Internet access: Russian programmers play “cat and mouse” game to outsmart censors
LUCY PAPACHRISTOU, of Reuters, reports on a growing ecosystem of freelance programmers and VPN companies involved in working to bypass controls on what Russians can access online…
Digital rights: Iran steps up internet crackdown one year after Mahsa Amini death
SANAM MAHOOZI, of Thomson Reuters Foundation, reports that one year after nationwide protests erupted in Iran, people suffer rolling internet blackouts, but create an online freedom community to fight for digital rights…
Visa justice: Border rules block poorer nations from world summits
LIN TAYLOR, of Thomson Reuters Foundation, reports on how citizens with less powerful passports struggle to reach major conferences and climate talks where policy is shaped…
Biometrics: UK food bank users swap face scans for free food
Charities say digital cash transfers give users autonomy, while digital rights groups argue that biometric data can put vulnerable people at risk. LIN TAYLOR, of Thomson Reuters Foundation, reports…
India leads world in cutting internet access for fifth year in a row – watchdog
Reuters India imposed by far the highest number of internet shutdowns in the world in 2022, internet advocacy watchdog Access Now said on Tuesday, as the country topped the list for the fifth successive year. Out of 187 internet shutdowns globally recorded by Access Now, 84 took place in India, including 49 in Indian-administered Kashmir, […]
Slowdowns and shutdowns: Africans challenge internet restrictions
Nairobi, Kenya/Durban, South AfricaThomson Reuters Foundation Internet curbs and shutdowns in African countries have disrupted communication and complicated everyday life for millions of people over the last year, with Sudan becoming the latest nation hit by sweeping connectivity blocks this week. Telecommunications were interrupted in Sudan on Monday after the army seized power from a transitional government in a coup […]
Afghan panic over digital footprints spurs call for data collection rethink
Thomson Reuters Foundation Concerns about sensitive data falling into the hands of the Taliban after they took control of Afghanistan have rekindled a debate among privacy experts on the ethics of data collection by aid agencies and multilateral institutions. As the insurgents moved into the capital, Kabul, on Sunday, residents fretted that biometric databases maintained […]
Left in the dark: Millions hit by internet shutdowns in 2020
Thomson Reuters Foundation From Belarus to Myanmar, 29 countries suspended internet services in 2020, mainly during protests or elections, cutting off millions from vital information as the coronavirus pandemic raged, digital rights group Access Now said on Wednesday. Internet shutdowns prevented people in dozens of countries from working, studying, communicating and accessing life-saving news last […]
Internet shutdowns “not justified” in coronavirus outbreak
Bangkok, Thailand/Addis Ababa, EthiopiaThomson Reuters Foundation Internet shutdowns cannot be justified at a time when access to information is critical to containing the deadly coronavirus pandemic, human rights groups have warned. The outbreak has infected more than 245,000 people worldwide and the death toll now exceeds 10,000, according to a Reuters tally. “Internet access is […]
Coronavirus controls increase surveillance “danger”
Bangkok, ThailandThomson Reuters Foundation The coronavirus outbreak has enabled authorities from China to Russia to increase surveillance and clamp down on free speech, with the risk that these measures will persist even after the situation eases, digital rights experts said. COVID-19, the illness caused by the new coronavirus which emerged from China late last year, […]