In the wake of a recently reignited war with Azerbaijan in 2020, concerns about the spread of digital disinformation in Armenia have grown. So much so that a raft of legislation has been proposed by lawmakers in the Armenian parliament to address the issue. However, some of the current proposals would severely impact journalists’ ability to cover stories of public interest.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, contact tracing applications have been viewed around the world as a sound countermeasure for containing the coronavirus. With the ability to pinpoint the spread of the virus based on features such as geolocation-tracking, the technology has become a cornerstone of initiatives led by governments around the world to control the spread of the virus and keep citizens safe.

On June 5th, Nigerian President Mohammadu Buhari announced a countrywide ban on Twitter after the company deleted the President’s recent tweets about the Biafra civil war, claiming they violated the platform’s policy on “

While many have lauded social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube for being open spaces for self-expression, there is no doubt that this openness can also be problematic. This is particularly true when it comes to hate speech or other dangerous content.

Social media advocates have historically lauded its ability to facilitate democratic progress by connecting people over space and time, enabling faster and wider mobilization than ever before. However, in recent years, this optimism has faded, and platforms have also become effective tools for dictators looking to spread disinformation and propaganda. Today, the social media ecosystem is a hotly contested sphere of political influence rife with disinformation, hate speech, and even violence.