Digital freedom is contested worldwide. Authoritarian states censor the web, deploy surveillance technology, and export tools of control, while democracies debate how to keep the online space open, secure, and rights-respecting. This hub follows that struggle: online censorship and its spread, state surveillance and its export, the resilience of the open internet under pressure, and the technologies that help citizens communicate and organize under repressive regimes. Defending open networks means countering both censorship and surveillance at once. Fellows and analysts examine how democracies can protect the open internet and counter digital authoritarianism from Moscow, Beijing, and beyond. Explore analysis and commentary on digital freedom, internet censorship, and online rights.
Digital Freedom
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August 13, 2024
Russia’s Window on the World Is Now Closing
YouTube access within Russia is now being shut down by Vladimir Putin’s censors, despite — or because of — its role as a cultural phenomenon.
July 25, 2024
Tightrope Tech Policy: EU’s von der Leyen Targets Middle Ground
After passing a bevy of strict groundbreaking tech laws during her first term, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen still sees room for additional action.
June 6, 2024
AI and Safety: A Combustible Combination
Artificial Intelligence leaders are struggling with hallucinations. Governments are struggling with how to regulate risks.
May 31, 2024
Ban Chinese Platforms? No, Europe Regulates Them
The US is forcing a sale of TikTok. Europe is using the Digital Services Act to reign in Chinese Internet companies.
May 30, 2024
UK Tech Regulation: Surveillance Shouldn’t Trump Privacy
As the UK election campaign heats up, parties are coalescing around a dangerous expansion of online surveillance.
May 23, 2024
Washington Wakes Up to Europe’s Fair Share Danger
The Biden Administration has voiced opposition to Europe’s potential plan to force Google, Netflix, and other Internet platforms to pay telecommunications operators.
May 8, 2024
US U-Turn Undermines Free, Open Internet
For the past three decades, the US has promoted the free flow of information online and limiting individual countries’ ability to force data to be stored within their borders. No longer.
May 8, 2024
Has Ukraine Become Too Dependent on Telegram?
Telegram has been a vital source of intelligence and news in Kyiv’s war against Moscow’s aggression, but doubts are growing about the Russian-founded app.
May 6, 2024
TikTok Dies in Washington, TikTok Lives in Brussels
The US has moved to ban the Chinese social media giant. Europe prefers regulation.