Stories about Transparency
Whistleblowing is a service to society: Interview with Disruption Network Lab director Tatiana Bazzichelli
Whistleblowers are painted as heroes or villains, but what motivates them? Global Voices spoke to Tatiana Bazzichelli, a writer who recently edited "Whistleblowing for Change," an anthology on the subject.
War in Ukraine is fundamentally changing the relationship between the internet and geopolitics
Russia's invasion of Ukraine confirmed what internet and war scholars have long predicted: the line between civil and military reality is being erased, further fracturing the world along "sovereign internets."
Unfreedom Monitor Report: Brazil
Advox research into digital authoritarianism in Brazil is now in a report. Read an excerpt and download the full pdf.
Groundswell of support to free Julian Assange around February extradition hearing
"Don’t be fooled: Julian Assange is a journalist, not a hacker, and the US wants to make his work—national security journalism—a crime"
Right to Information: With its new law in place, will Ghana go the way of Nigeria?
Nearly two dozen African countries have passed Right to Information laws. But while strong in principle, many have faltered in practice.
Russian social media giant evades hard questions about privacy failures
One user challenged Vkontakte: "How many times have you challenged the security services in court over their demands to hand over user information? You have that right."
Iran’s telecommunications company illegally rerouted Telegram app traffic
In a new move aimed at tightening the state-imposed ban on the Telegram messaging app, the Telecommunications Company of Iran (TCI) temporarily rerouted Telegram app traffic in violation of domestic law in July 2018.In a new move aimed at tightening the state-imposed ban on the Telegram messaging app, the Telecommunications Company of Iran (TCI) temporarily rerouted Telegram app traffic in violation of domestic law in July 2018.
Telcos must disclose more data about internet shutdowns, say civil society groups
New research shows that the world's largest telecommunications companies disclose little to no information about their network shutdown policies and practices.
Protests Underscore the Potential Power of Iran's Access to Information Law
This is an opportune time to fully enforce efforts towards transparency after Iran's December-January protests. The first step must be a full implementation of Iran’s Access to Information law.
Netizen Report: Chelsea Manning and the Power of Transparency
This week, Chelsea Manning was finally released from prison, Ukraine censored Russian web platforms and Thailand threatened legal action against Facebook.
‘Those who tortured him [should] tell us the truth': Tunisian Commission Hears Net Freedom Testimonies From Dictatorship
The Truth and Dignity Commission is investigating rights abuses committed during the dictatorship era, including internet freedom violations.
WikiLeaks: From Collateral Murder to Collateral Recklessness
From rape victims to democratic party donors, WikiLeaks' latest data dumps demonstrate a disturbing trend of publishing the personal information of private individuals.
Mexico Launches National Transparency Platform
Mexico has a new tool to combat the opacity of public servants and of those who govern. But its effectiveness in practice remains to be seen.
Twitter Reports Massive Increase in Russian Government's Content Removal Requests
In the second half of 2015 Russian government agencies submitted 1,735 requests to remove content from Twitter—more than 25 times the number submitted in the first half of 2015.
Brazil’s Modern Day Slave Owners Don't Want Their Names on the Web
Multiple court rulings have led to the censorship of Brazil's "dirty list" that identifies companies engaged in forced labor practices.
Digital Citizen 3.6
Digital Citizen is a biweekly review of news, policy, and research on human rights and technology in the Arab World.
Why is WikiLeaks Hosting Malicious Files?
"We did not want to publish links to these emails if they included malicious attachments. This would be bad journalistic practice and it could put our readers at risk."
Netizen Report: WikiLeaks, TPP and the Ethics of a Leak Economy
Experts debate the ethics of WikiLeaks bounty for TPP documents, Macedonian activists discover broad-based wiretapping programs, and China censors numbers on the anniversary of Tiananmen.
“Their Freedom is Their Right”: A Campaign for Prisoners of Conscience in the Arab World
Three human rights organizations launch a social media campaign to raise awareness about prisoners of conscience throughout the Arab World.
Twitter’s Transparency Report: Can It Help Hold Arab Governments to Account?
If Twitter is adhering to local laws, users should know which local laws are being invoked, both to collect the data and in the cases to which they are related.