Targeted, cut off, and left in the dark - Reports

The #KeepItOn report on internet shutdowns in 2019

Media capture: Toolkit for 21st century autocrats - Article

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The 8th of a series of thematic itineraries to explore the Resource Centre on Media Freedom through a curated aggregation of contents. 

SLAPPs: Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation - Article

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The 9th of a series of thematic itineraries to explore the Resource Centre on Media Freedom through a curated aggregation of contents.

Human Rights Defenders in the Western Balkans. Intimidation instead of Recognition - Reports

This landmark report by Civil Rights Defenders explores how human rights defenders face intimidation instead of recognition in the six Western Balkan states

Protect the Protest. Stopping SLAPP. Defending Dissent - Support Centres

A task force of nonprofit organizations that have long dealt with SLAPP threats (threats coming from strategic lawsuits against public participation).

The organizations of "Protect the Protest" have combined their expertise and collective power to protect the free speech of public interest advocates in the United States.

They declare: "An attack on one is now an attack on all".

The task force includes experienced lawyers, journalists, communications professionals, and activists, in order to stand together as one to expose courtroom bullying, and protect the right to boldly speak the truth.

The approach is threefold:

● Building Resilience to SLAPPs - providing resources and training for civil society organizations, community leaders, journalists, and the broader public on how to best protect themselves from SLAPPs and what to do if they’re targeted. This includes a network of attorneys to defend those facing SLAPPs, especially individuals and small organizations with extremely limited resources.

● Exposing SLAPPs and Those Who File Them - drawing on their own organizations’ campaigning, communications, and legal expertise to support public interest advocates and watchdogs targeted by SLAPPs. This includes campaigning against the biggest SLAPP offenders, as well as legal defense where resources allow.

● Campaigning on Strategic Issues - When a specific SLAPP poses a broader threat to civil society or to democracy, they mobilize their collective resources to protect the rights to free speech and peaceful protest. Likewise, when opportunities arise to advance anti-SLAPP policies or laws, we engage in close collaboration with other stakeholders.

Data Voids. Where Missing Data Can Easily Be Exploited - Reports

The assumption that for any given query there is some relevant content is not true. When there is little content available, the most relevant content is low-quality or problematic, or both. The paper shows how manipulators expose users to problematic content by exploiting search engine results

Report of the UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression (9 Oct. 2019) - Legal Resources

In the present report, submitted in accordance with Human Rights Council resolution 34/18 , the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression explains  how  those standards provide a framework for Governments considering regulatory options and companies determining how to respect human rights online

The Global Disinformation Order: 2019 Global Inventory of Organised Social Media Manipulation - Reports

The report highlights the findings from the three-year project on monitoring organised social media manipulation campaigns around the globe. One of the key discoveries is the increase by 150% in social media manipulation campaigns over the last two years

“We are Amaya”. Advocacy for Academic Freedom - Reports

A detailed description of the activities carried out during the 2019 edition of the Seminar Series on Advocacy for Academic Freedom, held for three months at the University of Trento, Department of Sociology and Social Research, in collaboration with Scholars At Risk (SAR). The seminar was a first national experiment for Italy

European University Students And Social Media. How Do They Talk About Online Disinformation In View Of The 2019 European Parliament Elections? - Academic Sources

European students see misleading news as a threat to younger generations, but consider themselves immune as they are confident in their ability to detect unreliable web content. This is one of the findings of this master thesis, which examines students' attitude towards social media and disinformation online