Stories about Digital Activism
Advocacy groups in the Americas focus on tackling rising surveillance technology
As digital surveillance continues to spread in the Americas, human rights groups raise awareness, research, and earn small judicial victories to limit its negative impacts on communities.
Unfreedom Monitor Report: Sudan
Advox research into digital authoritarianism in Sudan is now in a report. Read an excerpt and download the full pdf.
Curbing noise pollution in Trinidad & Tobago: Whose job is it, anyway?
The Summary Offences Act “clearly states that the police have the primary jurisdiction when it comes to noise, especially from the [music] trucks."
Digital authoritarianism in Bangladesh: Weaponising a draconian law to silence dissent in the pandemic era
The COVID-19 pandemic provided the government with a pretext to censor free speech, harass critics, and effectively curb dissent – accelerating what has been an ongoing turn towards authoritarianism in Bangladesh.
Mother of jailed Egyptian ex-lawmaker turns to social media in her quest for justice
“All that mattered was to express the pain brewing inside me, and to keep alerting people to the arrest of prisoners of conscience who do not deserve being arrested”.
Activist Emre Pshigusa talks about his work revitalizing the Circassian-Kabardian language
Through his research of the Circassian-Kabardian language at Ohio State University, Emre has been motivated to promote the language in digital spaces for its preservation.
The forgotten story of the women who changed the history of computing in Latin America
Only a few years after women were allowed to vote in Argentina, a group of recently graduated women students built the country's first programming language.
Sri Lankan president agrees to resign after protesters storm his official residence
Sri Lanka witnessed a successful people's uprising on July 9, 2022, as they demanded the resignation of the President due to rising prices and acute shortage of fuel, food and medicines.
Russian and Serbian officials continue to deny the Račak/Reçak Massacre
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, in an interview with Russian state-owned news agency Sputnik that was broadcast by Serbian media outlets, has denied the 1999 Račak/Reçak massacre in Kosovo.
Sidhu Moosewala: A prodigious life cut short but it’s not the end
The news of the untimely death of the Indian Punjabi rapper, songwriter, and actor Sidhu Moosewala (Shubhdeep Singh Sidhu) was a shock to the global Punjabi community.
Why gender dissent and queer sci-fi can challenge surveillance: An interview with artist Shu Lea Cheang
Cyberpunk artist Shu Lea Cheang explores the issues of surveillance through the prism of queer activism, sexual dissident history and data art installation to challenge the public's acceptance of control.
Understanding the damaging effects of Russian propaganda against NATO and Kosovo
"Particularly harmful and dangerous is the spread of this misinformation in countries where there is not much knowledge about the case of Kosovo."
In Sri Lanka, state-sponsored disinformation and suppression of dissent taint COVID-19 response
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the Sri Lankan government has used the digital space to further an authoritarian agenda, affecting the digital rights and freedoms of citizens.
Understanding India’s Central Media Accreditation Guidelines 2022
A new guideline for media accreditation has drawn a negative response from the Indian press community, activists, and concerned citizens as it provides sweeping power to the authorities.
China's wavering position on Russia's invasion of Ukraine threatens its legacy at home and abroad
As Beijing struggles on policy in Eastern Europe, its ambiguous support of the Russian invasion is threatening peace advocates in Ukraine and China.
With spokesperson's suspension, BJP supporters in India are losing faith in the party
The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in India removed two of its spokespeople under pressure over their alleged remarks on Prophet Muhammad, which have made headlines in India and abroad.
What South Asians in the US are saying about abortion and LGBTQ+ rights
As the US is engaging in a political and cultural war about abortion and LGBTQ+ rights, the large South Asian community living in the country comments on the situation.
‘We’re also taking part in this war,’ says Ukraine's LGBTQ+ community
Though sexual diversity in Ukraine is not outlawed (it's legal since independence in 1991), the LGBTQ+ community has long been stigmatized. Now they are sacrificing their lives for their homeland.
A Jamaican school’s ‘Green Generation’ wants more action, less talk, to save the planet
When it comes to the climate crisis, students of a co-ed, independent high school in Kingston are acting locally and thinking globally.
Ylli Morina: The 13-year-old mathematical genius from Skopje who is tutoring university students
Because his primary school lacks adequate classes and textbooks that will suit his needs and talent, Ylli has broadened his knowledge on the internet, listening to professors from abroad.
Covering the economic crisis in Sri Lanka: The cost of pursuing journalism
Journalists and media houses in Sri Lanka are facing many challenges covering the ongoing economic crisis and growing public protests; some newspapers have suspended publication and many journalists were injured.