Across Africa, internet blackouts loom over elections Across the continent, governments are shutting down internet access and social media networks in response to elections and political unrest. As voters in Chad and Benin head to the polls, digital rights campaigners fear the two countries’ online networks could be next feature Erica Hellerstein
Central Asian countries among the most vulnerable to attacks from cryptocurrency hackers Global cryptojackers are using malware to take over vulnerable computers without permission brief Mariam Kiparoidze
Digital rights activists fear internet blackouts as voting kicks off in the Republic of the Congo Crackdowns on the internet and social media also recently occurred during elections in Niger and Uganda brief Erica Hellerstein
China’s new vaccine passport could expand the state’s already vast surveillance program The optional new digital tool will track the vaccination status of citizens entering and leaving China, fueling privacy concerns brief Isobel Cockerell
Fake Covid-19 vaccination certificates for sale on Russian Telegram With low Covid-19 vaccination rates, Russians are buying counterfeit vaccination documents over concerns about Sputnik V. brief Katia Patin and Tatiana Torocheshnikova
Digital insurgents rally against Myanmar’s military junta Since the February coup, protests have rocked the nation’s towns and cities. Now, activists are launching apps to expose the army’s business dealings and keep people safe on the streets feature Burhan Wazir
Platforms like Twitch have tried to combat harassment against women. It’s not working Accusations of misogynistic comments and threats of rape are common on popular streaming and social media platforms like Youtube and Twitch where moderation policies don’t go far enough feature Katia Patin
Myanmar military's internet shutdowns are destroying businesses In the three weeks since armed forces took control of the country, data blocks have battered commerce and failed to stop demonstrations brief Burhan Wazir
Cutting-edge technology detected in government campaign against Indian activists The arrest of a prominent Jesuit priest marks the latest chapter in a decades-long crackdown on those who campaign for marginalized peoples dispatch Monica Jha
Navalny protesters say police are using facial recognition to track them down Fears raised over the use of surveillance technology at demonstrations feature Isobel Cockerell
Myanmar prepares for military to ratchet up control of the internet During the recent coup, the armed forces shut down large swaths of the nation’s digital infrastructure. Now, people are braced for more restrictions feature Burhan Wazir
Clouds gather over Google’s Saudi deal Saudi dissidents accuse the tech giant of bolstering a brutal dictatorship with its plan to provide cloud computing in the kingdom feature Andrew North
India’s biometric ID system is eroding the rights of pregnant women From the denial of maternity benefits to a lack of access to reproductive health services, the negative effects of this sweeping program are being felt across the country dispatch Varsha Bansal
The dark side of open source intelligence Internet sleuths have used publicly available data to help track down last week’s Washington D.C. rioters. But what happens when the wrong people are identified? feature Rachel Sherman
Will the Capitol riot change public opinion about facial recognition? Despite concerns about accuracy, the attack on Congress could lead to more support for the use of AI surveillance systems brief Gautama Mehta
