freedom of expression
As many as 88% of Pakistani journalists said they self-censor in their professional work and are most likely to hold back information related to religious and security matters in their reporting and personal conversations, according to new research by APC member Media Matters for Democracy (MMfD). The study, Surrendering to Silence: An Account of self-censorship among Pakistani journalists , launched during World Press Freedom Day, is based on a survey of 156 journali...
Regulations pertaining to online spaces have taken many forms. Information and communication technology (ICT) laws throughout Asia have provisions that seek to censor and criminalise speech online. These regulations pose a significant challenge to people’s freedom of expression and their ability to participate in democratic processes such as elections. Media and journalists along with human rights defenders are finding it increasingly difficult to engage in online spaces with the threat of ...
7amleh – The Arab Center for the Advancement of Social Media published its annual report on Palestinian digital activism under the title #Palestine 2017. This annual report is being published for the third consecutive year and monitors social media activities of all Palestinians throughout 2017. The research provides statistics and information about Palestinians' internet access and usage, ex...
We welcome this topic because it is current and integral to our work. On the one hand there is a lot of “noise” in the mainstream media about so-called “fake news” and what appears to be a fairly rushed response from platforms consisting of increasing in-house regulation of content. On the other hand, human rights defenders and activists we work with express concern that platforms are r...
APC member in the Philippines Foundation for Media Alternatives (FMA) expresses grave concern over the decision of the Philippine authorities to shut down cell sites during huge festivities. The organisation calls for transparency regarding the guidelines used by authorities before resorting to signal jamming. As advocates of human rights and communication rights, FMA believes that human rights...
The new report titled “Internet freedoms in Palestine: Mapping of digital rights violations and threats”, available in English and Arabic, constitutes the first of its kind on the Palestinian level. The report analyses freedoms in the Palestinian virtual sphere, especially in the context of violations that have recently been perpetrated against Palestinian activists on social media platform...
The crackdown on the use of secure digital communications in many parts of the world is very concerning. Many governments, including those of Australia and the United Kingdom, are threatening to legislate backdoors for law enforcement in encryption standards, which would substantially weaken security for everyone while increasing the likelihood of damaging attacks from bad actors. Recently, Tur...
The right to privacy plays a critical role as an enabling right for the exercise and enjoyment of other rights, as well as for the free development of an individual’s personality and identity. It also protects and enhances an individual’s ability to participate in political, economic, social and cultural life. It is to be noted with concern that any violations or abuses of the right to priv...
This piece was originally published by FORUM-ASIA From 4-6 October 2017, FORUM-ASIA, APC, Bytes for All, Pakistan and Global Partners Digital are organising a regional consultation in Bangkok on the State of Freedoms of Assembly, Association, Expression and Religion on the Internet in Asia. Day 1 The first day started with words of welcome from the four organisers by: Chat ...
Much of the studies on hate speech use legal analyses and focus on the speaker. While this is important to any understanding of incitement to hatred and violence, it does not always capture the sociopolitical and historical developments that could explain why we are witnessing serious consequences of speech that does not necessarily meet the threshold or definition of hate speech, or the lack o...
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