Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF)

The court’s decision in Twitter v. Garland is seen as a disappointing, dangerous opinion that may well empower even broader uses of government power to censor speech by unwilling participants in government investigations.

“From internet shutdowns, crackdowns on expression and closed-door partnerships to attempts to restrict anonymity and end to end encryption, in many places, digital rights are under threat.”

In a joint letter, human rights organizations and academics stressed that while they are not convinced that a global cybercrime convention is necessary, they reiterate the need for a human-rights-by-design approach in the drafting of the proposed UN Cybercrime Convention.

“Plaintiffs are right – Orange County’s program violates residents’ constitutional right to privacy and should be stopped” – EFF

The United States’ fair and independent courts exist to resolve serious disputes. Unfortunately, some parties abuse the civil litigation process to silence others’ speech, rather than resolve legitimate claims.

“We’ve seen vaguely worded international cybercrime laws misused to violate freedom of expression, target dissenters, and put them in danger. It’s paramount that the proposed treaty does not invite abuse and overreach by countries by obligating states to cooperate in open-ended investigations of ill-defined criminal matters” – EFF

Despite protests, Indonesia’s Parliament has received a new draft of the Criminal Code that threatens to further chill political dissent and civic participation.

Government involvement in content moderation raises serious human rights concerns in every context, and these concerns are further troubling when the involvement originates with law enforcement.