This session will look at challenges related to free speech online. We will address restrictions to freedom of expression from technological challenges (filters, surveillance techniques, blocking access to websites) to the introduction of new laws that curb digital freedom. We will also cover the increasing trend of takedown requests, the phenomenon of privatisation of censorship as well as threats, intimidation and violence against citizen journalists and bloggers. Through detailed case studies, participants will have the opportunity to explore the various implications of online censorship for media freedom. Case studies will include examples from countries such as Azerbaijan, Turkey, Belarus, India and Brazil.

1. Online freedom of expression
Melody Patry @melodypatry!
Senior advocacy officer, Index on Censorship!
!
Boot Camp for Journalists!
Centre for Media Pluralism and Media Freedom!
European University Institute!
11 June 2014!
!
!

2. From click to brick
From the online world to the streets: Digital
freedom of expression can help free expression in
general!
!
à Preventing critical speech online and restricting press
freedom on the internet has becomes a way to control the
environment for freedom of expression both online and
offline!

3. New opportunities,
new threats
§ Legal barriers: new laws to regulate online
speech + criminal defamation and privacy
laws used to chill online freedom of
expression!
!
§ Technological threats: filters, blocking access
to websites, surveillance, hacking!
§ Free speech debate: hate speech,
blasphemy, obscenity and online abuse!

4. Criminalisation of online speech
and social media

5. Twitter ban: the Turkish
experiment
AP
Photo

6. Silencing critical voices
Political arrests, intimidation, “pulling the plug”!
§ Case study - Azerbaijan: DDoS attacks,
financial squeeze of independent media, arrests
of journalists and activists under trumped up
charges !

7. Surveillance, cyber attacks and
cyberbullying

8. Various implications of mass surveillance for free speech!
!
§ Case study – UK: pressure to destroy files provided by
Snowden; destruction of computer hard disks in the basement
of The Guardian’s offices + wrongful arrest of David Miranda
under the UK’s Terrorism Act!
“The protection of national security secrets must never be
used as an excuse to intimidate the press into silence
and backing off from its crucial work in the clarification of
human rights violations.” !
!
Frank La Rue, UN special rapporteur on freedom of expression!

9. h'p://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2014/jan/31/snowden-­‐files-­‐computer-­‐destroyed-­‐guardian-­‐gchq-­‐basement-­‐video

10. New tool for journalists:
Website to report and map out
media freedom violations in
Europe

11. Reporting and mapping media
freedom violations in Europe

12.
h'p://mediafreedom.ushahidi.com/

13.
h'p://mediafreedom.ushahidi.com/

15. Advocacy,
research
and
response
tool
§ Crowdsource
reporGng
§ VerificaGon/support
§ Alert
mechanism
§ Advocacy
§ Monitoring,
research