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Censorship

A collection of 662 articles

DISCUSS: Mass shootings, “conspiracy theories” & free speech

This past month has seen an influx of news stories, all somehow featuring the supposed negative effects of “online misinformation”, “hate speech” and/or “conspiracy theories”. In New Zealand a few days ago, one couple had their baby placed in the care of a hospital after refusing to approve a

Hong Kong: Media Tycoon Trial a Travesty

(New York) – The authorities in Hong Kong should immediately drop the baseless charges against Jimmy Lai, the pro-democracy media tycoon, and unconditionally release him and his six co-defendants, Human Rights Watch said today. Lai’s trial is scheduled to resume on December 13, 2022. Hong Kong authorities have called on

Swimming with Sharks

So, Elon Musk’s new free-speech Twitter appears to be going extremely well.

Twitter Files: Executives Met with Federal Agencies Amid Hunter Biden Laptop Scandal, Allowed FBI to Report Tweets

Elon Musk’s Twitter released another batch of internal discussions on Friday, which revealed that executives at the social media company had met with federal agencies amid the Hunter Biden laptop story, and that the FBI reported tweets it didn’t like to workers at the company. On Friday night,

Russia: Harsh Sentence For Opposition Politician

(New York) – A Moscow court on December 9, 2022, sentenced a Russian opposition politician to eight and a half years in prison with an additional four-year ban on use of the internet, in continued efforts to dismantle and decapitate Russia’s peaceful political opposition and silence any criticism of the

'Visibility Filtering:' Twitter Files Reveals Shadowbanning, Other Tools Used to Censor Conservatives

A new Twitter Files investigation has revealed the many tools that company executives employed to blacklist and shadowban conservative voices.

Indonesia: New Criminal Code Disastrous for Rights

(Jakarta) – The Indonesian parliament passed a new criminal code on December 6, 2022, containing provisions that seriously violate international human rights law and standards, Human Rights Watch said today. Articles in the new code violate the rights of women, religious minorities, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people, and

Greece: Problematic Surveillance Bill

(Athens, December 8, 2022) – Greece’s lawmakers are considering a draft surveillance law that lacks effective privacy and human rights safeguards, Human Rights Watch said today.

Poland: Lawmaker Faces Charges for Pro-Choice Protest

(Berlin) – Poland’s government should immediately drop charges against a member of parliament who participated in a pro-choice protest and stop targeting reproductive rights activists, Human Rights Watch said today. On November 29, 2022, the Toruń prosecutor’s office charged Joanna Scheuring-Wielgus, a member of the Left (Lewica) party, with

'Everyone Knew This Was F*cked:' Elon Musk Releases Twitter's Internal Convos on Hunter Biden Laptop Censorship

Elon Musk’s Twitter released internal discussions about censoring the Hunter Biden laptop story Friday night via journalist Matt Taibbi.

Elon Musk: Twitter Has 'Interfered in Elections'

Elon Musk claimed in a recent tweet that Twitter has “failed in trust & safety for a very long time and has interfered in elections.” Musk, the new owner of the platform, has promised to release internal documents to restore public trust in the company. In a recent tweet, Twitter owner

China: Respect Right to Peaceful Protest

(New York) – The Chinese government should respect the fundamental rights of people across China to peacefully protest the government’s draconian “zero Covid” restrictions and to call for freedom and human rights, Human Rights Watch said today. The authorities should immediately release all protesters wrongfully detained and cease online censorship

The Emperor Elonicus

Everyone is going to hate this column.

Thailand: Police Forcibly Disperse APEC Protesters

(New York) – Thai riot police used apparently excessive force to disperse demonstrators protesting against the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Bangkok on November 18, 2022, Human Rights Watch said today. Prime Minister Gen. Prayut Chan-ocha should promptly order an impartial investigation into alleged beatings and the use of rubber