Stories about Technology
14 September 2017
The Indigenous Tharu People of Nepal Risk Losing Their Once-Mandatory Art of Tattooing
We don't take anything with us when we die, but I will take these tattoos. It is a gift of this life and this nature to take to my afterlife.
13 September 2017
Taiwanese Activist Was Forced to Confess on Camera to ‘Smearing the Chinese Government,’ Allies Say
"...if you see Lee Mingche confess against his will in court....please forgive him. This is just another drama staged by the Chinese government."
China Makes Chat Group Administrators — i.e. Regular Users — Criminally Liable for Unlawful Messages
Chat group administrators are becoming a key human resource in China's internet control infrastructure.
11 September 2017
Violence in Northwest Myanmar Sparks an Information War Online with Anti-Rohingya Hate Speech and Fake Photos
Malicious propaganda, hate speech, and false photos are making it difficult to verify information coming from the conflict in northwest Myanmar.
8 September 2017
The Population of Nepal’s Naumuthe Cow, One of the World’s Smallest Cattle Breeds, Is Dwindling
There are only 447 individuals of the Achhami cattle breed left.
7 September 2017
Netizen Report: Togo Government Shuts Down Internet and SMS as Protests Escalate
Global Voices Advocacy's Netizen Report offers an international snapshot of challenges, victories, and emerging trends in Internet rights around the world.
6 September 2017
On WhatsApp, Fake News Is Nearly Impossible to Moderate. Is That a Bad Thing?
People are keen to tackle fake news on Facebook. But picture becomes more complex when news and information spread through WhatsApp.
Iran's Foreign Minister Says He Won't Tweet in Persian Because of Twitter Censorship
The rhetoric of the Rouhani administration is giving off less hope for online freedoms, and the popular foreign minister's statements about not tweeting for Iranian audiences has increased concerns.
In Quest for ‘Ideological Security’, China Pushes to Extend Communist Party Influence Inside Tech Firms
Until recently, companies had no obligation to participate in Communist Party activities. But now informal political pressure to do so is getting stronger and stronger.
5 September 2017
A Hashtag Pokes Fun at the Shared Quirks Among Bangladeshis
"You can move an elephant/hippo/rhino with the horns of your car, but not me. #IAmBangladeshi"
31 August 2017
Netizen Report: Vietnam Targets ‘Illegal Cyber Information’ — and Political Speech
Global Voices Advocacy's Netizen Report offers an international snapshot of challenges, victories, and emerging trends in internet rights around the world.
India’s Supreme Court Says Privacy Is a Fundamental Right. How Did This Happen?
A series of citizen petitions attempting to challenge the implementation of India's Aadhaar biometric ID system preceded the historic court decision.
30 August 2017
The Evolution of China's Great Firewall: 21 Years of Censorship
Technically speaking, circumvention technologies have outwitted the Great Firewall. Yet the new legal regime has changed the rules of the game.
28 August 2017
Chinese Tech Firms Are at the Cutting Edge of Artificial Intelligence — But at What Cost?
China has a more open attitude toward new technology, but is their success built upon a lack of awareness of individual rights?
26 August 2017
The Honeymoon Period is Over Between Uber and Users in Mexico City
Every accusation of traditional taxi drivers now applies to Uber drivers, leaving a wake of unsatisfied and angry users who find themselves defenseless
25 August 2017
How to Save Languages from Dying, and What I Learned While Documenting My Own
Half of the world’s languages are dying, but we can help preserve the age-old cultural heritage contained in them by documenting the languages around us in digital form.
24 August 2017
‘Privacy is a Fundamental Right': Advocates Hail India's Supreme Court Ruling
The ruling followed multiple citizen petitions that challenged the government's move to make Aadhaar -- India's national digital ID system -- mandatory for various social welfare benefits.
19 August 2017
A New App Wants to Help the Blind ‘See’ the Solar Eclipse
“Nothing is ever just visual, really. And [this] just proves that point again.”
18 August 2017
Netizen Report: US Tech Company Bans White Supremacist Group for Being ‘Assholes’
Global Voices Advocacy's Netizen Report offers an international snapshot of challenges, victories, and emerging trends in Internet rights around the world.
10 August 2017
India Bans the Internet Archive and More Than 2,600 File-Sharing Websites to Protect Bollywood
The ban is the result of a court ruling, based on the petitions of two Bollywood producers, to stop file-sharing websites from distributing pirated copies of recently released movies.
