Artificial Democracy: The Impact of Big Data on Politics, Policy, and Polity - Biancalana, Cecilia; Montigny, Eric (University of British Columbia Press, 2026)
A look into the political consequences of big data and artificial intelligence. Democracy and data have a complicated relationship. Under the influence of big data and artificial intelligence, some democracies are being transformed as relations between citizens, political parties, governments, and corporations are gradually redrawn.Artificial Democracy explores the ways in which data collection and analytics and their application are changing political practices, government policies, and even democratic policies themselves. With an international roster of multidisciplinary contributors, this topical collection takes a comprehensive approach to big data’s effect on democracy, from the use of micro-targeting in electoral campaigns to the clash between privacy and surveillance in the name of protecting society. The book tackles both the dangers and the potentially desirable changes made possible by the symbiosis of big data and artificial intelligence. It explores shifts in how we conceptualize the citizen-government relationship and asks important questions about where we could be heading.
Worldwide

OHCHR | Call for input - Draft General Comment No. 38 on Article 22 (Freedom of Association) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights - OHCHR (OHCHR, 2025)
BackgroundThe Human Rights Committee, in accordance with article 40, paragraph 4, of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and Rule 76 of its Rules of Procedure, is mandated to prepare general comments on the various articles and provisions of the Covenant with a view to assisting States parties in fulfilling their obligations under the Covenant.

Black Archives Day on 29 November 2025 (British Library, 2025)
Join us in celebrating and contributing to the living power of Black archival memory, activism, and cultural transformation.
United Kingdom

Taliban used discarded UK kit to track down Afghans who worked with west, inquiry hears - Eleni Courea (The Guardian, 2025)
Whistleblower tells Afghan leak inquiry those affected were told to move and change phone numbers to protect themselves
United Kingdom
Keywords: Afghanistan; Military; Ministry of Defence; Politics; Taliban; UK news; World news

Taliban used discarded UK kit to track down Afghans who worked with west, inquiry hears - Eleni Courea (The Guardian, 2025)
Whistleblower tells Afghan leak inquiry those affected were told to move and change phone numbers to protect themselves
Afghanistan
Keywords: Afghanistan; Military; Ministry of Defence; Politics; Taliban; UK news; World news

‘We’re a bit jealous of Kneecap’: how Europe’s minority tongues are facing the digital future - Burgen, Stephen (The Guardian, 2025)
What does it mean to lose a language, and what does it take to save it? Those were the big questions being asked in Barcelona recently
Europe
Keywords: Culture; Education; Europe; European Union; Kneecap; Language; Languages; World news

A database could help revive the Arapaho language before its last speakers are gone - Cowell, Andrew (The Conversation, 2025)
Many Native American languages only have a few native speakers left.
Americas

25 years since the opening of the Securitate archives. (Foundation Office Romania, 2025)
The event will bring together historians and archival specialists from Romania and Moldova, as well as representatives of the key institutions that managed the Securitate files after 1990. A panel discussion will explore the role of archives in rebuilding a democratic society, and a special session will analyze the ethical and legal controversies surrounding the disclosure of the Securitate files.
Moldova

25 years since the opening of the Securitate archives. (Foundation Office Romania, 2025)
The event will bring together historians and archival specialists from Romania and Moldova, as well as representatives of the key institutions that managed the Securitate files after 1990. A panel discussion will explore the role of archives in rebuilding a democratic society, and a special session will analyze the ethical and legal controversies surrounding the disclosure of the Securitate files.
Romaina

Blue Shield Appeal for the Protection of Cultural Heritage in Sudan - Almeras, Clemence (ICA, 2025)
The International Council on Archives expresses its full support for the Blue Shield’s urgent appeal to protect Sudan’s cultural heritage amid ongoing conflict. Historic sites, archives, and sacred spaces are at risk, and ICA joins the call for all parties to uphold international law and safeguard the cultural memory of affected communities.
Sudan

Russian Disinformation Comes to Mexico, Seeking to Rupture U.S. Ties - Abi-Habib, Maria (The New York Times, 2025)
A U.S. government cable said that Kremlin-run outlets had scaled up their efforts across Latin America, seeking to turn people against the United States and garner support for Russia.
Worldwide
Keywords: Diplomatic Service; Embassies and Consulates; International Relations; Latin America; Mexico; Morena (Mexican Political Party); Politics and Government; RT (TV Network); Russia; United States International Relations

‘It’s hell for us here’: Mumbai families suffer as datacentres keep the city hooked on coal - Barratt, Luke; Rehman, Atika (The Guardian, 2025)
As Mumbai sees increased energy demand from new datacenters, particularly from Amazon, the filthiest neighbourhood in one of India’s largest cities must keep its major coal plants
India
Keywords: Air pollution; Artificial intelligence (AI); Computing; Environment; India; Mumbai; Pollution; South and central Asia; Technology; World news

Commission defends changing scope of personal data in GDPR privacy law - Claudie Moreau (Euractiv, 2025)
The Commission says its Digital Omnibus aims to codify recent rulings of the Court of Justice but privacy experts point to other interpretations of case law
Europe

How citizen archivists in South Asia confront the online marginalization of oral cultures and languages - Amrit Sufi (Global Voices, 2025)
Citizen archivists are preserving South Asia’s oral traditions — folk songs, riddles, and histories — by recording, uploading, and transcribing them on Wikimedia platforms, challenging text-centric knowledge systems and reviving marginalized voices.
Southern Asia

Documenting War Crimes in Sudan Begins Now - Janine di Giovanni (Foreign Policy, 2025)
Stopping ongoing violence in conflict zones is urgent, but with today’s technology, so is gathering evidence.
Sudan

The FBI spied on a Signal group chat of immigration activists, records reveal - Levin, Sam (The Guardian, 2025)
Agency accessed private conversations of New York ‘courtwatch’ group that was observing public hearings
United States of America
Keywords: Activism; FBI; US immigration; US news

Nuremberg trial records made available online after painstaking 25-year project - Connolly, Kate (The Guardian, 2025)
Launch of digitisation project marks 80th anniversary of start of legal effort to bring Nazi leaders to justice
Europe
Keywords: Germany; Harvard University; Holocaust; International law; Nazism; Second world war; US news; War crimes

Harvard Law releases digitized Nuremberg Trials archive on 80th anniversary - Karen Sloan (Reuters, 2025)
Harvard’s collection of Nuremberg Trials documents is the second most-complete outside of the U.S. National Archives, according to the law school’s library. The library received most of its collection in 1949 after the final trial, then added documents over the years through donations from trial participants.
Worldwide

Data & Justice: Mapping police violence in Rio’s Favela da Maré - Aline Galdino de Oliveira & André Galdino de Oliveira & Aristênio Gomes dos Santos (OpenGlobalRights, 2025)
Data analysis can serve as a potent tool to hold law enforcement accountable
Brazil

Commission plans sweeping cuts to tech laws to pave the way for AI - Claudie Moreau (Euractiv, 2025)
The digital simplification package is being framed as a playbook for growing European AI, as commissioners aim to steer out of political pushback over privacy rule cuts
Europe

EBU launches Ukraine Archive with 30,000 verified digital stories - Jacob Granger (Journalism UK, 2025)
Journalists can access a treasure trove of trusted audio and video war-time reporting
Ukraine

European Commission accused of ‘massive rollback’ of digital protections - Rankin, Jennifer (The Guardian, 2025)
Proposed changes to AI Act would make it easier for tech firms to use personal data to train models without consent
Europe
Keywords: Artificial intelligence (AI); Data protection; Europe; European Commission; European Union; GDPR; Privacy; Technology; World news

President Lai hails National Archives as unifying force for Taiwan (Focus Taiwan - CNA English News, 2025)
President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) said Monday that the newly launched National Archives will offer the public a deeper, unifying understanding of the endeavors of Taiwan's democracy pioneers.
East Asia

Platform Afterlife: How Archives Keep Queer Cinema Alive - Ahmadi, Darius (Medium, 2025)
When access is care — on bodies, voice, and the quiet power of memory
Worldwide

White nationalist talking points and racial pseudoscience: welcome to Elon Musk’s Grokipedia - Wilson, Jason (The Guardian, 2025)
World’s richest person wanted to ‘purge’ propaganda from Wikipedia, so he created a compendium of racist disinformation
United States of America
Keywords: Antisemitism; Artificial intelligence (AI); Elon Musk; Far right (US); Internet; Race; The super-rich; US news; Wikipedia; World news; X

Vatican to Return Indigenous Cultural Items to Canada Taken a Century Ago - Povoledo, Elisabetta; City, Ian Austen Elisabetta Povoledo reported from Vatican (The New York Times, 2025)
Dozen of pieces used in a 1925 exhibition, including a whale-hunting kayak, will be returned to Canada early next month.
Canada
Keywords: Arts and Antiquities Looting; Canada; Francis; Indigenous People; Inuit Indians; Leo XIV; Pius XI; Popes; Roman Catholic Church; Vatican Museums

‘Reframes history’: fears Māori knowledge diluted in plan to revise New Zealand curriculum - Duff, Michelle (The Guardian, 2025)
Minister rejects claims Māori history is being sidelined in rewrite which includes cutting some references to the Treaty of Waitangi
Oceania
Keywords: Asia Pacific; Education; Māori; New Zealand

Amnesty International, S.T.O.P. Lawsuit Reveals NYPD Surveillance Abuses (Amnesty International, 2025)
Records obtained by Amnesty International and S.T.O.P. reveal concerning surveillance abuses against protesters and communities of color, including the frequent use of rights-violating facial recognition technology.
United States of America

For its 40th anniversary, RSF transfers its archives to specialist history centre La Contemporaine to aid research (RSF, 2025)
To celebrate its 40th anniversary, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is transferring its archives to La Contemporaine, a library, archive and museum of 20th and 21st century history, based in a suburb to the west of Paris. The archives, which have been amassed over forty years, will enable researchers from around the world to study the history of both RSF and press freedom in the years to come.
France

Vrinda Grover on Holding Russia Accountable for Crimes in Ukraine - Jacobsen, Scott Douglas (International Policy Digest, 2025)
Vrinda Grover details evidence of Russian war crimes in Ukraine and the UN’s pursuit of accountability through victim-centered justice.
Russian Federation

Vrinda Grover on Holding Russia Accountable for Crimes in Ukraine - Jacobsen, Scott Douglas (International Policy Digest, 2025)
Vrinda Grover details evidence of Russian war crimes in Ukraine and the UN’s pursuit of accountability through victim-centered justice.
Ukraine

Borderline ambiguity: How Google Maps removes disputed Western Sahara border for Morocco users - Agence France-Presse (The Guardian, 2025)
The tech giant has released a statement acknowledging the use of different border displays between Western Sahara and Morocco
Morocco
Keywords: Africa; Google; Morocco; Western Sahara

Borderline ambiguity: How Google Maps removes disputed Western Sahara border for Morocco users - Agence France-Presse (The Guardian, 2025)
The tech giant has released a statement acknowledging the use of different border displays between Western Sahara and Morocco
Western Sahara
Keywords: Africa; Google; Morocco; Western Sahara

Indigenous Knowledge Holders Want to Be Acknowledged - Dhakal, Tanka (Inter Press Service, 2025)
Generational lived experiences are key to confronting and living with a changing climate, say Indigenous knowledge holders.
Worldwide

US ethics officials removed for inquiring into improper access of mortgage files - Levine, Sam (The Guardian, 2025)
Fannie Mae officers were investigating whether Trump ally inappropriately accessed mortgage details of federal officials.
United States of America
Keywords: Letitia James; Trump administration; US news; US politics

Human rights groups slam Kazakhstan's LGBT propaganda law - Искаков, Ерлан (Kursiv Media Kazakhstan, 2025)
International human rights organizations have condemned proposed amendments in Kazakhstan that would ban the “propaganda of nontraditional sexual orientation.”
Kazakhstan

Milan prosecutors investigate alleged ‘sniper tourism’ during Bosnian war - Giuffrida, Angela; Willsher, Kim (The Guardian, 2025)
Groups from Italy and elsewhere alleged to have paid Serb soldiers to shoot Sarajevo residents during siege. The investigation originated from a legal complaint submitted by Ezio Gavazzeni, a Milan-based writer who gathered evidence on the allegations, as well as a report sent to the prosecutors by the former mayor of Sarajevo, Benjamina Karić.
Italy
Keywords: Bosnia and Herzegovina; Europe; Italy; World news

Protesters target major new Nigerian museum embroiled in looted artefacts row - Egbejule, Eromo (The Guardian, 2025)
Protest at Mowaa comes amid dispute over ownership of Benin bronzes looted by British colonial forces
Nigeria
Keywords: Africa; British empire; Culture; Museums; Nigeria; Protest; World news

Protesters target major new Nigerian museum embroiled in looted artefacts row - Egbejule, Eromo (The Guardian, 2025)
Protest at Mowaa comes amid dispute over ownership of Benin bronzes looted by British colonial forces
United Kingdom
Keywords: Africa; British empire; Culture; Museums; Nigeria; Protest; World news

A Massive Archiving Effort at National Parks - Samantha Cole (2025)
This week we have a conversation between Sam and two of the leaders of the independent volunteer archiving project Save Our Signs, an effort to archive national park signs and monument placards.
United States of America

US to demand countries share data on ‘pathogens with epidemic potential’ in return for health aid - Lay, Kat (The Guardian, 2025)
Draft template seen by the Guardian has no reference to countries receiving benefits for sharing information, such as guaranteed access to medicines developed as a result
United States of America
Keywords: Aid; Epidemics; Global development; Global health; Infectious diseases; Medical research; Society; US news; USAID; World news

Censorship crusade: Israel targets platforms and online archives to ‘rewrite Gaza’ - Pacific Media Watch (Asia Pacific Report, 2025)
From YouTube to X, Wikipedia, and TikTok, Zionists are capturing all means of communication to erase the evidence of its genocide, reshape the historical record, and censor those critical of it.
Israel

Erasing the archives: How authoritarian regimes wage war on memory (Turkish Minute, 2025)
Turkey’s authoritarian leader, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has accused his strongest political rival, İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, of “spying for the British” — a claim that many observers see as part of a broader campaign to silence dissent. At the same time the government has seized one of the country’s few remaining independent broadcasters, TELE1, and immediately disabled access to its digital archive and YouTube channel — a symbolic act of erasing collective memory.
Türkiye

Integrating Local, Indigenous, and Traditional Knowledge into Early Warning Systems for Climate Resilience (Start Network, 2025)
integrating Local, Indigenous and Traditional Knowledge into formal Early Warning Systems can significantly enhance their reach, relevance, and effectiveness. This knowledge is sustained by community structures including elders and practitioners who steward knowledge, social mechanisms that transmit it (storytelling, ceremony, apprenticeship), and local forums that apply it (customary rules, committees, communal assemblies).
Worldwide

Unesco adopts global standards on ‘wild west’ field of neurotechnology - Down, Aisha (The Guardian, 2025)
The standards define a new category of data, “neural data”, and suggest guidelines governing its protection. A list of more than 100 recommendations ranges from rights-based concerns to addressing scenarios that are – at least for now – science fiction.
Worldwide
Keywords: Artificial intelligence (AI); Computing; Neuroscience; Science; Technology; Unesco; United Nations; World news

Secret Harvard archive preserves Israeli publications ‘in case Israel ceases to exist’ - Zein Khalil and Mohammad Sio (Anadolu Ajansı, 2025)
Haaretz says hidden facility at Harvard stores Israel’s cultural and scientific output as safeguard against potential national collapse - Anadolu Ajansı
United States of America

Secret Harvard archive preserves Israeli publications ‘in case Israel ceases to exist’ - Zein Khalil and Mohammad Sio (Anadolu Ajansı, 2025)
Haaretz says hidden facility at Harvard stores Israel’s cultural and scientific output as safeguard against potential national collapse - Anadolu Ajansı
Israel

Privacy watchdog gives Commission green-light for EU-Brazil data transfers - Claudie Moreau (Euractiv, 2025)
But the European Data Protection Board does recommend the EU's executive clarifies law enforcement and national security exemptions
Europe

Privacy watchdog gives Commission green-light for EU-Brazil data transfers - Claudie Moreau (Euractiv, 2025)
But the European Data Protection Board does recommend the EU's executive clarifies law enforcement and national security exemptions
Brazil

Bookstores on Edge as Kremlin Sets Sights on Policing Books - Petersburg, Nanna Heitmann Reporting from the many bookstores of St; Russia (The New York Times, 2025)
Restrictions on publishers and sellers have grown more severe. Volumes are being pulled from shelves or redacted like secret documents, but bookstores remain important sources of community.
Russian Federation
Keywords: Book Bans; Books and Literature; Censorship; Fines (Penalties); Homosexuality and Bisexuality; Popcorn Books; Russia; St Petersburg (Russia); Writing and Writers; internal-open-access-from-nl

Documenting Peoplehood: Archives as Resources for UNPO Members’ Fundamental Rights - . (Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization, 2025)
Archives have long been used as evidence in humanitarian and legal contexts. But, for unrepresented communities they play an even broader role, acting as proof of peoplehood, tools of cultural preservation and foundations for self-determination.
Worldwide

AI firm wins high court ruling after photo agency’s copyright claim - Booth, Robert (The Guardian, 2025)
Ruling in case brought by Getty Images against Stability AI is seen as a blow to copyright owners
United Kingdom
Keywords: Artificial intelligence (AI); Intellectual property; Law; Media; Media law; News photography; Technology; UK news

Google plans to put datacentres in space to meet demand for AI - Booth, Robert (The Guardian, 2025)
US technology company’s engineers want to exploit solar power and the falling cost of rocket launches
Worldwide
Keywords: Artificial intelligence (AI); Climate crisis; Computing; Elon Musk; Google; Nvidia; Space; SpaceX; Technology

"Hide Records at Your own Peril," Government Warns Record Managers - Mbungu Harrison & Mwakwaya Raymond (The Coast Media Group, 2025)
Head of Public Service Felix Koskei has warned records managers against unprofessional conduct, including hiding or misplacing files, saying such actions undermine public trust and taint the image of the profession and government institutions.
Kenya

YouTube Quietly Erased More Than 700 Videos Documenting Israeli Human Rights Violations - Valdez, Jonah, Nikita Mazurov (The Intercept, 2025)
The tech giant deleted the accounts of three prominent Palestinian human rights groups — a capitulation to Trump sanctions.
Israel

DHS asked Texas for driver’s license data for citizenship checks - Despart, Zach, Jen Fifield (The Texas Tribune, 2025)
It’s the latest step to pool confidential data that the Trump administration claims will help identify noncitizens on voter rolls and tighten immigration enforcement.
United States of America

DHS Agreement Reveals Risks of Using Social Security Data for Voter Citizenship Checks - Fifield, Jen (ProPublica, 2025)
A recently released agreement gives the Department of Homeland Security access to hundreds of millions of Americans’ Social Security data. It contains alarmingly few provisions to ensure accuracy and privacy, experts say.
United States of America

Revealed: Israel demanded Google and Amazon use secret ‘wink’ to sidestep legal orders - Davies, Harry; Abraham, Yuval (The Guardian, 2025)
Like other big tech companies, Google and Amazon’s cloud businesses routinely comply with requests from police, prosecutors and security services to hand over customer data to assist investigations. To deal with the threat, officials created a secret warning system: the companies must send signals hidden in payments to the Israeli government, tipping it off when it has disclosed Israeli data to foreign courts or investigators.
Israel
Keywords: Amazon; Google; Israel; Technology; US news; World news

Journalism is the oxygen of democracy: How Sudan’s information crisis reflects a global reality (Global Voices, 2025)
Now more than ever, we need to talk about the importance of journalism. This is not about journalism as an abstract ideal, or as an industry fighting for survival, but as a living, breathing force that connects people to the information they need. Protecting journalism is not just about saving newsrooms. It is about safeguarding people’s right to usable, trusted information, which is the very foundation of healthy societies everywhere.
Sudan

CFP: Seeking Oral Historians for Bloomsbury’s Trans Studies Book Series - Cheryl (Publishing in the Archives Profession, 2025)
Oral historians are warmly invited to write books for Trans Studies, a book series published by Bloomsbury Academic. We seek books that give voice to previously unrecognized transgender and nonbinary people and issues, with a special emphasis on topics not well documented in written literature, but for which there are oral archives that allow the recovery of previously forgotten histories. We also welcome books that explore already well-recognized transgender and nonbinary topics that can be examined in greater depth through oral histories.

Kaya Suraci Researches Human Rights Abuses in El Salvador - Marcos, Andrea (Center for Human Rights, 2025)
"When a spreadsheet of documents mentioning his name became a video call with his family, this work researching atrocities from 40 years in the past gave me new insight into the power of human rights research."
El Salvador

Interview with editors of “Archivist Actions, Abolitionist Futures” (Issues & Advocacy, 2025)
Alison Clemens is an archivist and librarian, and founding co-coordinator of the Abolition in Special Collections collective. Jess Farrell is an archival consultant at Redstart Works and a community organizer.
Worldwide

The powerlessness of the ICRC during the Nazi period (Arolsen Archives, 2025)
How and why the Red Cross failed in the face of humanitarian crimes against the civilian population.
Europe

At least 49 relatives and colleagues of Afghans in data leak have been killed, study suggests - Taylor, Diane (The Guardian, 2025)
Research also finds 200 of 231 people notified by MoD of breach reported threats to themselves or families
Afghanistan
Keywords: Afghanistan; Data protection; Ministry of Defence; Superinjunctions; Taliban; UK news

Cybercrime Convention ‘a Promise’ That Rights to Privacy, Dignity, Safety Must Be Protected, Secretary-General Says at Signing Ceremony, Calling for Entry into Force (UN Press Release, 2025)
Let us build a cyberspace that respects everyone’s dignity and human rights. And let us ensure that the digital age delivers peace, security and prosperity for all.
Worldwide

Amazon strategised about keeping its datacentres’ full water use secret, leaked document shows - Barratt, Luke; Furneaux, Rosa (The Guardian, 2025)
Executives at world’s biggest datacentre owner grappled with disclosing information about water used to help power facilities
United States of America
Keywords: Amazon; E-commerce; Environment; Internet; Technology

Archives in times of war and algorithms: who will guard the memory? - Marimon, Sílvia (Ara in English, 2025)
Barcelona hosts more than 2,000 professionals from 110 countries to discuss the present and future of archives.
Spain

Futures_Past Brings Southern African Archives To Life Through Immersive Storytelling (africa.com, 2025)
Six institutions, six powerful histories, and a call to artists to reimagine heritage with immersive arts
South Africa

US expands facial recognition technology at borders to track non-citizens - Reuters (The Guardian, 2025)
New regulation will allow US authorities to require non-citizens to be photographed at any point of departure
United States of America
Keywords: Facial recognition; Technology; US immigration; US news

Taliban Trample Media Freedom (Human Rights Watch, 2025)
The Taliban have gutted Afghan media since taking control of the country in August 2021 through the use of surveillance and censorship and by punishing media workers for perceived criticism.
Afghanistan

The Wayback Machine’s snapshots of news homepages plummet after a “breakdown” in archiving projects - Andrew Deck and Hanaa' Tameez (Nieman Lab, 2025)
Between May and October 2025, homepage snapshots fell by 87% across 100 news publications.
Worldwide

Don’t use AI to tell you how to vote in election, says Dutch watchdog - France-Presse, Agence (The Guardian, 2025)
Data protection authority says chatbots are ‘clearly biased’, as Netherlands prepares for national poll
Netherlands
Keywords: Artificial intelligence (AI); Europe; Netherlands; Technology; World news

Togolese authorities threaten greater online speech censorship (Global Voices, 2025)
In Togo, the authorities have restated their intentions to regulate online speech, restricting the use of social media amid heightened political tensions.
Togo

Massive leak exposes how China’s ‘Great Firewall’ is being exported to other countries - Ali Rogin (PBS News Weekend, 2025)
For years, China’s government has used what’s known as the “Great Firewall” to censor the internet inside its country and block access to select foreign websites. Now, a document leak shows that a little-known Chinese company is exporting these tools to other countries, including Myanmar, Pakistan, Kazakhstan and Ethiopia.
China

How Zimbabwe is suppressing journalism (GroundUp News, 2025)
Following arrests and draconian legislation, editors are self-censoring to protect their organisations
Zimbabwe

Why do reparations for colonialism and slavery matter? (Amnesty International, 2025)
Across the world, people are still suffering the effects of slavery and colonialism and struggling to get the reparations they deserve.
Worldwide

Inside the Sudden Collapse of a U.K. Spy Case Against China - Castle, Stephen (The New York Times, 2025)
Evidence prepared for a collapsed espionage trial was published by an under-pressure government in Britain, offering a window into Western countries’ struggle to define Beijing as friend or foe.
China
Keywords: China; Classified Information and State Secrets; Espionage and Intelligence Services; Great Britain; International Relations; London (England); Security Service (MI5); Starmer; Keir

Inside the Sudden Collapse of a U.K. Spy Case Against China - Castle, Stephen; London, Lizzie Dearden Reporting from (The New York Times, 2025)
Evidence prepared for a collapsed espionage trial was published by an under-pressure government in Britain, offering a window into Western countries’ struggle to define Beijing as friend or foe.
United Kingdom
Keywords: China; Classified Information and State Secrets; Espionage and Intelligence Services; Great Britain; International Relations; London (England); Security Service (MI5); Starmer; Keir

CFP: Seeking Material Culture Scholars for Bloombury’s Trans Studies Book Series - Cheryl (Publishing in the Archives Profession, 2025)
Seeking material culture scholars to write and edit books for Trans Studies, a book series published by Bloomsbury Academic. We welcome books on transgender and nonbinary l…

EU countries split over extraterritorial in cloud sovereignty definition - Euractiv (Euractiv, 2025)
France is demanding a Council text tackles US data access laws but several smaller countries are pushing in the opposition direction
Europe

Ex-Trump adviser John Bolton pleads not guilty to sharing classified information - Lowell, Hugo (The Guardian, 2025)
Ex-national security adviser surrendered to authorities and made court appearance as he faces 18-count indictment
United States of America
Keywords: Donald Trump; John Bolton; Trump administration; US news; US politics

Djibouti President Urges Preservation of African Heritage - Africa, Dawan (Dawan Africa, 2025)
The inaugural forum in Djibouti brings together 17 African nations to promote digital archiving, legal transparency, and the preservation of Africa’s collective memory.
Djibouti

Beyond Rhetoric - Feminist Leadership for a Transformative Women, Peace and Security Agenda at 25 - Baldoumas, Abigael (Oxfam, 2025)
Twenty-five years after the United Nations adopted Resolution 1325, the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda is both a landmark in diplomacy and a study in unfulfilled promise. Its most profound achievement has been to force open a conversation about the gendered power structures that fuel conflict.
Worldwide

Launch of veteran card will be used to test UK government’s digital ID scheme - Booth, Robert (The Guardian, 2025)
Ministers hope scheme for 1.8 million people will show how technology works and ease privacy and security concerns
United Kingdom
Keywords: Apps; British army; Identity cards; Military; Politics; Technology; UK civil liberties; UK news

Former Bush adviser charged with amassing top secret files - Ellis-Petersen, Hannah (The Guardian, 2025)
Indian-American Ashley Tellis allegedly obtained US military data and passed envelopes to Chinese officials
China
Keywords: India; South and central Asia; Trump administration; US national security; US news; US politics; World news

Former Bush adviser charged with amassing top secret files - Ellis-Petersen, Hannah (The Guardian, 2025)
Indian-American Ashley Tellis allegedly obtained US military data and passed envelopes to Chinese officials
United States of America
Keywords: India; South and central Asia; Trump administration; US national security; US news; US politics; World news

Digital ID: Danes and Estonians find it ‘pretty uncontroversial’ - Bryant, Miranda (The Guardian, 2025)
Citizens have enrolled with little opposition, albeit with some concerns over security and privacy, as UK plans system
Europe
Keywords: Apps; Cybercrime; Data protection; Denmark; Estonia; Europe; Hacking; Identity cards; Internet; Politics; Privacy; Surveillance; Technology; UK news

A Photographer Who Brought a Vanished Central European Jewry to Life - Erlanger, Steven (The New York Times, 2025)
Edward Serotta created an archive of 1,230 in-depth interviews with Holocaust survivors about how they lived, both before and after. “Every one of them comes with a story,” he said.
Europe
Keywords: Archives and Records; Audio Recordings; Downloads and Streaming; Central Europe; Content Type: Personal Profile; Eastern Europe; Jews and Judaism; Photography; Serotta; Edward; United States Holocaust Memorial Museum; Vienna (Austria)

Les mécanismes de la corruption illustrés par le cas de Malte - Venard, Bertrand (The Conversation, 2025)
À Malte, huit ans après l’assassinat de la journaliste Daphne Caruana Galizia, qui avait sans relâche dénoncé ce fléau, la corruption demeure un phénomène structurel.
Malta

Video: Inside Iran’s Museum of American Espionage - Walsh, Declan; Kiazand, Gelareh; Hazell, Jon; Thornell, Christina (The New York Times, 2025)
The enduring animosity between the United States and Iran is reflected inside the walls of the former U.S. embassy in Tehran, now turned into a museum of anti-American propaganda. U.S. involvement in the June Iran-Israel war has resurfaced that shared past.
Iran
Keywords: Central Intelligence Agency; Diplomatic Service; Embassies and Consulates; Iran; Israel; Museums; Tehran (Iran); United States International Relations

‘Your basis to live is checked at each and every step’: India’s ID system divides opinion - Ellis-Petersen, Hannah (The Guardian, 2025)
Keir Starmer is considering Aadhaar as model for UK, but detractors warn of ‘digital coercion’ and security breaches
India
Keywords: Human rights; India; South and central Asia; Technology; UK news; World news

Civil society urges Commission to probe Irish privacy watchdog's independence - Euractiv (Euractiv, 2025)
In an open letter, more than 40 civil society organisations have questioned the DPC's independence after it appointed a former Meta lobbyist to be its third commissioner
Ireland

Call for Articles: Disabilities in Libraries & Information Studies - Cheryl (Publishing in the Archives Profession, 2025)
DisLIS Open for Article Submissions Disabilities in Libraries & Information Studies (DisLIS) is now accepting articles for peer-reviewed, open access publication. This includes o…

US news outlets refuse to sign new Pentagon rules to report only official information - Helmore, Edward (The Guardian, 2025)
Defense department policy requires outlets to vow not to obtain unauthorized files and restricts access to some areas
United States of America
Keywords: CNN; Media; New York Times; Newspapers; Pete Hegseth; The Guardian; Trump administration; US news; US politics; US press and publishing; Washington Post

Against ‘chat control’: we can’t eliminate child abuse by eliminating privacy - Jeremy Malcolm (The Guardian, 2025)
Banning online anonymity tools like Tor won’t stop crime. It will only drive people underground and normalize government control over the internet
Worldwide
Keywords: Children; Privacy; Society; Technology; Tor

Restitution row: how Nigeria’s new home for the Benin bronzes ended up with clay replicas - Oltermann, Philip; Egbejule, Eromo (The Guardian, 2025)
The public display of artefacts looted by British colonial forces at the new Museum of West African Art was supposed to be the crowning glory of a decades-long restitution effort. What went wrong?
Nigeria
Keywords: Africa; Benin; British empire; Culture; Germany; Museums; Nigeria; World news

UN rights chief hails Bangladesh prosecutions over enforced disappearances - UN News (UN News, 2025)
L’ouverture de poursuites contre des personnes accusées d’être responsables de disparitions forcées et d'actes de torture sous le précédent gouvernement au Bangladesh constitue une étape importante vers la reddition de comptes, a déclaré le Haut-Commissaire des Nations Unies aux droits de l’homme.
Bangladesh

Meta AI adviser spreads disinformation about shootings, vaccines and trans people - Wilson, Jason (The Guardian, 2025)
Critics condemn Robby Starbuck, appointed in lawsuit settlement, for ‘peddling lies and pushing extremism’
Worldwide
Keywords: Meta; Technology; US news; World news

The genocide in Srebrenica mustn’t be allowed to remain a niche issue - A conversation with activist Sejfuddin Dizdarevic - Arolsen Archives (Arolsen Archives, 2025)
What drives a person to dedicate themselves tirelessly to education, remembrance, and civic engagement? Born in 1977 in Zenica (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Sejfuddin Dizdarevic came to Germany as a teenager. For him, the genocide in Srebrenica in 1995 marked a decisive turning point in his life.
Bosnia and Herzegovina

JP Morgan staff told they must share biometric data to access headquarters - Sweney, Mark (The Guardian, 2025)
Investment bank had previously planned for such information from New York workers to be voluntary
United States of America
Keywords: Banking; Biometrics; Business; JP Morgan; New York; Technology sector; US news; World news

Dutch want to clarify AI rules instead of delaying them - Maximilian Henning (Euractiv, 2025)
A position paper, obtained by Euractiv, also contains ideas on digital reporting obligations and streamlining privacy rules
Netherlands

New film explores how Caribbean workers helped win second world war - Osuh, Chris (The Guardian, 2025)
Commissioned by the Imperial War Museum, Cornwallis Cloth ends ‘archival silence’ around invaluable West Indian contribution to war effort
Caribbean
Keywords: Black British culture; Caribbean; Imperial War Museums; Second world war; World news

In the dark. Access to key Russian archives is being restricted as the state seeks to tighten its control of historical memory - Alexander Leonidovich (Novaya Gazeta Europe, 2025)
Archive files detailing the fate of millions of Soviet citizens who were executed or imprisoned during the Stalin era have suddenly been made harder for historians to access. The Russian federal archive authority’s decision to limit access to such documents to the relatives of individual victims is both a violation of Russian law and will further hamper the work of historians researching the period. As it is, to date just a quarter of Stalin’s victims are known to historians by name.
Russian Federation

Former premier of Nunavut calls on Carney to stop victimizing Inuit - Sanders, Leane (APTN News, 2025)
The former premier of Nunavut is calling on Prime Minister Mark Carney to end the federal government’s attempt to dismiss a lawsuit against Canada over an “International Biological Experiments” program undertaken in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
Canada

This Adoptee Discovered a Trove of Documents in a Nun’s Basement. The Rare Vietnam War Records May Rewrite the Story of Operation Babylift - Strochlic, Nina (Smithsonian Magazine, 2025)
The April 1975 effort matched more than 2,800 infants and children evacuated from Vietnam with adoptive families. Today, the adoptees are searching for clues to their past—and reflecting on the complicated legacy of their evacuation
Vietnam

This Adoptee Discovered a Trove of Documents in a Nun’s Basement. The Rare Vietnam War Records May Rewrite the Story of Operation Babylift - Strochlic, Nina (Smithsonian Magazine, 2025)
The April 1975 effort matched more than 2,800 infants and children evacuated from Vietnam with adoptive families. Today, the adoptees are searching for clues to their past—and reflecting on the complicated legacy of their evacuation
United States of America

ICA SAHR Tuesday Talks - Filming trials for crimes against humanity in France: between the fight against impunity and memorial issues - ICA International Council on Archives; Martine Sin Blima-Barru (2025)
France

Beyond an Archive of Suffering, PUCL's Manipur Report Is a Challenge to India's Conscience - Ranjan Solomon (The Wire, 2025)
This article draws from a critique of the PUCL report submitted to the organisation by Ranjan Solomon.
India

Russia Restricts Access to Stalin-Era Purge Archives (Odessa Journal, 2025)
Russian archives block historians from accessing Stalin-era files, citing security, limiting research on millions repressed during Soviet purges.
Russian Federation

Senegal Adopts Access-to-Information Law, Joining Africa’s Transparency Wave - Agency, Ecofin (Ecofin Agency, 2025)
Senegal enacts law granting universal access to public information. Reform aims to boost transparency, job access for youth. AFIC praises move as part of Africa-wide transparency trend.
Senegal

Institutional memory of Palestinian Public Institutions under the war: Post-October 2023 - Eman Redwan, Imad Kahil, Johannes Sauerland, Patricia Valencia Gallego, Fateh Hamarsheh (Geneva Centre for Security Sector Governance, 2025)
This report presents the first comprehensive assessment of the destruction and loss of public records in Palestinian institutions in the Gaza Strip, following the outbreak of war in October 2023. “Institutional memory”, defined as the archived records and documented knowledge of institutions, is a cornerstone of effective governance, particularly in the justice and security sectors. It underpins transparency, continuity, accountability, and the protection of public and private rights.
Palestine (Permanent Observer to the UN)

Aux origines de la liberté académique, de l’Allemagne aux États-Unis - Fernandes, Camille (The Conversation, 2025)
Essentielle aux échanges d’idées et au développement de la recherche, la liberté académique subit aujourd’hui des attaques aux États-Unis, un pays qui ont contribué à son essor.
Worldwide

Old wounds reopened for Tamils as mass grave discovered since the civil war - Canisius (ABC News, 2025)
A shocking mass grave discovery in Sri Lanka reignites global attention on one of the world's highest cases of unresolved enforced disappearances.
Sri Lanka
Keywords: Amnesty International; Chemmani grave; excavation; human rights; sri lanka mass grave; sri lankan civil war; sri lankan tamil; tamil; tamil community; war

Indigenous Peoples grapple with claims downplaying the history of residential schools - Passafiume, Alessia (CTVNews, 2025)
As Indigenous Peoples marked the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation this week, they also had to confront a persistent problem: public figures claiming the history of residential schools has been exaggerated or falsified.
Canada

Advocates raise alarm over Pfas pollution from datacenters amid AI boom - Perkins, Tom (The Guardian, 2025)
Tech companies’ use of Pfas gas at facilities may mean datacenters’ climate impact is worse than previously thought
United States of America
Keywords: Artificial intelligence (AI); Business; Chemical industry; Climate crisis; Environment; Health; Pfas; Technology

The World's First Virtual Museum of Stolen Cultural Objects Wants Its Collection to Shrink, Not Grow - Feldman, Ella (Smithsonian Magazine, 2025)
Visitors can explore 3D renderings of stolen artworks, historical artifacts, rare books and more in UNESCO's new digital museum
Worldwide

Thousands of Germans access Stasi files, 35 years after reunification - DPA International (DPA International, 2025)
Tens of thousands of Germans continue to consult their files from the Stasi, the former East German state security agency, as the country prepares to mark 35 years since reunification on Friday. The Federal Archives received 16,213 applications from citizens for access to files in the first half of 2025, a spokesman told dpa on Thursday.
Germany

‘This is strength’: stories of enslaved Africans in Grenada will be made into searchable archive - Abdul, Geneva; Osuh, Chris (The Guardian, 2025)
Depths of Paradise project backed by British family and created by Stephen Lewis, a descendant of survivors
Africa
Keywords: Americas; Grenada; Slavery; UK news; World news

UK government resumes row with Apple by demanding access to British users’ data - Milmo, Dan (The Guardian, 2025)
New access order by Home Office would seek access to the tech company’s encrypted cloud backups
United Kingdom
Keywords: Apple; Cloud computing; Computing; Data protection; Home Office; Law; Politics; Technology; Telecoms; UK news; US news

Nearly 100 years after her death, Oxford’s first female Indigenous scholar honoured - Tahana, Jamie (The Guardian, 2025)
Mākereti Papakura died weeks before handing in her thesis at Oxford university documenting the life and customs of her tribe, work that is still used by Māori today
Worldwide
Keywords: Asia Pacific; Māori; New Zealand; University of Oxford

White Work and Reparative Genealogy: Reckoning with Ancestral Debt as a Path to Racial Reparations - Watkins, Mary (Spinger, 2025)
White Work and Reparative Genealogy invites white-identifying readers on a courageous journey into the heart of ancestral memory, historical accountability, and racial repair.
United States of America

Crackdown on forced disappearance alleged perpetrators - Bergam, David (JusticeInfo.net, 2025)
Bangladesh seems to be tackling head-on the scourge of enforced disappearances under the former regime. On 8 October 2025, 24 arrest warrants were issued against army officers allegedly responsible for crimes against humanity, and within a week, 13 had been detained.
Bangladesh

‘Orwell: 2 + 2 = 5' Review: Raoul's Peck's Vital Film Shows How We're Living In A ‘1984'-Style Dystopia - Carey, Matthew (MSN, 2025)
Raoul Peck's vital documentary Orwell: 2 + 2 = 5, which premiered tonight at the Cannes Film Festival, makes it startlingly clear the degree to which we are living in Orwellian times. The parallels between the nightmare of 1984 – where Big Brother dictates every facet of life – and Trump's America have not been properly acknowledged. This film does that. T
Worldwide

Gathering Together, We Decide - Tamez, Margo; Bejarano, Cynthia; Sheperd, Jefrey P. (UAPress, 2025)
For Christina Leza, Gathering Together, We Decide brings together a broad range of community, academic, and artistic voices to reflect on the colonized state of Indigenous lands on the U.S.-Mexico borderlands, and to envision decolonized Indigenous futures.
United States of America

Freedom of Information Law in China: From Imperial Court Dairies to Open Government Information Regulations - Tang, Yong (Spinger, 2025)
This book assesses and critiques the legal right of access to government-held information in China with a special focus on legislative history, rationales, statutory language and efficacy of the Open Government Information (OGI) Regulations enacted in 2007 by the Chinese government.
China

Sixty years on from the 1965 Indonesian genocide (Inside Indonesia’s Newsletter, 2025)
This edition of Inside Indonesia commemorates the 60th anniversary of the beginning of the 1965–1966 genocide, when an estimated half a million men, women and children were murdered for their real or perceived support of the Indonesian Communist Party.
Indonesia

Rescuing the UNRWA Archive: Saving Palestinian History amidst the Gaza Genocide - Kelcey, Jo; Irfan, Anne (History Workshop Journal, 2025)
Israel’s genocide in Gaza has entailed extensive attacks on Palestinian heritage and history, including institutional archives which preserve historical documents, like that of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA). In this article, we trace how a small team of UNRWA staff successfully resisted these attacks by rescuing the agency’s archival materials and transferring them out of Gaza.
Palestine (Permanent Observer to the UN)

Musk calls Anti-Defamation League ‘hate group’ for documenting Christian extremism - Robins-Early, Nick (The Guardian, 2025)
Organization earlier this year came to the tech mogul’s aid over his widely criticized salutes at Trump’s inauguration
United States of America
Keywords: Antisemitism; Charlie Kirk shooting; Christianity; Donald Trump; Elon Musk; Far right (US); Germany; Technology; US news

Jo-Ann found her mum in 1991. Quiet changes will hurt the chance for others - Dennien, Matt (Brisbane Times, 2025)
A shift in Queensland’s approach to allowing adopted people or their families to access information to reunite has cast a shadow over three decades of reform.
Australia
Keywords: Adoption; Birth; death and marriage registration; Privacy; Queensland

Remembering the Children of Papenhorst - Arolsen Archives (Arolsen Archives, 2025)
Their names were Viktor, Luisa, Jurji or Irene – 28 gravestones at the cemetery in Nienhagen near Celle commemorate the children of Polish and Russian forced laborers who died in the “Polish children’s home” in Papenhorst during the Nazi era.
Worldwide

Britain Is Introducing a Digital ID. Here’s How It Is Expected to Work. - Chutel, Lynsey (The New York Times, 2025)
The government said the new system would help to curb illegal migration, but opponents said it would infringe on citizens’ privacy.
United Kingdom
Keywords: Corbyn; Jeremy (1949- ); Farage; Nigel (1964- ); Foreign Workers; Great Britain; Identification Devices; Illegal Immigration; Labour Party (Great Britain); Open Rights Group; Privacy; Starmer; Keir; Swinney; John R

Ireland's privacy watchdog opens probe into sale of citizens' phone locations - Euractiv (Euractiv, 2025)
One of the online data brokers is located in Ireland, the Data Protection Commission told Euractiv, another is in an unspecified EU country
Ireland

Investigating War Crimes: Forced Displacement - Ng, Vivian (Global Investigative Journalism Network, 2025)
More than 122 million people have been forcibly displaced, according to the UN Refugee Agency as of June 2024 — an increase of 5.3 million, compared to the end of 2023. Those fleeing are being pushed out by persecution, conflict, violence, human rights violations, and breakdowns in public order.
Worldwide

Launch of the Syria Prisons Museum at the National Museum in Damascus (Prisons Museum, 2025)
The Syria Prisons Museum seeks to uncover and document the crimes and violations committed in Syria’s prisons, and to preserve the collective memory of those places. Drawing on live testimonies from former prisoners, the project also relies on documents, photographs, and physical evidence carefully examined and analyzed by the team, in addition to field imaging and 3-D scanning of prisons and detention centers.
Syrian Arab Republic

Among the archives, you can find love, community and history - Aino Pihlak (Xtra Magazine, 2025)
Queer and trans archives preserve our past—they also offer community space that is essential to our future
Worldwide

When I was married at 13 I was told refusal would end in my death. Now girls in Iraq as young as nine face the same fate - Ali, Shams (The Guardian, 2025)
A new law legitimises violence and entrenches control over the bodies of millions of women and girls like me
Iraq
Keywords: Children; Children's rights; Family; Forced marriage; Global development; Human rights; Iraq; Life and style; Marriage; Middle East and north Africa; Society; Women's rights and gender equality; World news

Microsoft blocks Israel’s use of its technology in mass surveillance of Palestinians - Davies, Harry; Abraham, Yuval (The Guardian, 2025)
Exclusive: Tech firm ends military unit’s access to AI and data services after Guardian reveals secret spy project
Israel
Keywords: Gaza; Israel; Israel-Gaza war; Middle East and north Africa; Palestine; Surveillance; West Bank; World news

Microsoft blocks Israel’s use of its technology in mass surveillance of Palestinians - Davies, Harry; Abraham, Yuval (The Guardian, 2025)
Exclusive: Tech firm ends military unit’s access to AI and data services after Guardian reveals secret spy project
United States of America
Keywords: Gaza; Israel; Israel-Gaza war; Middle East and north Africa; Palestine; Surveillance; West Bank; World news

Microsoft blocks Israel’s use of its technology in mass surveillance of Palestinians - Davies, Harry; Abraham, Yuval (The Guardian, 2025)
Exclusive: Tech firm ends military unit’s access to AI and data services after Guardian reveals secret spy project
Palestine (Permanent Observer to the UN)
Keywords: Gaza; Israel; Israel-Gaza war; Middle East and north Africa; Palestine; Surveillance; West Bank; World news

Escaping Gaza City, while reporting on its destruction - Hough, Lucy; Tantesh, Malak A.; Abrahams, Ruth; Khaleeli, Homa; Kent, Sami; Abrahams, Presented by Lucy Houghwith Malak A. Tantesh; produced by Ruth; Khaleeli, Brian McNamara; executive producer Homa (The Guardian, 2025)
Malak A Tantesh on fleeing the Israeli ground offensive in Gaza and becoming a reporter in the most dangerous place on Earth for journalists
Palestine (Permanent Observer to the UN)
Keywords: Gaza; Israel; Israel-Gaza war; Middle East and north Africa; Palestine; World news

A New Lawsuit Alleges the Gun Industry Exploited Firearm Owners’ Data for Political Gain - Johnson, Corey G. (ProPublica, 2025)
The federal court complaint filed this week closely mirrors the findings of a ProPublica investigation that detailed a decades-long secret program operated by the gun industry’s largest trade group.
United States of America

The Librarians review – the heroic women battling against book bans and censorship - Clarke, Cath (The Guardian, 2025)
Kim A Snyder’s documentary highlights the defenders of young readers’ rights to see their lives in print facing rightwing attacks
United States of America
Keywords: Books; Censorship; Culture; Documentary films; Film; Libraries; World news

New Human Rights Watch report links Syrian Government to March coastal massacres, criticizes lack of transparency and accountability in investigation - SyriacPress (SyriacPress, 2025)
A new report released this week by Human Rights Watch, Syrians for Truth and Justice, and Syrian Archive has accused the Syrian Government of failing to confront senior officials’ roles in widespread atrocities carried out during March 2025 in the country’s coastal and central regions.
Syria

US border patrol collected DNA from thousands of US citizens for years, data shows - Bhuiyan, Johana (The Guardian, 2025)
CBP officers took DNA samples from about 2,000 citizens, some as young as 14 and many who never faced criminal charges, new analysis shows
United States of America
Keywords: DNA database; Privacy; Technology; US immigration; US news

Tasmanian right to information review makes 43 recommendations, including release of cabinet information - Holmes, Adam (ABC News, 2025)
From pulp mills to stadiums, Tasmanians don't have access to information about how and why decisions are made. A review of the state's transparency system says this — and many other things — should change.
Australia
Keywords: Tasmanian government; government documents; government transparency; right to information; rti

Letters found on eBay cast light on UK families who benefited from slavery - Osuh, Chris (The Guardian, 2025)
Researcher Malik Al Nasir bought historical documents while investigating his family history – and began building an archive
United Kingdom
Keywords: Books; Guyana; Lancashire; Politics past; Research; Slavery; UK news; University of Cambridge

Documents offer rare insight on Ice’s close relationship with Palantir - Bhuiyan, Johana (The Guardian, 2025)
For years, little was known about the multibillion-dollar company that handles data for the US immigration enforcement agency. Now, a cache of emails, training documents and reports sheds light on how Palantir helps Ice with investigations and on-the-ground enforcement
United States of America
Keywords: Ice (US Immigration and Customs Enforcement); Palantir; Peter Thiel; Technology; US immigration; US news; US policing

Pentagon demands journalists sign pledge not to gather certain information - Yang, Maya (The Guardian, 2025)
If they don’t agree to limits, including restricting movement within building, Pentagon press passes will be revoked
United States of America
Keywords: Media; Pete Hegseth; Trump administration; US constitution and civil liberties; US military; US news; US politics

Persecuted and Branded “Anti-Social” (Arolsen Archives, 2025)
Millions of people were persecuted and murdered by the Nazis. After the war, the Federal Compensation Act was drawn up to set out who was entitled to compensation. But this law was based on a narrow definition of who qualified as a victim of persecution. People who had been persecuted as “anti-social elements” were not included. Their suffering was not officially acknowledged by the German parliament until 2020.
Worldwide

Call for Applications: 2026 Penn State Global Asias Summer Institute: Vitalizing Global Asias: Artifacts & Archives - Cheryl (Publishing in the Archives Profession, 2025)
2026 Penn State Global Asias Summer Institute VITALIZING GLOBAL ASIAS: ARTIFACTS & ARCHIVES Penn State University and the Global Asias Initiative invites applicants for its annual Global Asias Summer Institute.

Monash IVF pauses donor treatments in NSW as it conducts review of patient records - Cockburn, Paige (ABC News, 2025)
Patients have been left blindsided by Monash IVF's decision to temporarily halt treatments using donated eggs and sperm in New South Wales.
Australia
Keywords: Monash IVF; New South Wales; donor; egg donor; fertility; fertility clinic; ivf; sperm donor

“I Have Not Surrendered”: Leonard Peltier Remains Committed to Indigenous Rights - Goodman, Amy (Truthout, 2025)
In this interview, Peltier discusses his time in (and release from) prison, his ongoing struggle for Indigenous rights, and more.
United States of America

Intersex people in Europe face ‘alarming’ rise in violence, EU finds - Kassam, Ashifa (The Guardian, 2025)
Increase in violence since 2019 is linked to online campaigns seeking to sow disinformation and fuel hatred
Europe
Keywords: Europe; Inequality; LGBTQ+ rights; Online abuse; Society; Transgender; World news

UK’s public sector broadcasters demand more prominence on YouTube to combat misinformation - Michael Savage Media (The Guardian, 2025)
How can we archive against genocide in Gaza and its extension elsewhere in Palestine and surrounding countries like Lebanon in this urgent moment while avoiding the pitfalls of white guilt and paternalistic benevolence?
United Kingdom
Keywords: BBC; Channel 4; ITV; Media; Public service broadcasting; Technology; Television industry; UK news; YouTube

Almost Destroyed: Chinese Canadian records at Library and Archives Canada - Chow, June (Active History, 2025)
A century after the Chinese Exclusion Act introduced its requirement for mass registration, the records created in this hostile context are being used to pursue collective healing, grounded in the personal, painful work of recovering ancestors who lived through the shame and regret of exclusion in silence.
Canada

‘We Are in a Zero State’: Scenes From the Ashes of Nepal’s Capital - Kathmandu, Atul Loke Reporting from; Nepal (The New York Times, 2025)
Arson attacks during protests in Nepal destroyed buildings, court files and even records of international agreements and state investments.
Nepal
Keywords: Arson; Corruption (Institutional); Demonstrations; Protests and Riots; Fires and Firefighters; Karki; Sushila; Nepal; Politics and Government; internal-open-access-from-nl

Trump’s war on science leaves US public health experts reeling: ‘There will be lasting damage’ - Tait, Robert (The Guardian, 2025)
Career experts warn of decades of progress lost as administration fires staff, slashes budgets and buries data
United States of America
Keywords: Climate science; Donald Trump; Science; Trump administration; US healthcare; US news

Draghi calls for deep cuts to privacy rules and pause on 'high risk' AI Act (Euractiv, 2025)
Influential Italian economist calls for "radical simplification" of GDPR on the one-year anniversary of his landmark report on European competitiveness
Europe

Russia Indoctrinates Children From Occupied Ukraine at 210 Sites, Study Says - Andrew E. Kramer (The New York Times, 2025)
War crime investigators at Yale discovered a program of re-education and military and police training that was larger than estimated earlier.
Ukraine
Keywords: Children and Childhood; Orphans and Orphanages; Politics and Government; Putin; Vladimir V; Russia; Ukraine; Yale University

Russia Indoctrinates Children From Occupied Ukraine at 210 Sites, Study Says - Andrew E. Kramer (The New York Times, 2025)
War crime investigators at Yale discovered a program of re-education and military and police training that was larger than estimated earlier.
Russian Federation
Keywords: Children and Childhood; Orphans and Orphanages; Politics and Government; Putin; Vladimir V; Russia; Ukraine; Yale University

Call for Papers: Queer/Trans History Conference 2026 - Cheryl (Publishing in the Archives Profession, 2025)
The LGBTQ+ History Association is pleased to announce a call for papers for its fourth conference, the Queer/Trans History Conference* 2026 (#QTHC26), to be held at the University of Michigan.

Confidentialité des documents gouvernementaux, un accès divergeant - Radio-Canada (OHdio | Radio-Canada, 2025)
La loi sur l’accès à l’information varie d’une province à l’autre. Des gouvernements ou des organismes peuvent rendre publiques ou pas certaines informations.
Canada

Syria Prisons Museum digital torture archive opens in Damascus (The New Arab, 2025)
The Syria Prisons Museum will provide an immersive experience paying homage to victims and survivors of the Assads’ brutal prison system.
Syria

Activist and writer Ruth Weiss lived life of service - Fisher, Nicola (DW, 2025)
Ruth Weiss, a Jewish journalist, author and human rights activist, was a tireless opponent of apartheid who used her pen to fight hatred and racism. A look at her extraordinary life.
South Africa

Limitation review – bloodshed and chaos of Georgia’s coup d’etat comes alive from the archive - Le, Phuong (The Guardian, 2025)
Seaming together many different records of the civil war in the early 1990s we see a country’s fracture unfold through a crowd of partisan views
Georgia
Keywords: Culture; Documentary films; Europe; Film; Georgia; World news

MI5 concedes it ‘unlawfully’ obtained data from former BBC journalist - Savage, Michael (The Guardian, 2025)
Revelation relating to then Northern Ireland home affairs correspondent, Vincent Kearney, a ‘matter of grave concern’
United Kingdom
Keywords: BBC; Human rights; MI5; Media; Northern Ireland; UK news; UK security and counter-terrorism

‘I woke up and there was no water’: Gaza’s human rights defenders in their own words - Lawlor, Mary (The Guardian, 2025)
A UN special rapporteur shares the stories of those trying to record the horrors of Gaza even as they live through them
Palestine (Permanent Observer to the UN)
Keywords: Gaza; Israel; Israel-Gaza war; Middle East and north Africa; Palestine; United Nations; World news

The Bright Side: Iraq's Yazidis rediscover their lost history in photos found in a museum archive - France 24 (France 24, 2025)
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have been scouring the university's Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology to create a visual archive of Iraq's Yazidi communities from photos left behind.
Iraq

Jeffrey Epstein’s birthday book is a horrifying document - Donegan, Moira (The Guardian, 2025)
Conspiracy theorists wonder about what Epstein and his powerful friends may have done to cover up his crimes. But they barely were covered up
United States of America
Keywords: Donald Trump; Ghislaine Maxwell; Jeffrey Epstein; Peter Mandelson; US news

South Africa reopens inquest into death of anti-apartheid leader Steve Biko - France 24 (France 24, 2025)
In tonight's edition: a South African court has reopened an inquest into the death of anti-apartheid leader Steve Biko, 48 years after he died of brain injuries in police custody.
South Africa

Yes, this is who we are: America’s 250-year history of political violence - Valsania, Maurizio (The Conversation, 2025)
The US has long fused politics and violence, often through firearms. To claim that such shootings betray ‘who we are’ is to forget that the US was founded on this form of political violence.
United States of America

Kashmiri representatives urge UNHRC to act against Indian repression in IIOJK - Kashmir Media Service (KMS News, 2025)
Kashmiri representatives Altaf Hussain Wani, Shamim Shawl and Advocate Parvez Ahmed Shah have urged the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) to urgently intervene against India’s escalating repression in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, warning that durable peace in South Asia is impossible without granting the Kashmiris their UN-mandated right to self-determination.
South Asia

Body parts taken without consent for museum display, coroner finds - Lohberger, Loretta (ABC News, 2025)
A Tasmanian coroner has released his findings from an investigation into 177 human specimens held in the collection of a university museum without the consent or knowledge of families. The investigation required complex manual searches and reconciliation of records with "very little additional resources" provided to the Coroners' Office to do the work.
Australia
Keywords: Rodda Museum; Tasmania; The University of Tasmania; autopsy specimens; body parts kept without permission; coronial findings

Re-activating Indigenous Knowledge from Oral History: Landscape and In Greenland - Mønsted, Asta (Routledge, 2025)
This book focuses on Greenlandic oral history and how to better understand people, their cultural remains, and their landscape through their own stories. It offers a way to consult Inuit oral history that opens a perspective on houses and landscapes that may otherwise be invisible to the barren eye. Working with and re-activating Indigenous knowledge of Greenland, the study draws on more than two thousand stories collected between 1735 and 1981, preserved, and later enrolled in an online and searchable database.
Denmark

A Guide to Censorship in China - Palmer, James (Foreign Policy, 2025)
Strange processes determine what does—or doesn’t—get published.
China

Defence won't have to keep some war records under law change - Pennington, Phil (RNZ, 2025)
A proposed law change to the Public Records Act would let the New Zealand Defence Force seek an exemption from its legal duty to keep records if it is in multinational deployment. This could make any war crimes harder to prove.
New Zealand
Keywords: Public Records Act; Regulatory Systems (Internal Affairs) Amendment Bill; War records

Victoria is on the cusp of signing a Treaty with Indigenous people. It could change lives - McManus, Justin (The Conversation, 2025)
If passed, potentially later this month, it will deliver a formal apology to First Peoples, embed Aboriginal truth-telling in schools and restore traditional names to parks and waterways
Australia

UN cooperates with National Archives to restore historical monuments and build capacity (Afghan Voice Agency (AVA), 2025)
The UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative in Afghanistan promised in a meeting with the head of the National Archives of the Ministry of Information and Culture that the organization will cooperate with the National Archives in the field of restoration of monuments, training of professional staff and building capacity.
Afghanistan

Because no one asked: Archiving the Rohingya past - Amin, Naseef Faruque (The Daily Star, 2025)
It began with a question, the kind of question that arrives quietly, almost like a sigh.
Myanmar

Demonizing Immigrants in the 1880s - Gershon, Livia (JSTOR Daily, 2025)
American newspapers portrayed members of immigrant groups as potential anarchists, linking the ideology to other anxieties and stereotypes about foreigners.
United States of America

FIDH denounces heinous U.S. sanctions against leading Palestinian human rights organisations (International Federation for Human Rights, 2025)
The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) denounces in the strongest terms the heinous designations imposed by the United States on three major Palestinian human rights organisations – Al-Haq, Al Mezan, and the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) – all members of FIDH. At a time when Palestinians face an ongoing genocide, these measures seek to silence those documenting atrocities, fighting for justice and accountability.
Israel

FIDH denounces heinous U.S. sanctions against leading Palestinian human rights organisations (International Federation for Human Rights, 2025)
The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) denounces in the strongest terms the heinous designations imposed by the United States on three major Palestinian human rights organisations – Al-Haq, Al Mezan, and the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) – all members of FIDH. At a time when Palestinians face an ongoing genocide, these measures seek to silence those documenting atrocities, fighting for justice and accountability.
United States of America

FIDH denounces heinous U.S. sanctions against leading Palestinian human rights organisations (International Federation for Human Rights, 2025)
The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) denounces in the strongest terms the heinous designations imposed by the United States on three major Palestinian human rights organisations – Al-Haq, Al Mezan, and the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) – all members of FIDH. At a time when Palestinians face an ongoing genocide, these measures seek to silence those documenting atrocities, fighting for justice and accountability.
Palestine (Permanent Observer to the UN)

Proving War Crimes: Archives, Truth Commissions and Transitional Justice - Archives, Cécile Chemin- (Medium, 2025)
This is a very broad overview introducing the role of archives for the protection of human rights, reparation work and transitional justice.
Worldwide

US imposes sanctions on Palestinians for requesting war crimes inquiry - Christou, William (The Guardian, 2025)
Rights groups in Gaza and Ramallah had asked international criminal court to investigate Israel over genocide claims
United States of America
Keywords: Gaza; Human rights; International criminal court; International criminal justice; Israel-Gaza war; Law; Middle East and north Africa; Palestinian territories; Trump administration; US foreign policy; US news; US politics; World news

US imposes sanctions on Palestinians for requesting war crimes inquiry - Christou, William (The Guardian, 2025)
Rights groups in Gaza and Ramallah had asked international criminal court to investigate Israel over genocide claims
Palestine (Permanent Observer to the UN)
Keywords: Gaza; Human rights; International criminal court; International criminal justice; Israel-Gaza war; Law; Middle East and north Africa; Palestinian territories; Trump administration; US foreign policy; US news; US politics; World news

Digital authoritarianism is on the rise: Australia should take note - Nicholas Morieson, Ihsan Yilmaz (Lowy Institute, 2025)
Democracies are increasingly using the tools of digital control under the guise of national security.
Worldwide

The missing half: The urgent need for more women’s representation in the media - UN News (UN News, 2025)
Women make up half of the world’s population but receive only 26 per cent of media coverage, according to the latest UN-backed Global Media Monitoring Project (GMMP) report, the world’s largest study on gender representation in news media.
Worldwide

Sudan conflict: RSF accused of crimes against humanity over el-Fasher siege - Ursher, Barbara Plett; Macaulay, Cecilia (2025)
The group has allegedly carried out murder, rape and other crimes, a UN report says.
Sudan

‘Unrestrained’ Chinese Cyberattackers May Have Stolen Data From Almost Every American - Goldman, Adam (The New York Times, 2025)
Information collected during the yearslong Salt Typhoon attack could allow Beijing’s intelligence services to track targets from the United States and dozens of other countries.
China
Keywords: China; Cyberattacks and Hackers; Cyberwarfare and Defense; Defense and Military Forces; Espionage and Intelligence Services; International Relations; Surveillance of Citizens by Government; United States Politics and Government

Meta ‘eavesdropping’ on Flo exposes how period apps are a data… - Andjela Milivojevic (TBIJ, 2025)
Tech giant was found to have illegally collected user info – but this could be a landmark moment for data privacy
Worldwide

US House committee releases more than 33,000 pages of Jeffrey Epstein files - Anguiano, Dani (The Guardian, 2025)
Files appear to contain information already in public domain as calls grow for release of all pertinent documents
United States of America
Keywords: House of Representatives; Jeffrey Epstein; Rape and sexual assault; US news; US politics

Alberta pauses book ban after schools remove Handmaid’s Tale, 1984 and other classics - Cecco, Leyland (The Guardian, 2025)
The province says it will review its controversial policy after outcry over removing beloved novels from classrooms
Canada
Keywords: Books; Canada; Culture; World news

‘Smart’ (or Machiavellian?) surveillance: The power of terminology - Tactical Tech (Global Voices, 2025)
The Israeli military “offers an important insight into how the latest technologies can be adopted for widespread monitoring and control.”
Worldwide

‘Reparatory justice’ key to ending racism against Africans and their descendants - UN News (UN News, 2025)
Governments, academia and other stakeholders must “double down on delivering reparatory justice” for people from the African diaspora, the UN human rights office, OHCHR, said in a report published on Wednesday.
Worldwide

‘Artefacts were just sitting in suitcases in people’s homes’: the London museum preserving Somali culture - Abdi, Sundus (The Guardian, 2025)
The UK’s first dedicated space for Somali heritage has built its collection from 15 years of donations. Culture House’s founders explain the power of giving a permanent home to a community’s heritage and hopes
Somalia
Keywords: Architecture; Art and design; Culture; Exhibitions; Heritage; Museums; Somalia

‘Artefacts were just sitting in suitcases in people’s homes’: the London museum preserving Somali culture - Abdi, Sundus (The Guardian, 2025)
The UK’s first dedicated space for Somali heritage has built its collection from 15 years of donations. Culture House’s founders explain the power of giving a permanent home to a community’s heritage and hopes
United Kingdom
Keywords: Architecture; Art and design; Culture; Exhibitions; Heritage; Museums; Somalia

More than 7,300 Afghans to be resettled in UK after MoD data leak, says National Audit Office - Boffey, Daniel (The Guardian, 2025)
Watchdog’s report says government is unable to calculate exact cost of response to data breach, raising doubt over £850m estimate
United Kingdom
Keywords: Afghanistan; Data protection; Law; Ministry of Defence; Politics; Superinjunctions; UK news; World news

More than 7,300 Afghans to be resettled in UK after MoD data leak, says National Audit Office - Boffey, Daniel (The Guardian, 2025)
Watchdog’s report says government is unable to calculate exact cost of response to data breach, raising doubt over £850m estimate
Afghanistan
Keywords: Afghanistan; Data protection; Law; Ministry of Defence; Politics; Superinjunctions; UK news; World news