New Comparative Analysis on Internet Blocking: Focus on Ukraine, Russia, and Turkey

The world we live in gave us global Internet, universal right to freedom of expression, but also selective application of national laws to online space. When starting the analysis a few questions were set out as a reference point: Is modern Internet still the same as it was constructed by its founders? How much discretion should the governments enjoy when deciding on the limitations of Internet freedom? These and many other collateral questions are subject of heated discussions at all international forums related to Internet governance and human rights. And while answers are not there, Internet freedom is in danger for many years in a row. If proper actions won’t be taken by international community, we may witness even worse decline of freedom of expression in the upcoming years, and very likely in the countries that gave no alarm signals before. There is also a common misbelief that blocking is something possible and feasible in technologically advanced countries. We decided to check whether technological sophistication and censoring policies always go hand in hand, using the examples of Ukraine, Russia, and Turkey.

The comparative analysis consistently unveils legal framework for Internet freedom, specifics of Internet blocking, statistics naming the most hostile governments, results of Internet freedom survey in Ukraine, as well as restrictive practices implemented in the region by Ukraine, Russia, and Turkey. It concludes with a number of recommendations addressed to the governments in order to ensure proper respect and protection for Internet freedom. 

Text is available in English and Ukrainian. 

The comparative analysis “Internet Blocking: Fragmenting Network & Violating Freedoms” was prepared by a non-governmental organisation “Digital Defenders Partners” (DDP) within the framework of the project “Securitization of Internet Freedom” implemented under the support of the American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative (ABA ROLI).

Kezharovski: On Fake News, Hate Speech, State of Affairs in Macedonia, and Journalism

Opening remarks by Tomislav Kezharovski, journalist from Macedonia who had suffered political prosecution for his work, and is currently a fellow of Hamburg Foundation for Politically Persecuted People. This speech was given on 22 march 2017 at the session “The Faces of Free Expression” of the Second Regional Internet Freedom Summit in Struga, Macedonia.

Fake news are a wonderful tool for playing with people’s feelings.

Fake news are evil. Journalists ought to distance themselves from manipulative insidious tactics and should uncover those tactics. (more…)

Second Regional Internet Freedom Summit to take place in Macedonia

Next week, from 22 to 24 March, ABA ROLI will host the second Regional Internet Freedom Summit, organized in cooperation with the members of the Internet Freedom Platform of Eastern and Central Europe and Eurasia.

More than 120 Internet freedom experts and human rights activists from Europe and Eurasia will gather together in Struga, #Macedonia, to discuss the latest developments in online freedom of expression, privacy, and cybersecurity. (more…)

Take the first steps in understanding online and offline freedom of expression

ApTI together with the Internet Freedom Network partners under the Internet Freedom Program launched cases.internetfreedom.blog. It is a project with the purpose of teaching people about online and offline freedom of expression using the European Court of Human Rights jurisprudence. The project is accompanied by a brochure which you can download in .pdf format.

The Internet significantly changed our lives in many respects, including the way we access published information. But, most importantly, it enhanced our exercising of our freedom of expression both by allowing easy access to sources of information and by the liberalization of publishing any kind of information. This transformed freedom of expression, especially online, into something everybody is interested in.

How did the project came to be

First, the subject seems to be of interest not just for professional journalists but for all types of Internet users with various educational backgrounds and, usually, little legal knowledge. Nevertheless, they are all involved in communication on the Internet and they sometimes claim that their freedom of expression is being infringed upon.

Secondly, the decision making process in regard to the freedom of expression seems frequently rushed, without enough time being dedicated to real public debate and evidence-based policymaking. This is particularly true in some countries in South-Eastern Europe. As a consequence, fragments from ECHR argumentations and conclusions can be used as widely accepted references and, thus, as useful tools in debates.

Thirdly, being faced with the huge flow of available information nowadays, many users are looking for summarized, easy to understand information in order to form and opinion.

On the project’s page you can find out what freedom of expression is, what its limits are and why it is sometimes restricted by governments.

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How to understand the project page and the brochure

The presented cases should be use only as a point of reference. The ECHR jurisprudence is always evolving, sometimes in self-contradictory ways. Sometimes it can be criticized because, sometimes, it can have disappointing results for supporters and advocates of the fundamental human right to the freedom of expression. Furthermore, the technological evolution of the Internet can change some fundamental assertions that today we hold as true.

The summarization of the current ECHR jurisprudence comes at a cost that needs to be mentioned. First, the information in this brochure in no way constitute legal advice. Secondly, the editors needed to limit the information they had in order to keep the brochure succinct enough, which is something that some legal professionals could consider as a limitation. Also, for brevity’s sake, we were forced to cover some important aspects only summarily, such as “hate speech” or “protection of journalistic sources”

Article by George Hari Popescu, ApTI Romania, original article in Romanian: https://apti.ro/freex-apti-ro-cazuri-cedo-libertate-exprimare-sectiune-brosura

Improving Legal Safeguards for Internet Freedom in Georgia

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Balancing internet freedom and protecting citizens from harmful online activities and content can be complicated. In Georgia, this debate is playing out as authorities seek to update regulations to protect internet consumers and providers within the country. Originally adopted in 2006, Georgia’s “Regulation on Provision of Services and Protection of Consumer Rights in the Sphere of Electronic Communications,” requires modification. The grounds for deeming content as unallowable are vague and leave room for interpretation. As a subgrantee of the American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative (ABA ROLI), the Institute for the Development of Freedom of Information (IDFI), recently prepared seven legislative initiatives to help strike the balance between freedom and protection by better defining what can be considered inadmissible content. (more…)