenced her to two years in a penal colony.
As Russia Insulates Itself from Human Rights Bodies, State Surveillance Decision Looms
The European Court of Human Rights ruled in favor of a free expression advocate's case against Russian government surveillance. But thanks to a new law, Russia officially does not care.
