👨⚖️ Case to watch 🔍
Next week, #Italy highest court will hear the case of Fabio Butera and decide whether #journalists can be punished for things they never wrote.
We warn that holding journalists liable for third‑party comments is backdoor to censorship and harassment.
#FreeSpeech #MediaFreedom
It's been 5 years since our colleague and friend Andrei Aliaksandrau was imprissoned in #Belarus for his defence of freedom of expression and #HumanRights.
Andrei never gave up and neither should we. We continue to demand his release & of all political prisoners in Belarus.
Pls join this campaign!
Great article by @davidakaye.bsky.social in @techpolicypress.bsky.social exposing lies that #EU is censoring Americans.
In reality, regulators are going after #BigTech for breaking competition and privacy laws. Calling that “censorship” is a way to dodge the real issue. Unchecked corporate power.
Important development
The EU is asking Grok to retain the records.
It may have already produced illegal sexual content and cannot be trusted to keep the evidence intact.
We do not need to talk about future risks of AI, in many instances, harm is already done.
#AI #EU #HumanRights #DataRetention
If you think that propaganda, bogus pretext of “law enforcement”, false narratives and false justifications do not engage state obligations in the area of freedom of expression... than, yes we will agree to disagree.
sure, check here, re self-defence, extraterritorial law enforcement, drug trafficking and etc
www.justsecurity.org/127981/inter...
Our statement on the USA military action in #Venezuela.
We warn it'll lead to further escalation of repression, esp for human rights defenders, independent & political activists.
Plus, US disinfo spin distorts facts, threatens #FreeSpeech, #journalism & #democracy & silences debate region-wide.
Draft text of a JOINT RESOLUTION Providing for congressional disapproval of the use of United States Armed Forces against Venezuela concluding: Be it therefore resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the use of force by the United States Armed Forces and any other Departments of the U.S. Government is hereby disapproved and, consistent with Section 5(b) of the War Powers Resolution, directs the President immediately to remove U.S. forces from the territory of Venezuela.
democrats need to introduce a resolution disapproving trump's aggression and directing him to withdraw US forces.
here's a draft. it's not rocket science.
Seems #Ireland has discovered the best way to regulate Big Tech is to… let #BigTech do it.
It appointed a former Meta lobbyist as Data Protection Commissioner.
With 43 organisations, we wrote to the Gov to reconsider and pick someone with #dataprotection expertise, through a transparent process
They say #democracy needs a shield and the #EU needs to do more to reclaim its #sovereignty.
But the EU can’t build digital sovereignty without giving real support to the people actually defending democracy!
Check our article for @techpolicypress.bsky.social on this very issue 👇
#FreeSpeech
In case you missed this, we're taking on Apple & challenging its stranglehold on iPhones and iPads.
We'sre asking @ec.europa.eu to stop Apple from ignoring #DMA rules so smaller companies can compete fairly.
And that people can choose which apps and services they want
For more info check 👇
Folks at Tech Policy Press have launched an 'Ideas for Europe’s Future' series! As part of it, they will be publishing perspectives from leading experts who joined out Future of Democracy event
@openmarkets.bsky.social
Read @ramshajahangir.bsky.social's great write up & stay tuned for more
In her talk in the @europarl.europa.eu about future of #dmocracy & #FreeSpeech, @mariaressa.bsky.social reminded us that she found Mark Zuckerberg to be a bigger dictator than Rodrigo Duterte, the former president of the Philippines.
And rightly so!
#BigTech #Dictatorship #Meta
When talking about #AI, let's stop talking about AI "hallucination".
We are talking about predictive algorithms.
So we should call it what it is. The term to use is ERROR.
#IndustryManipulation #BigTech
Day 2 of our Future of Democracy with
@openmarkets.bsky.social!
Follow along to hear from Nobel Peace Prize winner @mariaressa.bsky.social, @alexandrageese.bsky.social, Mira Milosevic, @dimi.wikimedia.brussels, @courtneyr.bsky.social + ARTICLE 19's Quinn McKew
www.youtube.com/live/vZTwYPS...
Thanks to everyone who followed our event yesterday and huge thanks to Commissioner @michaelmcgratheu.bsky.social for coming and his support.
100% agree with this!
Powerful words from Margrethe Vestager, on the role that competition plays in defending and reinforcing democracies and rights.
"We want to stand up to the bully and hold power to account. That is what people understand and that is the story of competition enforcement."
@openmarkets.bsky.social
Barbora speaking in front of a jam jar with a label requiring payment for all mentions of authoritarianism, etc.
The folks at @article19.bsky.social have a kitty for mentions of authoritarianism, and Barbora expects to be bankrupt by the end of her speech.
A piece of warning at this event about future of #democrcacy & #freespeech in age of AI:
We have to stop talking about #AI as if it were destiny.
In hands of unaccountable billionaires, it will be perfect dictatorship. Invisible, frictionless, personalised.
And you may never know you are in it!
Our colleague Max gave this interview about the state of #freespeech around the world and what professional journalists can do to defend the freedom of speech in authoritarian regimes
Check it up!
soundcloud.com/radioromania...
Real relief in a time when voices like Alaa's are needed outside a cell, not inside one
#FreeSpeech #HumanRIghts #Egypt
Check the latest ARTICLE 19 Boundaries of Expression podcast about the fight to recognise #gender apartheid in #Iran & #Afghanistan as an international crime.
Crucial #FreeSpeech issue where silencing women through systemic oppression denies their voices and rights
www.article19.org/resources/bo...
Together with partners, we are urging @ec.europa.eu to investigate Google's Android for restricting user choice by hiding or blocking disabling of pre-installed apps.
Such practices violate the #DMA’s promise of fair competition & user control
#DigitalRights
www.euronews.com/next/2025/07...
🚨 TODAY: The #UK @houseoflords.parliament.uk votes on allowing up to 15% foreign ownership of UK newspapers, including those with links to #China.
We warn this creates risks of foreign influence. It also threatens media pluralism & #freespeech without strong safeguards.
HoL must vote against it
Last year was one for the books! 🚀
We fought for #freespeech, empowered thousands, pushed for global human rights in AI, and much more.
If you want to see what impact we made together, check our 2024 Impact report 👇
#Impact2024 #PowerOfOurVoices #FreedomOfExpression
We’re no #BigTech cheerleaders.
But we welcome today decision of @echr.coe.int in #Google v #Russia concerning huge fines for refusing to remove political content and restoring monetisation of sanctioned TV channel on #YOutube owned by Russian oligarch
It's win for #FreeSpeech
After Bob Vylan’s #Glastonbury set sparked a global storm, with police investigation and leaders calling his remarks #HateSpeech, we urge clear understanding of hate speech laws. Not all shocking/offensive speech is illegal.
#FreeSpeech must be protected unless it incites violence or discrimination.
It's been over 4 years since #Myanmar & military’s onslaught on #MediaFreedom shows no signs of abating.
At least 60 journalists are in jail.
We call on States to continue condemning all attacks on journalists and support media organisations trying to bring the violations to account
#freespeech
🔍👀 Who’s watching you?
#Spyware is often abused to surveil journalists and human rights activists. We say enough is enough!
We call on #EU to take urgent concrete action to respond to this threat.
Protect journalists, activists, and democracy itself!
More 👇
#humanrights #freespeech #StopSpyware