Trudeau against Facebook: social media, copyright, and information - Article

In protest against the new Canadian law that requires social media to pay news organisations every time a user shares a link, Facebook has blocked access to news portals, earning the condemnation of Prime Minister Trudeau. In Europe, meanwhile, new regulations are on their way on the removal of content, advertising, and disinformation

By Paola Rosà

Originally published by OBCT in ENG and ITA

Italy: Concern about prosecutor’s demand for prison sentence for three journalists in response to their factual reporting - Article

Media freedom groups raise concern over Lecce’s prosecutor request that three journalists be jailed for six months in connection with their reporting about a labour lawsuit involving a former government minister. No journalist should face nor fear prison sentences for having published information in the public interest

MAPPING MEDIA FREEDOM: a Four-Month Snapshot - Reports

Overview and data analysis of the monitoring activity of the Media Freedom Rapid Response from March to June 2020

ARTICLE 19 comments on new Italian regulation on ‘hate speech’ - Reports

Some improvements, but also lack of compliance with the international framework: a mixed judgment by ARTICLE 19 welcomes the new AGCOM Regulation in Italy, while hate speech remains a great concern in the country

Journalism and media privilege - Reports

An overview of the most recent rules, case law, and policies across Europe on the privileges given to journalists when exercising their functions

The Russian VPN ban: another round in the battle for a free Internet - Legal Resources

In the Russian Federation, a new Law that prohibits anonymizers and VPN usage is to enter into force on 1 November 2017. What are VPNs and what does this law mean for freedom of expression? The author attempts to disentangle the technicalities at stake

Is the Ukrainian ban on Russian social media justified? - Legal Resources

The recent ban of Russian social media in Ukraine has provoked intense discussions. The author explores original Ukrainian-language documents to find out more about the official perspective on the ban

Russia versus the European Court of Human Rights: bad news for online freedom of expression? - Legal Resources

Russia’s unwillingness to give up part of its constitutional sovereignty may prevent the effective intervention of the European Court of Human Rights. An analysis focusing on the country's online regulation

Italy: a case endangering journalists’ rights to report and protect their sources - Legal Resources

An analysis of the background and context of the on-going case involving Italian journalists Davide Vecchi and Augusto Mattioli, who are writing about the bankruptcy scandal of an historical Italian bank

True Freedom of Information Remains Elusive in Italy - Legal Resources

After finally adopting a proper freedom of information act, Italy improved its right to information rating - but only in theory, as in practice there is still much to be done to ensure freedom of information