Unshuttered voices: A collaboration, an exhibit, and a call to action
IFEX partnered with the International Freedom of Expression Project on an exhibit to spotlight the work being done around the globe to defend freedom of expression, and launch a proposal for a ‘marketplace of ideas’ artist space in downtown Pittsburgh.
Proctoring tools and dragnet investigations rob students of due process
While many universities have used proctoring tools that purport to help educators prevent cheating, Dartmouth’s Geisel School of Medicine has gone dangerously further.
Victory for fair use: The Supreme Court reverses the Federal Circuit in Oracle v. Google
In a win for innovation, the U.S. Supreme Court has held that Google’s use of certain Java Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) is a lawful fair use. The Court recognized that copyright only promotes innovation and creativity when it provides breathing room for those who are building on what has come before.
Dystopia Prime: Amazon subjects its drivers to biometric surveillance
Amazon, the company that brought you Ring doorbell cameras and Rekognition face surveillance, has a tenuous understanding of both privacy and consent.
Facebook treats punk rockers like crazy conspiracy theorists, kicks them offline
Facebook and the problem of ‘false positives’.
Iowa journalist Andrea Sahouri acquitted on misdemeanor charges from 2020 protest coverage
CPJ issues statement in response to the acquittal of “Des Moines Register” reporter Andrea Sahouri by a court in Iowa, on two misdemeanor charges stemming from her coverage of Black Lives Matter protests in 2020.
The Justice in Policing Act does not do enough to rein in body-worn cameras
Reformers often tout police use of body-worn cameras (BWCs) as a way to prevent law enforcement misconduct. But, far too often, this technology becomes one more tool in a toolbox already overflowing with surveillance technology that spies on civilians.
Scholars under surveillance: How campus police use high tech to spy on students
It may be many months before college campuses across the U.S. fully reopen, but when they do, many students will be returning to a learning environment that is under near constant scrutiny by law enforcement.
Officials in Baltimore and St. Louis put the brakes on Persistent Surveillance Systems spy planes
In recent weeks, officials in both cities voted unanimously to spare their respective residents from further invasions on their privacy and essential liberties by a panoptic aerial surveillance system designed to protect soldiers on the battlefield, not residents’ rights and public safety.
Bahrain: Rights groups call on the Biden administration to prioritise human rights in the Gulf
In a joint letter, IFEX joins rights groups in bringing attention to the ongoing suppression and deterioration of human rights in Bahrain, and urges US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to fulfill President Biden’s pledge to prioritise human rights when it comes to US foreign policy in the region.
Ghanian online news site temporarily blocked over Kenyan gambling report
Ghanaian news site taken offline temporarily, over a piece on Kenya’s gambling industry, points to a surreptitious form of censorship based on a U.S. copyright law.
US must hold Mohammed bin Salman accountable for Jamal Khashoggi’s murder, rights groups say
In response to the release of a U.S. congressional report identifying Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as having ordered the operation against journalist Jamal Khashoggi, rights groups call on the Biden administration to impose sanctions on the prince, and suspend arms sales.
PEN America settles landmark First Amendment lawsuit with U.S. government, shielding reporters from retaliation
The settlement agreement affirms the basis of PEN America’s challenge on behalf of its journalist Members who were threatened and retaliated against by President Trump.
New EFF report shows cops used Ring cameras to monitor Black Lives Matter protests
The LAPD sent at least one request for Amazon Ring camera video of last summer’s Black-led protests against police violence – raising First Amendment concerns.
Ghada Oueiss on the psychological toll of social media attacks
Targeted Al Jazeera journalist Ghada Oueiss talks to the Committee to Protect Journalists about being hacked, navigating online misogynistic smear campaigns, and living in fear of physical repercussions for her work since the brutal killing of Jamal Khashoggi.
It’s not Section 230 you hate, it’s oligopolies
Section 230 is not a gift to Big Tech, nor is repealing it a panacea for the problems Big Tech is causing – to the contrary repealing it will only exacerbate those problems. The thing you hate is not 230. It’s lack of competition.