08Secrecy We must be empowered to challenge all limits to freedom of information justified on such grounds as national security. menuFind topics by keyword Abortion (5)Academia (10)Access (118)Accountability (1)Activism (1)Africa (44)Animal Rights (2)Anonymity (48)Antisemitism (8)Arab Spring (70)Art (72)Article 19 (12)Atheism (11)Australia (13)Blackwell's Panel (7)Blasphemy (105)Blogger (29)Books (6)Brazil (4)Buddhism (10)Burma (19)Canada (8)Catalonia (2)Catholicism (1)Celebrity (5)Censorship (215)Charlie Hebdo (16)Child abuse (4)China (52)Christianity (65)Citizen journalism (1)Civil liberties (1)Civility (181)Colonialism (16)Copyright (55)Corruption (11)Counter-speech (1)Debate (4)Defamation (122)Democracy (124)Denialism (15)Denmark (13)Discrimination (32)Diversity (2)Education (98)Egypt (26)Europe (24)Exclusion (6)Facebook (50)Film (5)Finland (4)France (17)Freedom (200)Gaza conflict (5)Gender (5)Genocide (28)Germany (35)Google (31)Governance (20)Hate speech (153)Hinduism (3)History (118)Homosexuality (10)Hong Kong (2)Human rights (1)Humour (14)Hungary (9)Hunger strike (7)India (79)Institutions (1)Intellectual Property (1)International law (1)Internet (307)Internet access (1)Internet companies (1)Iran (7)Islam (125)Israel (9)Italy (2)Japan (4)Journal (1)Journalism (144)Kenya (10)Knowledge (162)Language (56)Latin America (16)Law (291)Lese majesty (1)LGBT (1)Liberalism (27)Libya (11)Literature (39)Lord Ken MacDonald (4)Malaysia (1)Media (323)Memory (1)Memory laws (12)Middle East (75)Mijatović (1)Minorities (31)Money (53)Morality (45)Multiculturalism (52)National security (192)Nationalism (3)Net neutrality (101)Netherlands (3)New Zealand (4)Nigeria (1)No-platforming (11)Norway (4)Nudity (7)Occupy movement (1)Open source (9)Pakistan (25)Palestine (6)Philippines (4)Philosophy (4)Piracy (4)Poland (7)Politics (269)Pornography (45)Power (293)Privacy (135)Propaganda (1)Protest (115)Public Morality (96)Race (3)Radio (16)Regulation (30)Religion (193)Reputation (64)Right to information (277)Robust Civility (7)Russia (14)Russian interviews (5)Rwanda (5)Safe spaces (1)Satire (41)Saudi Arabia (12)Science (31)Scientology (1)Secrecy (4)Secularism (1)Self-Censorship (1)Singapore (7)Snowden (6)Social media (122)South Africa (12)Southeast Asia (8)Sport (7)Surveillance (31)Syria (8)Tanzania (1)Technology (150)Terrorism (16)Thailand (2)Tolerance (2)Tunisia (5)Turkey (49)Twitter (47)Ukraine (2)United Kingdom (94)United States (75)University (7)Violence (194)Whistleblowing (18)Wikileaks (13)Wikipedia (12)Yemen (2)YouTube (9) China’s public expression philosophy: a case of too little theory? The Chinese government’s stance towards the question of free speech is guided by a philosophy that is complex but intelligent. Rogier Creemers diagnoses the underlying causes. “If you rattle a snake…” The Kenyan government bites its media In 2006 the Kenyan police violently raided the offices and printing press of the Standard Group media organisation. What was the government afraid of seeing reported? Dominic Burbidge explores a revealing case. Is the ‘hands-off’ internet different to internet freedom? At the invitation of Index of Censorship and the Editors Guild of India, Timothy Garton Ash joins Kirsty Hughes at a panel discussion in Delhi with Shri Ajit Balakrishnan, Shri Sunil Abraham and Ramajit Singh Chima. Free speech as seen by a believer in an Abrahamic religion Islam, Christianity and Judaism are often accused of wanting to restrict free speech. Dominic Burbidge suggests a radically different perspective, from inside the thought-system of the Abrahamic faiths. The Southern Weekly affair: No closer to the Chinese dream? 2013 began dramatically in China with a standoff between journalists and state propaganda authorities over a drastically rewritten New Year editorial. Timothy Garton Ash introduces English translations of the original and finally published versions. Pressing for freedom: the protest over China’s “Southern Weekly” The Chinese Communist Party aims to control privately owned media without appearing to do so. A strike at a local newspaper imperils that balance, writes Liu Jin. In the Philippines, be careful of what you retweet A new cybercrime law in the Philippines would give unfettered powers to the state to monitor internet users, take down websites and imprison citizens writes Purple S. Romero The Nira Radia tapes controversy and the right to privacy Should government-initiated phone hacking be made public if the recordings are in the public interest? Shubhangi Bhadada exposes the thin line in India between the right to privacy and freedom of expression. Prashant Bhushan: The case for a referendum and how Kashmir could become “another Afghanistan” If the territorial dispute over Kashmir is not addressed through open debate, it may become “another Afghanistan”, says the Indian supreme court lawyer. Tarun Tejpal: How has investigative journalism in India changed in the last 20 years? Indian journalist and writer Tarun Tejpal speaks about development and corruption in India, and the role of investigative journalism. Arundhati Roy on national security & the Indian media The award-winning Indian novelist and activist speaks to Manav Bhushan about the limits to free speech in India, including government censorship through the media and “goon squads”. War is not cricket! An Indian and a Pakistani student at Oxford reflect on how their countries covered the same story in their own ways. By Zahra Shah and Debanshu Mukherjee. The future of free speech Human Rights activist Aryeh Neier speaks about the future of free speech. Prevent harm, allow offence? Robert Simpson suggests a way to distinguish between harm and offence. A sticky WCIT and the battle for control of the internet At the World Conference on International Telecommunications (WCIT), authoritarian governments staked worrying claims. But the US-dominated model of non-governmental internet governance brings its own problems, writes Alison Powell. Beware of the Clinton Paradox. Two years on, is it still spring in Tunisia? On 17 December 2010, Tunisian street vendor Mohamed Bouazizi set fire to himself – and began the Arab spring. Despite Islamist pressures on free speech and women’s rights, Rory McCarthy sees continued cause for hope. Brazil’s online crossroads between authoritarianism and democracy Despite Brazil’s democratic accomplishments, laws used to regulate websites date from the 1960s, giving arbitrary power to the state. A proposed ‘Marco Civil da Internet’ has the capacity to change this, writes Marcos Todeschini. How Ushahidi maps the voices of those in need Dominic Burbidge discusses how Ushahidi’s transformative crowdsourcing techniques have alleviated crises in Kenya and beyond. What’s a nice UN Internet Governance Forum doing in a place like this? The Oxford Internet Institute’s Ian Brown writes from Azerbaijan, asking whether a country that suppresses online freedom should be allowed to host a gathering devoted to discussing it. Brazil confronts Google – and it’s personal A top Google executive was arrested in Brazil when the company refused to remove YouTube videos that made accusations against a local mayoral candidate. Felipe Correa discusses the case. The Kremlin’s grip tightens on Russia’s answer to Facebook Russian social network VK launched six years ago and has since attracted 122 million users. But as Olga Shvarova explains, political and copyright crackdowns are limiting the free flow of information and ideas its users once enjoyed. Ahmed Mansoor on blogging his way into a UAE prison One of the United Arab Emirate’s most prominent human rights activists, Ahmed Mansoor was imprisoned in 2011 for criticising the country’s leadership. Here he discusses the death threats, defamation campaigns and physical attacks he continues to face for speaking his mind. A university of less-than-liberal arts? Should Yale University refuse to operate in Singapore where human rights and free expression face significant restrictions? Katie Engelhart weighs the arguments for and against. The silenced sex? Women’s voices in US election coverage A new report shows only 12% of US election coverage on the abortion debate quotes women. Judith Bruhn explores why this under-representation of women’s voices is undermining women’s freedom of speech. Satire or sedition? Political cartoons in India Indian Cartoonist Aseem Trivedi was recently arrested on sedition charges. Manav Bhushan discusses how an archaic section of India’s penal code has been used to silence government critics. Yahoo, free speech and anonymity in China In 2002 Wang Xiaoning was sent to prison for 10 years after Yahoo passed on personal information Chinese authorities used to identify him. Judith Bruhn explores a case of conflicting laws and moral expectations. Zambia’s secret freedom of information bill If a decade of stalled attempts to enact Zambia’s Freedom of Information bill seems comical, there is underlying tragedy in how politicians have fallen short of their free speech rhetoric, writes Dominic Burbidge. Russia’s convergence of church and state Olga Shvarova argues that Russian officials used the Orthodox Church as a political pawn to reinforce their own power during the Pussy Riot trial. Egypt’s one-way traffic in books Historian Khaled Fahmy describes how historic Egyptian books are more easily found in Western than in Egyptian libraries – and how a scholarly history of the Middle East was recently banned from entering Egypt. How ‘brown envelope journalism’ holds back sub-Saharan Africa Dominic Burbidge explores the corrupt links between political elites and mainstream media that suffocate genuine democratic debate in Africa. Pussy Riot, Putin’s Russia and the Orthodox Church Was punk band Pussy Riot’s anti-Putin performance in a Moscow church ‘religious hatred hooliganism’ or an artistic form of political dissent? Olga Shvarova considers the case. Pussy Riots Kirchenprotest – ein Akt politischen Widerstandes War der Anti-Putin-Auftritt der Punkband Pussy Riot in einer Moskauer Kathedrale „Vandalismus aus religiösem Hass” oder ein politischer Protest? Olga Shvarova erläutert den Fall. « Previous Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Next »
China’s public expression philosophy: a case of too little theory? The Chinese government’s stance towards the question of free speech is guided by a philosophy that is complex but intelligent. Rogier Creemers diagnoses the underlying causes.
“If you rattle a snake…” The Kenyan government bites its media In 2006 the Kenyan police violently raided the offices and printing press of the Standard Group media organisation. What was the government afraid of seeing reported? Dominic Burbidge explores a revealing case.
Is the ‘hands-off’ internet different to internet freedom? At the invitation of Index of Censorship and the Editors Guild of India, Timothy Garton Ash joins Kirsty Hughes at a panel discussion in Delhi with Shri Ajit Balakrishnan, Shri Sunil Abraham and Ramajit Singh Chima.
Free speech as seen by a believer in an Abrahamic religion Islam, Christianity and Judaism are often accused of wanting to restrict free speech. Dominic Burbidge suggests a radically different perspective, from inside the thought-system of the Abrahamic faiths.
The Southern Weekly affair: No closer to the Chinese dream? 2013 began dramatically in China with a standoff between journalists and state propaganda authorities over a drastically rewritten New Year editorial. Timothy Garton Ash introduces English translations of the original and finally published versions.
Pressing for freedom: the protest over China’s “Southern Weekly” The Chinese Communist Party aims to control privately owned media without appearing to do so. A strike at a local newspaper imperils that balance, writes Liu Jin.
In the Philippines, be careful of what you retweet A new cybercrime law in the Philippines would give unfettered powers to the state to monitor internet users, take down websites and imprison citizens writes Purple S. Romero
The Nira Radia tapes controversy and the right to privacy Should government-initiated phone hacking be made public if the recordings are in the public interest? Shubhangi Bhadada exposes the thin line in India between the right to privacy and freedom of expression.
Prashant Bhushan: The case for a referendum and how Kashmir could become “another Afghanistan” If the territorial dispute over Kashmir is not addressed through open debate, it may become “another Afghanistan”, says the Indian supreme court lawyer.
Tarun Tejpal: How has investigative journalism in India changed in the last 20 years? Indian journalist and writer Tarun Tejpal speaks about development and corruption in India, and the role of investigative journalism.
Arundhati Roy on national security & the Indian media The award-winning Indian novelist and activist speaks to Manav Bhushan about the limits to free speech in India, including government censorship through the media and “goon squads”.
War is not cricket! An Indian and a Pakistani student at Oxford reflect on how their countries covered the same story in their own ways. By Zahra Shah and Debanshu Mukherjee.
A sticky WCIT and the battle for control of the internet At the World Conference on International Telecommunications (WCIT), authoritarian governments staked worrying claims. But the US-dominated model of non-governmental internet governance brings its own problems, writes Alison Powell. Beware of the Clinton Paradox.
Two years on, is it still spring in Tunisia? On 17 December 2010, Tunisian street vendor Mohamed Bouazizi set fire to himself – and began the Arab spring. Despite Islamist pressures on free speech and women’s rights, Rory McCarthy sees continued cause for hope.
Brazil’s online crossroads between authoritarianism and democracy Despite Brazil’s democratic accomplishments, laws used to regulate websites date from the 1960s, giving arbitrary power to the state. A proposed ‘Marco Civil da Internet’ has the capacity to change this, writes Marcos Todeschini.
How Ushahidi maps the voices of those in need Dominic Burbidge discusses how Ushahidi’s transformative crowdsourcing techniques have alleviated crises in Kenya and beyond.
What’s a nice UN Internet Governance Forum doing in a place like this? The Oxford Internet Institute’s Ian Brown writes from Azerbaijan, asking whether a country that suppresses online freedom should be allowed to host a gathering devoted to discussing it.
Brazil confronts Google – and it’s personal A top Google executive was arrested in Brazil when the company refused to remove YouTube videos that made accusations against a local mayoral candidate. Felipe Correa discusses the case.
The Kremlin’s grip tightens on Russia’s answer to Facebook Russian social network VK launched six years ago and has since attracted 122 million users. But as Olga Shvarova explains, political and copyright crackdowns are limiting the free flow of information and ideas its users once enjoyed.
Ahmed Mansoor on blogging his way into a UAE prison One of the United Arab Emirate’s most prominent human rights activists, Ahmed Mansoor was imprisoned in 2011 for criticising the country’s leadership. Here he discusses the death threats, defamation campaigns and physical attacks he continues to face for speaking his mind.
A university of less-than-liberal arts? Should Yale University refuse to operate in Singapore where human rights and free expression face significant restrictions? Katie Engelhart weighs the arguments for and against.
The silenced sex? Women’s voices in US election coverage A new report shows only 12% of US election coverage on the abortion debate quotes women. Judith Bruhn explores why this under-representation of women’s voices is undermining women’s freedom of speech.
Satire or sedition? Political cartoons in India Indian Cartoonist Aseem Trivedi was recently arrested on sedition charges. Manav Bhushan discusses how an archaic section of India’s penal code has been used to silence government critics.
Yahoo, free speech and anonymity in China In 2002 Wang Xiaoning was sent to prison for 10 years after Yahoo passed on personal information Chinese authorities used to identify him. Judith Bruhn explores a case of conflicting laws and moral expectations.
Zambia’s secret freedom of information bill If a decade of stalled attempts to enact Zambia’s Freedom of Information bill seems comical, there is underlying tragedy in how politicians have fallen short of their free speech rhetoric, writes Dominic Burbidge.
Russia’s convergence of church and state Olga Shvarova argues that Russian officials used the Orthodox Church as a political pawn to reinforce their own power during the Pussy Riot trial.
Egypt’s one-way traffic in books Historian Khaled Fahmy describes how historic Egyptian books are more easily found in Western than in Egyptian libraries – and how a scholarly history of the Middle East was recently banned from entering Egypt.
How ‘brown envelope journalism’ holds back sub-Saharan Africa Dominic Burbidge explores the corrupt links between political elites and mainstream media that suffocate genuine democratic debate in Africa.
Pussy Riot, Putin’s Russia and the Orthodox Church Was punk band Pussy Riot’s anti-Putin performance in a Moscow church ‘religious hatred hooliganism’ or an artistic form of political dissent? Olga Shvarova considers the case.
Pussy Riots Kirchenprotest – ein Akt politischen Widerstandes War der Anti-Putin-Auftritt der Punkband Pussy Riot in einer Moskauer Kathedrale „Vandalismus aus religiösem Hass” oder ein politischer Protest? Olga Shvarova erläutert den Fall.