Stories
2025: The year we decide the internet's future
In 2024, critical discussions began that could reshape internet governance, with debates extending into 2025. At stake is the shift from a multi stakeholder model ... to a government-dominated approach.
Vietnam strengthens control of internet and civil society through new decrees
This new decree “neither protect the public from any genuine security concerns nor respect fundamental human rights.”
Fifteen times Hong Kong made international headlines in 2024
Hong Kong made the news on several occasions in 2024 whether for passing new security legislation, censorship laws, or the mystery surrounding the deaths of several monkeys at a city-centre zoo.
India's internet shutdown crisis: A growing threat to digital rights
India’s approach to internet governance presents a paradox. Despite positioning itself as a leader of digital innovation, government-imposed shutdowns threaten the country’s digital infrastructure and risks violating citizens' fundamental rights.
Internet outages and blocks in Latin America in 2024
From Cuba to Brazil, blackouts or the blocking of social media affected the connectivity of the Latin American continent.
A year of elections and digital repression in South Asia: 2024 in focus
This summary of Global Voices' 2024 South Asia coverage highlights how governments introduced measures to tighten control over online spaces amid elections and political unrest.
Data Narratives Civic Media Observatory: Country Reports
The reports examined the complexities of the data governance landscape across the five countries through the lens of the data narratives and counter-narratives that shape conversations in each country.
How the UN Cybercrime Convention 2023 can pose a threat to human rights defenders and exiled journalists
The convention must include mandatory dual criminality clauses, respect human rights safeguards, establishing that no cooperation will be provided in cases that could result in violations of fundamental rights.
How artificial intelligence can be weaponized for harassment
A 2023 analysis of over 95,000 deepfake videos found that up to 98 percent of them were deepfake pornography, and, of those, 99 percent of the individuals targeted were women.
Artificial Intelligence Narratives: A Global Voices Report
Our Data Narratives research delves into discourse about data and artificial intelligence in five countries: Sudan, El Salvador, India, Brazil, and Turkey.
Women in public positions in North Macedonia are easy targets of hate speech
Despite visible progress in the fight for women’s rights, increased representation in politics and greater attention to issues affecting women, the tendency to express contempt and insult them persists.
In Azerbaijan, authorities are again targeting journalists, in a new wave of arrests
The authorities in Baku insist none of the criticisms are true, instead accusing those critical of the regime of double standards, bias and meddling in the country's internal matters.
Online safety or censorship? Malaysia’s parliament passes two contentious media bills
“These measures risk transforming Malaysia’s digital spaces into stricter and highly regulated environments, stifling open discourse and innovation while entrenching state control over the internet.”
Eyes in the sky: Hong Kong police considering AI-enhanced drone patrols
Hong Kong police are considering using drones for routine patrols and analysing their images with artificial intelligence.
How tech companies enable censorship in Vietnam
"Our findings show a concerning situation where these companies almost always comply with an increasing number of content moderation requests from the Vietnamese government."
The great Pakistan firewall and use of religion as a tool for digital authoritarianism
Pakistan has implemented a national firewall to regulate online content and mandated the registration of lawful VPN usage, with a ban on unregistered VPNs set to take effect from December 1.
Forty-five Hong Kong pro-democracy activists jailed up to 10 years in landmark national security case
The U.S government said the 45 were punished for peaceful participation in political activities under the protection of Basic Law while the HK government insisted on the severity of the crime.
Reflections on youth-led movements against state repression in Bangladesh and Indonesia
This article introduces a Pretty-Good-Podcast Youth episode, featuring an interview with Activate Rights' founders on Bangladesh's student-led protests and their influence on youth's understanding of human and digital rights.
The transformative potential of AI and digital tools in securing the integrity of elections in Africa
Platforms like Full Fact in the UK and Africa Check in South Africa use AI to scan political speeches, news stories, and social media posts for misinformation.
Montenegrin civil society condemns initiative for Russia-style ‘Foreign Agents’ Law
Montenegro is the latest Balkan country trying to adopt a Foreign Agents Law, which would effectively cripple civil society and force any NGOs receiving foreign aid to be labeled "foreign agents."
