Censorship

In jurisdictions around the world, there are laws or administrative practices that can be abused to censor critical voices on- and offline.

Criminal defamation laws are easily abused by authorities to limit scrutiny and to stifle public debates, and are often used against journalists reporting on controversial issues, or members of the public expressing themselves online.

Equally, laws that criminalise so-called “false news” provide public authorities with a powerful instrument to control journalistic activities: allowing public officials to decide what counts as truth is tantamount to accepting that the forces in power have a right to silence any opposition.    Like ‘hate speech’ or terrorism, the notion of “fake news” is too vague to prevent subjective and arbitrary interpretation.

Laws that seek to deal with the dissemination of unlawful content on social media also often fail to comply with international standards, by being too broad and therefore encouraging social media platforms to over-censor.

While forms of censorship have evolved with the growth of the internet as a space for expression, efforts by states to restrict the right to freedom of opinion and expression through vague and broad provisions are still a frequent occurrence.

Israel: Al Jazeera ban is an attack on media freedom and war reporting
08.05.2024 4 min read

Israel: Al Jazeera ban is an attack on media freedom and war reporting

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World Press Freedom Day: Brazil victory for Amazon defenders
02.05.2024 2 min read

World Press Freedom Day: Brazil victory for Amazon defenders

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Togo:  Muzzling of foreign media ahead of election raises serious concern
19.04.2024 6 min read

Togo: Muzzling of foreign media ahead of election raises serious concern

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Blog: Reframing the TikTok debate – the need for a human rights approach
16.04.2024 20 min read

Blog: Reframing the TikTok debate – the need for a human rights approach

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Myanmar: Crackdown on Freedom of Expression with 24-hour Monitoring
01.04.2024 10 min read

Myanmar: Crackdown on Freedom of Expression with 24-hour Monitoring

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Poland: Rainbow Mary case underscores the need to repeal blasphemy laws
25.03.2024 3 min read

Poland: Rainbow Mary case underscores the need to repeal blasphemy laws

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Free speech implications of the ICJ South Africa v. Israel case: key webinar takeaways
21.03.2024 15 min read

Free speech implications of the ICJ South Africa v. Israel case: key webinar takeaways

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China: Threats and intimidation ahead of Foreign Minister’s Australia trip
18.03.2024 4 min read

China: Threats and intimidation ahead of Foreign Minister’s Australia trip

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Blog: In China, when cyber censorship fails, resort to old-fashioned intimidation
12.03.2024 11 min read

Blog: In China, when cyber censorship fails, resort to old-fashioned intimidation

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