Filter
24
Topics
Digital Media Censorship, Control & Filtering, Internet & Social Media Censorship
22
Surveillance, Surveillance Technologies, Spyware
16
Authoritarian Regimes: Government Communication Strategies
13
Press Freedom & Communication Rights Violations
6
Government Communication Strategies
4
Data Governance, Data Justice, Data Sovereignty
2
Independent & Oppositional Media in Authoritarian Regimes
1
Cybersecurity, Digital Safety, Privacy, Right to Privacy
1
Facial Recognition, Biometric Surveillance
1
Disinformation, Misinformation, Fake News
1
Language
Document type
Countries / Regions
Authors & Publishers
Media focus
Publication Years
Methods applied
Output Type
The Unfreedom Monitor: Hong Kong Country Report
Amsterdam: Global Voices Advox (2023), 22 pp.
"In the global context of digital authoritarianism, Hong Kong may become an important reference for a region in which currently the legal groundwork is laid for what may be more stringent tools of oppression. We can witness a rationalisation and legalisation of this process, where any form of critic
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The Unfreedom Monitor: Myanmar Country Report
Amsterdam: Global Voices Advox (2023), 18 pp.
"By learning about both the repression and resistance sides of Myanmar’s Spring Revolution, it is evident that digital technology is playing a critical role in this revolution. The military is using every possible technology to repress people, inject fear into society and manipulate it. The revolu
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The Unfreedom Monitor: Kazakhstan Country Report
Amsterdam: Global Voices Advox (2023), 21 pp.
"This report focuses on the main trends in digital authoritarian technologies used in Kazakhstan from 2017 to 2022. It contextualises the repressive online mechanisms within the changing political landscape. The January 2022 protests tested the grounds of social and political liberties — the seemi
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The Unfreedom Monitor: The Philippines Country Report
Amsterdam: Global Voices Advox (2023), 28 pp.
"Like any authoritarian regime, the Philippine government uses various forms of digital authoritarianism to its advantage. The aim is to win the propaganda war against its perceived enemies so that it can continue implementing policies that are often detrimental to the ordinary folk. While the two i
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The Unfreedom Monitor: Kyrgyzstan Country Report
Amsterdam: Global Voices Advox (2023), 24 pp.
"[...] The research has revealed that the incumbent Kyrgyz government is actively suppressing dissent by engaging in information manipulation, passing restrictive laws and attacking free media and investigative journalism. The Kyrgyz government has introduced new laws to regulate online activity, an
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The Unfreedom Monitor: Cameroon Country Report
Amsterdam: Global Voices Advox (2023), 22 pp.
"This research indicates that the government criminalises free speech by using a vague and broad definition of fake news, and clamps down on dissent and criticism, and that journalists who criticise the government are seen as enemies of the state — as in the case of the jailing of Kingsley Fomunyu
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The Unfreedom Monitor: Kenya Country Report
Amsterdam: Global Voices Advox (2023), 21 pp.
"This report provides an overview of the most prolific instances of digital authoritarianism in Kenya. The report will debrief the most relevant actions and decisions taken by the Kenyan government in recent years that leverage the internet and technology in order to achieve certain political goals.
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The Unfreedom Monitor: Ecuador Country Report
Amsterdam: Global Voices Advox (2023), 22 pp.
"Under the government of Rafael Correa, punitive measures were used systematically against the privately-owned press, and there were even emblematic prosecution cases that were later dealt with by international courts such as the El Universo case. However, Fundamedios and Fundación Periodistas Sin
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The Unfreedom Monitor: El Salvador Country Report
Amsterdam: Global Voices Advox (2023), 24 pp.
"This report analyses two major incidents: the disclosure that Pegasus spyware has been used against journalists from independent media outlets and representa tives of civil society, and Bukele’s legal advisor’s threats against two women journalists for not revealing anonymous sources included i
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The Unfreedom Monitor: Hungary Country Report
Amsterdam: Global Voices Advox (2023), 32 pp.
"Incidents that illustrate how digital authoritarianism works in Hungary can be grouped into three categories: gaining control over critical digital infrastructure, silencing and intimidation of dissenting voices, and the use of law to undermine people’s rights. The report demonstrates how these d
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The Unfreedom Monitor: Observatory Report
Amsterdam: Global Voices Advox (2023), 62 pp.
"Authoritarian practices are not strictly limited to authoritarian states; they are employed by regimes that span the political spectrum. The research approach argues for expanding the understanding of key authoritarian strategies to include persuasion alongside coercion and cooptation, which are id
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The Unfreedom Monitor: Venezuela Country Report
Amsterdam: Global Voices Advox (2023), 23 pp.
"With the crackdown on radio, TV, and newspapers since 2007, the Venezuelan population is largely dependent on digital spaces: social media is generally the main source of information across the country, and digital media has taken over other types of press and completely changed the media ecosystem
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The Unfreedom Monitor: A Methodology for Tracking Digital Authoritarianism Around the World
Amsterdam: Global Voices Advox (2022), 71 pp.
"This briefing document provides an overview of key developments in digital authoritarianism in 11 countries and explains the theoretical framework and methodology behind The Unfreedom Monitor project. The document also provides a basis for expanding this research to other countries to deepen our un
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The Unfreedom Monitor: India Country Report
Amsterdam: Global Voices Advox (2022), 28 pp.
"India’s “techade” does show signs of digital authoritarianism that can potentially have farreaching implications for politics, civil liberties and society. At the same time, these are not new challenges for the country. In the past, the Indian government has attempted to surveil, monitor, and
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The Unfreedom Monitor: Russia Country Report
Amsterdam: Global Voices Advox (2022), 28 pp.
"The internet gained centrality as a space of public opinion and political activity that became important for the Russian state to co-opt and control as part of the broader push for control of political elites and public perceptions as Putin and his ruling party pushed to eliminate any functioning o
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The Unfreedom Monitor: Turkey Country Report
Amsterdam: Global Voices Advox (2022), 27 pp.
"Since its ascent to power twenty years ago, the ruling AKP has tightened the screws on all forms of freedom of expression, both online and offline. It has introduced draconian laws, imposed internet restrictions, blocked content, and has arrested and intimidated critics on an unprecedented level. I
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The Unfreedom Monitor: Sudan Country Report
Amsterdam: Global Voices Advox (2022), 25 pp.
"There is a clear digital divide in Sudan as the number of internet users is a very low part of the population. Despite the high contribution of the telecommunication field to the GDP, the Sudanese authorities are not using this contribution to enhance and develop the ICT field to fill the gap of di
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The Unfreedom Monitor: Brazil Country Report
Amsterdam: Global Voices Advox (2022), 19 pp.
"Under the presidency of Jair Bolsonaro, Brazil, Latin America's largest democracy, has seen unprecedented increases in threats to citizens’ fundamental rights. Digital rights have not been an exception. Technoauthoritarianism in Brazil must be viewed as a multifaceted development and one that is
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The Unfreedom Monitor: Zimbabwe Country Report
Amsterdam: Global Voices Advox (2022), 28 pp.
"The government of Zimbabwe and the ruling ZANU PF party are bent on ensuring that the status quo is preserved at all costs. As evidenced by findings in the Civic Media Observatory, the digital sphere has been identified as a threat to the country’s national security, insofar as deposing the curre
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The Unfreedom Monitor: Morocco Country Report
Amsterdam: Global Voices Advox (2022), 27 pp.
"Journalists and independent press are tried and prosecuted with harsh charges that reach up to 20 years of imprisonment under the Penal Code, rather than the Press Code of 2016, which abolished imprisonment for criticising the monarch. The government closely monitors and controls media content thro
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