Censorship updates in China: Chatbot, foreign correspondents, Weibo manipulation
Freedom House monitored an uptick in censorship within China during the annual National People’s Congress and Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference.
Preventing digital violence against women in Colombia, political prisoners released in Nicaragua and “apology of terrorism” criminalised in Peru
February 2023 in the Americas: A special feature on new legislation aiming to defend women’s safety in the digital space in Colombia plus the latest free expression news from the region, produced by IFEX’s Regional Editor Laura Vidal.
Beijing’s censors could shape the future of AI-generated content
AI-driven tools are used widely inside the country for politicized content monitoring, censorship, and public surveillance.
States in Southern Africa cracking down on free expression online
Countries in the SADC region are being urged to take a human rights based approach when crafting cybersecurity and cybercrime legislation.
What the UK’s Online Safety Bill could mean for press freedom
Tech firms and privacy groups say the bill represents a threat to encryption and secure communication. Rights groups are worried that the outsourcing of decisions on illegal content to private platforms could incentivise the over-removal of legitimate content.
AI needs to be regulated to protect peoples’ rights
Alt Advisory cautions that the use of artificial intelligence to build a profile of people based on their personal information is “a central feature of surveillance capitalism, and yet mostly shrouded in secrecy.”
Malaysia: Let’s celebrate International Day for Universal Access to Information (IDUAI) 2022 together!
The Centre for Independent Journalism highlights various initiatives in promoting the public right to information in Malaysia.
Meta wants to mimic TikTok: towards AI-driven disinformation
Mark Zuckerberg has decided to imitate his main competitor, TikTok, by giving artificial intelligence a greater role in the selection of content offered to his users.
Canadian privacy law has got you covered, but here’s why it simply isn’t enough
From limited digital rights, to little enforcement, find out why Canada’s privacy laws are in serious need of an overhaul.
Latin Americans’ digital rights in 2021
December 2021 in the Americas: A free expression round up produced by IFEX’s Regional Editor Paula Martins, based on IFEX member reports and news from the region.
Dancing in the dark, a culture of secrecy and a roadmap for digital human rights in Latin America
September 2021 in the Americas: A free expression round up produced by IFEX’s Regional Editor Paula Martins, based on IFEX member reports and news from the region.
A first look at Canada’s harmful content proposal
What’s proposed in the government’s harmful content consultation, and where it falls down.
Unregulated use of facial recognition technology continues to spread across Russia
Facial recognition has a wide range of uses in Moscow, from monitoring public transportation payments to traffic monitoring and a school pass system. More than 5,000 cameras with facial recognition software already operate in other regions of Russia.
Chicago Inspector General: Police use ShotSpotter to justify illegal stop-and-frisks
The Chicago Office of the Inspector General has released a highly critical report on the Police’s use of ShotSpotter, a surveillance technology that relies on a combination of artificial intelligence and human “acoustic experts” to purportedly identify and locate gunshots based on a network of high-powered microphones located on some of the city’s streets.
What you need to know now: Trends in freedom of expression and information in Latin America and the Caribbean
IFEX’s Americas Editor provides the context for key developments in relation to freedom of expression and information witnessed in Latin America and the Caribbean in the first half of 2021.
Thailand: Proposed initiatives to combat ‘fake news’ undermine freedom of expression
ARTICLE 19 said the proposed new regulations would add to a number of existing mechanisms to monitor and punish vaguely defined ‘fake news’.