social media

Eswatini strives for digital sovereignty amid technological advancements
Eswatini strives for digital sovereignty amid technological advancements 11 March 2024 Ndimphiwe Shabangu

In Eswatini, two key legislative measures impact internet governance: the Computer Crime and Cyber Crime Act of 2022 and the Data Protection Act of 2022. Concerns loom over potential implications of these statutes, particularly in terms of press freedom and freedom of expression on social media.

7amleh’s Hashtag Palestine 2023 report shows real-world consequences of digital rights violations
7amleh’s Hashtag Palestine 2023 report shows real-world consequences of digital rights violations 26 February 2024 Maja Romano

In their new annual report, Hashtag Palestine 2023, 7amleh documents how censorship of Palestinian narratives and content is rampant alongside incitement and hate speech against Palestinians.

Coalition of international organisations demands that Meta refrain from censoring criticism of Zionism on its platforms
Coalition of international organisations demands that Meta refrain from censoring criticism of Zionism on its platforms 12 February 2024 Various

This open letter expresses deep concern over Meta's proposed revision of its hate speech policy regarding the term "Zionist" and the potential to treat it as a proxy for Jewish and/or Israeli, which will ultimately lead to severe restrictions on legitimate political speech and debate.

Meta is silencing genocide
Meta is silencing genocide 24 November 2023 Hija Kamran for GenderIT.org

Meta claims that it respects people's freedom of expression, but has historically been intentionally silencing Palestinian voices and those standing for Palestine. So how do we hold it accountable?

Civil society organisations call for tech companies to respect Palestinian digital rights in times of crisis
Civil society organisations call for tech companies to respect Palestinian digital rights in times of crisis 13 October 2023 7amleh and others

APC joins with other human rights and civil society organisations calling on tech companies to urgently address instances of online hate speech, incitement and violent discourse targeting Palestinians.

Could Instagram’s Threads be a friendlier option for women than Twitter?
Could Instagram’s Threads be a friendlier option for women than Twitter? 22 August 2023 Fungai Machirori for GenderIT.org

With the introduction of Threads by Meta, there's a need to question whether adding another social media platform to the list of online spaces contributes to the existing problems that women face on the internet, or if instead it is a step in the right direction.

Inside the Digital Society: Does Twitter matter?
Inside the Digital Society: Does Twitter matter? 27 June 2023 David Souter

As Twitter morphs and bends under its new monopolistic individual owner, a look at the source of its massive influence and some issues of concern.  

Let androids dream nightmares of the humans who train algorithms
Let androids dream nightmares of the humans who train algorithms 16 June 2023 Florencia Goldsman for GenderIT.org

Content moderators and AI trainers spend hours making the internet safer for others, while constantly struggling with the serious repercussions of being exposed to disturbing content without any support or fair compensation from the tech companies they work for.

An architecture for destruction? What 8 January in Brazil tells us about the use of social media platforms against democracy
An architecture for destruction? What 8 January in Brazil tells us about the use of social media platforms against democracy 28 March 2023 Oona Castro

On 8 January 2023, there was a shocking and violent coup attempt in Brazil that came on the heels of years of accelerating mass disinformation and fake news, reinforced through social networks and messaging apps. Our member and board director analyses this urgent test case of how a democracy can fight such information corruption and hold digital platforms accountable for mod...

Bodily autonomy and censorship: Snippets from South Asia
Bodily autonomy and censorship: Snippets from South Asia 03 March 2023 Seerat Khan for GenderIT.org

The overregulation of women's and gender-diverse folks' bodies in South Asian culture has found its way into online spaces and heavily polices how bodily autonomy is expressed and regarded. Seerat Khan discusses barriers to this autonomy and their impact on self-expression.

« Go back