Stories about Censorship from August, 2018
‘Fake news’ is in the eye of the beholder: China is centralizing efforts to stop online ‘rumors’
In July 2018, Chinese state internet regulators received 6.7 million reports of illegal and false information.
Netizen Report: It’s not just Myanmar — ethnic hate speech runs rampant on social media in Cameroon, India
The Advox Netizen Report offers an international snapshot of challenges, victories, and emerging trends in Internet rights around the world.
Is Russian social media giant VKontakte sidestepping the GDPR? One user is trying to find out.
Russia's largest social network VKontakte is in hot water again for playing fast and loose with their users' privacy — this time allegedly violating the GDPR regulations.
In Mozambique, new licensing fees have raised the cost of doing journalism — and may threaten media freedom
The fees were described by Mozambican online newspaper @Verdade as "astronomical".
Russian social media giant evades hard questions about privacy failures
One user challenged Vkontakte: "How many times have you challenged the security services in court over their demands to hand over user information? You have that right."
Tajikistan releases whistleblower but leaves conviction in place
The #FreeKhayrullo campaign did its job and the government backed down. Now fearless Mirsaidov says he will appeal the conviction.
A new law threatens artistic expression in Cuba
"Your censorship is in the closure of concerts...It was always there, you only legalized it. Then you accuse us of politicizing art...Stop already with the repression...."
Netizen Report: Elections in Mali marred by militant violence — and internet shutdowns
Bangladeshi students go quiet as police pursue online accounts, Brazil gets a new data protection law and Facebook is still floundering in Myanmar.
#FreeKhayrullo: Human rights groups demand justice for Tajik journalist facing trial
A bold and popular journalist is appealing a 12 year-sentence he received after speaking out against official corruption.
Facebook bans 196 pages in Brazil, attempting to rein in abuse and disinformation
Free Brazil Movement is accusing the platform of censoring right-wing groups.
Lebanon ramps up interrogations of online activists
“You cannot bring us up with a mentality of freedom and then try to oppress us.”
Condemnation of independence activist draws a red line for Hong Kong's press freedom
The Hong Kong Foreign Correspondents' Club is under fire for organizing a talk by independence activist Andy Chan.
Russians are facing criminal prosecution for sharing memes online, thanks to anti-extremism laws
Repressive laws and cumbersome bureaucracy are putting hundreds of Russians behind bars for sharing memes online.
Netizen Report: Bangladesh protests trigger mobile network cuts, journalist arrest
Venezuela goes after journalists' cameras after drone attack, Iran re-routes Telegram (to government servers) and Google tries to go back to China.
Iran’s telecommunications company illegally rerouted Telegram app traffic
In a new move aimed at tightening the state-imposed ban on the Telegram messaging app, the Telecommunications Company of Iran (TCI) temporarily rerouted Telegram app traffic in violation of domestic law in July 2018.
Is Western media biased against China? (Part Two)
China has claimed that Western media is biased against China. We tested that claim using two data analysis tools.
If Google goes back to China, it will be on the government's terms. What will that mean for human rights?
Google may be prepared to compromise human rights principles for the Chinese market. But it will still depend on the Chinese government to grant its entry.
Students occupy Dhaka streets demanding road safety in Bangladesh
"The students have turned around a car of a minister who was traveling on the wrong side of the road ... What an unimaginable event!"
Killing speech softly: How the world’s biggest tech companies are quietly censoring critical expression in the Middle East
The failures of tech giants in moderating content in the region is a big and complex problem.
