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Introducing the Submission to the Global Digital Compact

2022 Leaders

This submission to the Global Digital Compact seeks to contribute to the global discourse on the open and democratic internet, while…

Using Right to Information as a Tool for Global Advocacy

Radhika Jhalani

The right to information (RTI) is an important tool for advocacy worldwide. In authoritarian regimes, access…

Online Freedom of Expression in the Legislative Framework of Nepal

Ananda Gautam

Freedom of expression is often referred to as one of the crucial components of democratic governments. It is…

Countering Mis/Disinformation during COVID-19: Lessons from Sri Lanka

Salma Razick

Photo by engin akyurt…

The Reality of Digital Authoritarianism in Venezuela

David Aragort

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La verdad del autoritarismo digital en Venezuela

David Aragort

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Assessing the Impact of Internet Shutdowns on Refugees and Host Communities in Uganda

Frank Ategeka

As of 2021, there were approximately …

The impact of internet shutdowns and connectivity challenges on democratic participation in Uganda

Frank Ategeka

Uganda has seen a significant rise in internet users over the past decade, which is in large part due to…

The Increasing Demand for Democratic Rights Online: A Case Study From Sri Lanka

Salma Razick

Photo by Kris Thomas

Sri Lanka is currently experiencing its worst economic crisis ever and…

Online Violence Against Women: In Whose Hands Are Journalists Safe?

Lourdes Walusala

A couple of years ago, I lost my first child due to a pregnancy-related complication. This experience ignited…

Derechos Digitales y Democracia: Censura en Internet en Venezuela

David Aragort

Durante los últimos años Venezuela ha experimentado diversas crisis en las que el acceso a información…

Digital Rights and Democracy: Online Censorship in Venezuela

David Aragort

In recent years, Venezuela has experienced many crises during which access to reliable and timely information…

The Facebook Papers: How Authoritarian Governments Are Pressuring Platforms to Stifle Free Speech

Gideon Sarpong

Last year’s …

CIMA Q&A with Yohannes Eneyew Ayalew: The Dangers of Media “Ethnification” in Ethiopia

CIMA Staff

In a year of civil war, thousands of Ethiopians have been killed, millions have been forced from their homes,…

The Economic Impact of Nigeria’s #TwitterBan: Context and Implications

Emmanuel C. Ogu

Context

NetBlocks’ Cost of Shutdown Tool (COST) estimates that…

Can Legislation Address Online Gender-Based Violence in Namibia?

Nashilongo Gervasius

The idea of an open internet is hinged on the tenet that all citizens can freely voice their opinions,…

Thinking Globally, Acting Locally: Shaping the Future of Global Digital Democracy through Localized Approaches

Summer Boucher-Robinson

With internet freedom on the decline for the …

The Law Should Work for Us: Addressing Kenya's Regulatory Gap to Build a Safer Internet for Women and Girls

Catherine Muya

Internews …

The New Censorship: Why Protecting Journalists Online from Harassment is Critical to Press Freedom

Gideon Sarpong

The rise of social media platforms provides many opportunities to the more …

Tracking the Tracking Apps: COVID-19 in SEE+: Action Items for Future Pandemics

Meri Baghdasaryan

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted nearly every aspect of public life. Virtually unprecedented, the public…

Podcast Announcement: Advancing Data Privacy and Protection in Kenya

Sheilah Birgen

On August 4, 2021, Open Internet for Democracy Leader (Leader) …

Armenia’s new digital disinformation bills threaten free speech and press freedom

Meri Baghdasaryan

In the wake of a recently reignited war with Azerbaijan in 2020, concerns about the spread of digital…

Developing and Deploying New Technologies with Privacy in Mind: A Case Study on Contact Tracing Applications in Latin America

Paola Galvez

During the COVID-19 pandemic, contact tracing applications have been viewed around the world as a sound…

Nigeria’s Twitter Ban & the Political Violence on Citizens' Freedom of Speech

Esther Mwema

On June 5th, Nigerian President Mohammadu Buhari …

Uprooting hate speech: The challenging task of content moderation in Ethiopia

Yohannes Eneyew Ayalew

While many have …

How to Contribute to Global and Local Conversations on Internet Governance

Paola Galvez

In recent decades, citizens around the world have continuously relied on the internet to engage with one…

Internet Shutdowns and the Future of African Democracy: What More Can We Do?

Catherine Muya

Kenya will hold its general election next year in 2022, and I can’t stop wondering if the government will dare…

Is Digital Inequality a Justice Issue?

Esther Mwema

When we start to think of digital rights as human rights, it transforms digital inequality into an issue of injustice. As…

How Big Tech’s Content Moderation Policies Could Jeopardize Users in Authoritarian Regimes

Gideon Sarpong

Social media advocates have historically lauded its ability to facilitate democratic progress by connecting…

The Internet in 2030: Digital Rights Experts on the Decade Ahead

Open Internet for Democracy Initiative

The internet is a constantly evolving technological platform. It’s unlikely that when the very first internet…

Report: The Shrinking Space for Media Freedom in Southeast Europe

Dr. Rumena Filipova, Dr. Ognian Shentov, and Ruslan Stefanov

This blog and the associated report was fully produced and published by the Center for the Study of Democracy (CSD). Editor of the report, Ruslan…

Data Protection and Privacy in the Absence of Law: A Namibian exploration during COVID-19

Nashilongo Gervasius

In 2006, the Council of Europe launched "Data Protection Day" to commemorate the anniversary of the 1981 passage of Europe's data protection bill…

REPORT: THE STATE OF INTERNET FREEDOM IN AFRICA 2020

CIPESA

On September 29, 2020, the Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA) released a new report, State of…

PRESERVING AN OPEN INTERNET IN LESOTHO THROUGH A MULTI-STAKEHOLDER DIALOGUE

Thato Mochone

Open Internet for Democracy Leader, Thato Mochone, shares the outcomes of a virtual multi-stakeholder dialogue aimed at initiating…

THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC HIGHLIGHTED VENEZUELA’S DROP IN INTERNET PENETRATION

Margaret López

What happens during a national health emergency when citizens don’t have access to the internet? People in Venezuela are finding out as…

A WHIRLWIND OF INFORMATION: THE CONSEQUENCES OF DISINFORMATION AND MISINFORMATION DURING A PANDEMIC

Thato Mochone

Open Internet Leader, Thato Mochone examines how governments in Southern Africa are utilizing the disinformation and misinformation surrounding…

MULTI-STAKEHOLDER INSIGHTS ON PROTECTING AN OPEN INTERNET: A PERSPECTIVE FROM NIGERIA

Gift Agboro

To spark conversations that address policies restricting an open internet in Nigeria, I hosted a roundtable discussion in Abuja, Nigeria, earlier…

CONSTITUTIONALISM, THE RULE OF LAW & DEMOCRATIC GOVERNANCE: A CONVERSATION WITH PROFESSOR THULI MADONSELA

Mary-Jean Nleya

South African Professor Thuli Madonsela discusses the rule of law in the age of COVID-19, including important considerations around data…

THE TWIST OF FATE, OR ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT FACIAL RECOGNITION IN DEMOCRATIC POST-GDPR EUROPE

Olga Kyryliuk

The use of facial recognition technology is on the rise, particularly among governments who claim that it helps keep their citizens safer. But how…

Responses to Tackling COVID-19: State of Emergency, Rule of Law & the Public Good

Mary-Jean Nleya

The rapid spread of COVID-19 has led many governments to enact emergency measures that temporarily expand their powers in an effort to combat and…

DISINFORMATION AND ITS IMPACT ON SOCIETY: A CASE STUDY FROM SOUTH AFRICA

Gift Agboro

Disinformation can also have less immediately visible but equally dangerous results that undermine democracy by distorting public discourse and…

UKRAINE WANTS TO FIGHT DISINFORMATION BY INTRODUCING DE-FACTO CENSORSHIP

Olga Kyryliuk

Ukraine's proposed legislative amendments raise concerns about the future of freedom of speech and the free flow of information.

SOCIAL WELFARE AT THE COST OF PRIVACY. NOT ANYMORE, SAID DUTCH COURT

Olga Kyryliuk

The beginning of February was marked by a pivotal…

THE NEED TO UNDERSTAND OUR DIGITAL RIGHTS IN OUR OWN LANGUAGES

Eduardo Carrillo

The fight towards a free and democratic internet has numerous battlefields, but equally important is the creation of a network representative of…

AS BOTSWANA HEADS TO THE POLLS, COMPETITIVE ELECTIONS HIGHLIGHT NEED TO STRENGTHEN MEDIA AND DATA LAWS

Mary-Jean Nleya

An electorate ought to be empowered to make their own political and socio-economic decisions, and as such, a public sphere where information is…

THE ROLE OF MULTI-STAKEHOLDER COALITIONS IN THE FIGHT AGAINST DIGITAL RIGHTS VIOLATIONS

Kathleen Ndongmo

With a marked increase in digital rights violations across the African continent since 2016, citizens have found various ways to protest against…

THREATS TO DEMOCRACY ONLINE IN THE PHILIPPINES

Mary Rose Ofianga Rontal

How is a lack of multistakeholder discussions, a digital divide, and pro-surveillance legislation impacting the internet in the Philippines?…

TECHNICAL FAILURES THAT MUZZLE: CENSORSHIP ON FACEBOOK OF THE WORKERS' PARTY IN PARAGUAY

Eduardo Carrillo

How can Facebook's Community Standards harm freedom of expression in a global context? This case study from Paraguay explores this topic.…

IS AI ETHICAL?

Iness ben Guirat

The growth of artificial intelligence has raised numerous concerns about its ethicality. What should users be on the lookout for - both positive…

THE DEMOCRATIC PRINCIPLES FOR AN OPEN INTERNET AS A FRAMEWORK FOR DIGITAL ENTREPRENEURS

Mary Rose Ofianga

To promote a deeper understanding of internet governance and digital rights by local communities in the Philippines, Womenpowered Digital and ICT…

THE FIVE-STEP APPROACH TO CONDUCTING A DIGITAL RIGHTS CAMPAIGN

Mary Rose Ofianga

Imagine you are a digital rights organization that has developed a series of materials on digital rights literacy, and now your organization is…

THE IMPACT OF DIGITAL RIGHTS VIOLATIONS ON AFRICAN ECONOMIES

Kathleen Ndongmo

If internet shutdowns become the norm across Africa, the economic development of the continent will severely stagnate, as a large majority of…

HOW TECH COMMUNITIES CAN CONTRIBUTE TO SHAPING THE INTERNET WE WANT

Mary Rose Ofianga

Being experts in the design and use of internet platforms, tech communities can provide valuable insights for policymakers on the development of…

THE FIGHT FOR PRIVACY

Iness Ben Guirat

The pervasiveness of digital technology has exponentially increased the potential for intrusions into personal privacy, but users are often…

APP SECURITY FLAWS COULD CREATE ADDED RISKS FOR LGBTQI COMMUNITIES

Eduardo Carrillo

Are apps and websites that cater to vulnerable communities failing to adequately address the inherent security risks faced by their users?

WHAT NEXT FOR ADVOCACY AGAINST NETWORK DISRUPTIONS?

The Global Network Initiative's (GNI) David Sullivan summarizes the joint GNI and Open Internet for Democracy Initiative-led session at the 2018…

WHY ARE PAKISTANIS UNABLE TO CONNECT WITH THE DIGITAL RIGHTS MOVEMENT?

ByTalal Raza

Despite the fact that nearly 50 million Pakistanis now use the internet and the number of cybercrime cases is increasing, why do some people in…

IGF 2017 RECAP: WHY OPEN INTERNET MATTERS FOR DEMOCRACY

At the Internet Governance Forum, CIPE discusses inclusive online dialogue, disinformation, and democratic governance.

From the post:…

WATCH THE IGF PANEL ON THREATS TO DEMOCRATIC PROCESSES ONLINE, 12/21/17

The panel will include discussions of technical censorship and throttling by ISPs, the legal implications of surveillance and cyber laws, and the…

NEW CASE STUDIES HIGHLIGHT CIVIL SOCIETY RESPONSES TO INTERNET THREATS

CIMA's new digital report provides on the ground examples of groups that have successfully fought for policies and norms that strengthen Internet…

NEW INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS NEEDED TO PROTECT THE OPEN INTERNET

NDI requests suggestions and inputs on the draft open internet principles framework to ensure its contents are led by diverse stakeholders.

OPEN INTERNET PRINCIPLES FOR DEMOCRACY: PUTTING MEDIA FREEDOM FRONT AND CENTER

CIMA seeks input on open internet principles for media stakeholders and real-world examples of what they look like in practice.

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OPEN INTERNET PRINCIPLES FOR DEMOCRACY: STAND UP FOR FREE ONLINE SPEECH IN THE FACE OF OPPRESSIVE GOVERNMENTS

CIPE calls for feedback on draft open internet principles.

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