Putin’s Internet Blackout: A Chaotic Drive to Cut Off Russians From the World
With new outages and blockages, President Vladimir V. Putin is taking his boldest steps yet to control Russians’ communications.
censorship
Five EU governments found to ‘consistently’ dismantle rule of law
Exclusive: Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Italy and Slovakia actively pursue regressive policies, watchdog findsGovernments in five EU member states are “consistently and intentionally” eroding the rule of law, Europe’s leading civil liberties group has w…
How Geopolitics Threaten K-Pop’s Ambitions in China
Japanese members of some K-pop bands have been absent from recent concerts in China. Experts say that’s linked to tension between Tokyo and Beijing.
Indian film board blocks release of Oscar-nominated Gaza drama The Voice of Hind Rajab
Distributor says authorities warned screening Tunisian film-maker Kaouther Ben Hania’s docudrama could harm India–Israel relationsThe Indian release of The Voice of Hind Rajab, the Oscar-nominated Tunisian film about the death of a five-year-old girl d…
London book fair roundup: Idris Elba’s thriller deal, the rise of romcom, and fights against censorship
The actor led the starry book deals, while publishers assessed whether US-style bans are spreading to the UKThe annual London book fair wrapped on Thursday, marking the end of three days that saw 33,000 people connected to the book industry – agents, p…
London book fair roundup: Idris Elba’s thriller deal, the rise of romcom, and fights against censorship
The actor led the starry book deals, while publishers assessed whether US-style bans are spreading to the UKThe annual London book fair wrapped on Thursday, marking the end of three days that saw 33,000 people connected to the book industry – agents, p…
Unexplained Moscow internet blackouts spark fears of web censorship plan
Kremlin appearing to ramp up control over internet, as it tests new ‘whitelist’ restrictions and pushes people to state-owned appMuscovites have been turning to walkie-talkies and pagers amid unexplained disruptions to internet services in the capital,…
Ofcom urged to clarify if Palestine Action content should still be removed online
Rights groups and experts say situation is unclear as ruling that quashed ban faces challenge from home secretaryHuman rights organisations, academics and writers have called on Ofcom to clarify what the high court ruling that the ban on Palestine Acti…
Internet blackout is tool of desperate regime to isolate Iranians, say experts
Digital censorship analysts argue current outage is mostly about survival and control for the country’s rulersUS-Israel war on Iran – live updatesRoughly four hours after the first strikes hit Iran, the country was again plunged into a full internet bl…
Why Tehran’s Two-Tiered Internet Is So Dangerous
Iran is slowly emerging from the most severe communications blackout in its history and one of the longest in the world. Triggered as part of January’s government crackdown against citizen protests nationwide, the regime implemented an internet shutdown that transcends the standard definition of internet censorship. This was not merely blocking social media or foreign websites; it was a total communications shutdown.
Unlike previous Iranian internet shutdowns where Iran’s domestic intranet—the National Information Network (NIN)—remained functional to keep the banking and administrative sectors running, the 2026 blackout …