Stories about Censorship
Russian and Belarusian oppositionists in Munich come together to support Ukraine
In South Germany, Russians and Belarusians opposing their governments and Moscow's invasion of Ukraine join Ukrainians in street demonstrations to show solidarity and provide support to Ukrainians.
Technology: a problem or a solution in Myanmar’s revolution?
Myanmar has faced surveillance and censorship in its digital spaces since it opened the internet to the public in the early 2000s.
Philippine independent bookshops become targets of red-tagging
The red-tagging of Popular Bookstore and Solidaridad is the latest in a long history of state repression of dissent and critical thinking in the Philippines.
How Russia makes laws to support networked authoritarianism
Russian lawmakers and government have created a sprawling web of new laws and amendments to police citizen activity and speech, pressure independent media and bring tech companies to heel.
Podcast: What is the Unfreedom Monitor?
This week we hear from Nanjala Nyabola, the Advox Director, about their latest research project, the Unfreedom Monitor.
Shanghai continues citywide lockdown despite public outcry, food shortages and chaos
The city is in chaos as many residents under lockdown are running out of food, being denied standard health care, and struggling to access basic everyday goods.
European Court of Human Rights vindicates Macedonian journalists convicted of defamation
In 2014 and 2015, Focus journalists had to pay more than EUR 9,000 as damages to the former director of the Administration for Security and Counterintelligence (ASC) Sašo Mijalkov for defamation and insult.
Introducing The Unfreedom Monitor, a new project of Global Voices Advox
The Unfreedom Monitor is a research initiative that examines the growing phenomenon of networked or digital authoritarianism. The initial report highlights the underlying factors that lead to its spread.
WAR IS WAR: Vkontakte users discuss the Russian invasion of Ukraine
Given the likelihood that Russian social media API will be closed for further research, Global Voices investigated the opinions of VKontakte users on the Russian war with Ukraine.
In Turkey, media watchdog uses licensing to attempt to censor foreign media
A 2020 social media law introduced a set of requirements that will have a lasting impact on digital rights and freedom of expression in Turkey.
Drone warfare: Can international humanitarian law catch up with the technology?
Drone warfare is becoming increasingly common in US-led military operations in the global south. Current international law is ill equipped make governments and companies accountable for such actions.
Keeping fakes under control: how legislation on disinformation turns into a censorship tool
In some countries, the legislative initiatives that operate with the terms fake news and disinformation become the instruments of surveillance, the silencing of voices, and the fight against dissent.
Russian opposition leader Navalny calls for continued resistance after receiving 9-year sentence
On March 22, Navalny was sentenced to 9 years in a strict regime colony, where he will be kept isolated with communication with other prisoners and with the outside world.
The Chinese great translation movement: Exposing Chinese propaganda or spreading hate?
Some are concerned that translating hate speech on Chinese social media would fuel anti-Chinese sentiment among western societies, but others believe it can counteract Chinese propaganda.
Russians against war are fleeing state crackdowns
They were concerned about their futures, closed borders, and their livelihoods, but mostly for the friends and family they left behind. The fear of persecution still looms.
Bringing diversity to Chinese narratives on Ukraine: A Chinese blogger in Odessa
A Chinese businessman based in Odessa in Ukraine has turned into a blogger with his own anti-Russian invasion views, only to be censored and attacked on Chinese social media
Can Ukraine's internet sustain longer-term attacks and destruction from Russia?
In Ukraine, the internet has become the major front of defense against the Russian invasion. Many experts have been asking why Russia has not tried to destroy Ukraine’s internet infrastructure?
Russia’s cyberwarfare remains limited, while Ukraine is crowdsourcing its own
Since 2008, Russia has been lauded as a cyber superpower. In the past, Russian cyber attacks have taken out electric grids, hacked elections, bankrupted corporations, and disabled military infrastructure. Nations across the world have been bracing for increased levels of cyberattacks, fearing that Russia will retaliate against sanctions by infiltrating global...
Russian embassy in Skopje threatens to ‘record’ dissenters from Kremlin official positions, labeled ‘Russophobes’
The Russian embassy in North Macedonia was the only one in the Balkans that reissued a warning by the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs that incidents of “Russophobia” "are meticulously recorded.”
Why have attempts to debunk Russian war propaganda on Weibo failed?
China relies on Russian propaganda as the main source of information on the Ukraine crisis. Censorship instruction forbids Sino-Russian antagonism and anti-war declaration. Love triangle analogy has gone viral.
Following invasion of Ukraine, Russia declares war on its citizens
Draconian punishments and social persecution are making it increasingly more dangerous to speak out against the official government narrative.