Strengthening the linkages between social registries and climate risk data in Asia and the Pacific - World Food Programme (World Food Programme, 2025)
Explore how climate risk data enhances social registries and supports shock-responsive protection systems, with lessons from Sri Lanka, Lao PDR, and regional experiences across Asia and the Pacific.

Hide the Numbers, Control the Message - Joseph Chamie (Inter Press Service, 2025)
In the past, Shakespeare famously wrote in his play Henry VI that the first step for those seeking power was to “kill off the lawyers”. Today, the first step taken by those seeking power is to hide the numbers and control the message.

MEPs head to Rome demanding clarity on spyware scandal - Peretti, Alessia (Euractiv, 2025)
EU lawmakers head to Rome to probe Italy’s spyware scandal, as outrage grows over claims Graphite was used to surveil journalists and activists.

Journalists ask parliamentiarians not to restrict access to government documents - NL Times (NL Times, 2025)
Professional journalist organizations and various social organizations are appealing to parliament to take “no steps backwards” with the Open Government Act (WOO). The call the law that regulates the access to government information “essential for our democracy.” The organizations have serious objections to various motions that parliamentarians have submitted.

Bashar al-Assad’s Secret Archive: 8 Million People Were Under Surveillance! - Shuhrat Razzakov (Zamin, 2025)
It has been revealed that during the rule of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, the country's intelligence services conducted mass and secret surveillance of the population. According to a source from Syria's Ministry of Interior, cited by Germany's Deutsche Welle.

ICC counsel to Bato: No testimonies in Duterte case forced - News, GMA Integrated (GMA News Online, 2025)
The ICC does not force nor make testimonies for witnesses, and the procedure in taking testimonies is very transparent, a lawyer said after Sen. Bato dela Rosa claimed ex-police officials are being forced to execute affidavits against him and detained former President Rodrigo Duterte.

‘Alarming’ rise in regional internet censorship in China, study finds - Hawkins, Amy (The Guardian, 2025)
Tens of millions of internet users in China’s Henan denied access to five times more websites than usual.
Keywords: Asia Pacific; Censorship; China; Internet; Technology; World news

Lift ban on news sites and protect the right to freedom of expression - Article 19 (ARTICLE 19, 2025)
Jordan's blocking of independent news sites violates the right to access information. Authorities must uphold press freedom and lift the ban.

Introducing MakingJusticeWork.org: Connecting knowledge, strengthening justice - International Federation for Human Rights (International Federation for Human Rights, 2025)
On the European Union (EU) Day Against Impunity for Genocide, Crimes Against Humanity and War Crimes, the Global Initiative Against Impunity for International Crimes and Serious Human Rights Violations (GIAI) launches MakingJusticeWork.org, a digital platform designed to strengthen the work of key stakeholders and actors engaged in the fight for accountability.

Hong Kong activist Anna Kwok’s father is being prosecuted as a form of ‘collective punishment,’ according to rights groups - Oiwan Lam (Global Voices, 2025)
Kwok Yin-sang's prosecution has shocked overseas Hong Kong communities, as he was the first relative of a wanted activist charged under the security law, Hong Kong's latest strategy of collective punishment.

Syrians Rush to Preserve Remembrances of a Painful Revolution - Sednaya, Raja Abdulrahim (The New York Times, 2025)
Many in Syria want to enshrine remnants of their recent history, not only to remember it, but as a cautionary tale.
Keywords: Archives and Records; Assad, Bashar al-; Assad, Hafez al-; Demonstrations, Protests and Riots; Human Rights and Human Rights Violations; Politics and Government; Sednaya Prison (Syria); Syria

Preserving the past and sustaining the future amid environmental change: Cross-cutting approaches in cultural heritage - Center for Advances in Libraries, Museums, and Archives (2025)
How are museums, archives, and libraries adapting to environmental change while continuing to safeguard cultural memory? This session brings together consultants working across the GLAM sector to share practical strategies, lessons learned, and emerging best practices for sustainability and climate resilience. This discussion explores areas of convergence and divergence, challenges, innovations, and cross-sector collaboration, with a focus on bridging the gap between research and day-to-day practice.

Weather and climate data freely available - MeteoSwiss (MeteoSwiss, 2025)
As part of the Open Government Data (OGD) initiative, the Swiss Federal Office of Meteorology and Climatology MeteoSwiss is making its wealth of collected, processed and refined meteorological and climatological data available to all interested parties free of charge.

Civil society warns of human rights risks in Mexico’s telecom reform - Access Now (Access Now, 2025)
Access Now and ARTICLE 19 publish a policy brieg on the human rights implications in Mexico’s telecom reform

Cambodians remember Khmer Rouge victims 50 years on - Euronews (2025)
Cambodia held a powerful memorial on Tuesday to mark 50 years since the Khmer Rouge began a brutal regime that left around 1.7 million people dead.

Uruguay makes 10 key Operation Condor files available for online access - Jaureguy, Martina (Buenos Aires Herald, 2025)
The documents are key to understanding how the collaboration between South American regimes operated. “For the past 20 years, the foreign ministry has been part of a process in which there have been advances in terms of archives linked to human rights violations,” Interim Foreign Minister Valeria Csukasi said.

Nakba Descendants Seek Reparations Through Family Archive - Phil Pasquini (Countercurrents, 2025)
In observance of the 77th anniversary of the Nakba (catastrophe), the Arab Center Washington DC introduced “Survivors of the Nakba from Landowners to Refugees” by presenting the Bseiso Family Archive of Palestinian landownership records. The extensive archive chronicles Palestinian life from 1906 to 1997, with Jahshan noting it is “the largest known collection of original documents from a single Palestinian family detailing land ownership before 1948.” The archive introduces compelling legal evidence of the historical “property theft and mass dispossession” that took place.

NSW education department caught unaware after Microsoft Teams began collecting students’ biometric data - Taylor, Josh (The Guardian, 2025)
Gathering of face and voice data went unnoticed for one month after it was automatically enabled for video conferencing app users in March.
Keywords: Artificial intelligence (AI); Australia news; Australian education; Child Rights; Computing; Microsoft; Privacy; Technology

How Russian opposition media continue broadcasting from abroad - Daria Dergacheva (Global Voices, 2025)
“There are millions of Russian-speaking people around the world ready to support media they trust. You need to find the right tone to encourage that support and keep it growing.”

New Law Threatens Free Speech, Trans Rights - Human Rights Watch (Human Rights Watch, 2025)
A law enacted in Peru purports to combat sexual violence against children and adolescents, but instead undermines freedom of expression and access to information, and discriminates against transgender people, Human Rights Watch said today. The law’s vague and overly broad provisions could also be used to suppress expressions of identity, artistic content, and educational materials while failing to effectively address pervasive sexual violence against children and adolescents in the country.

Israel Recovers Troves of Documents Belonging to Its Most Famous Spy - Moses, Claire (The New York Times, 2025)
Israel has long sought to bring home from Syria the remains of Eli Cohen, whose spying work is credited with helping Israel win the Arab-Israeli War of 1967.
Keywords: Archives and Records; Cohen, Eli (1924-65); Damascus (Syria); Defense and Military Forces; Espionage and Intelligence Services; Israel; Mossad; Netanyahu, Benjamin; Syria

Afghan War Crimes Victims Still Awaiting Justice - Patricia Gossman (Human Rights Watch, 2025)
Family members of Afghans unlawfully killed by foreign military forces during the 20-year war in Afghanistan have been waiting a long time for justice. Last week revealed two quite different approaches by countries that should provide it.

Afghan War Crimes Victims Still Awaiting Justice - Patricia Gossman (Human Rights Watch, 2025)
Family members of Afghans unlawfully killed by foreign military forces during the 20-year war in Afghanistan have been waiting a long time for justice. Last week revealed two quite different approaches by countries that should provide it.

Afghan War Crimes Victims Still Awaiting Justice - Patricia Gossman (Human Rights Watch, 2025)
Family members of Afghans unlawfully killed by foreign military forces during the 20-year war in Afghanistan have been waiting a long time for justice. Last week revealed two quite different approaches by countries that should provide it.

Microsoft's ICC blockade: digital dependence comes at a cost - Van Klinken, Erik (Techzine Global, 2025)
In February, the United States imposed sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague. As a result, Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan has no access to the emails on his Microsoft account. The incident once again demonstrates the risks of dependence on US IT services.

From Ruins to Resin: A Curator’s Fight to Save Ukrainian Heritage - Jacobsen, Scott Douglas (International Policy Digest, 2025)
Ukrainian curator Tetyana Fiks discusses how the War Fragments Museum preserves the human stories of war through art, using resin-encased artifacts to protect and share Ukraine’s cultural memory with the world.

Surge in refusals for freedom of information undermines trust in Australian government, watchdog warns - Knaus, Christopher (The Guardian, 2025)
The Australian government is refusing freedome of information requests at a rate not seen in a decade, prompting concern among transparency advocates. However the federal government is releasing more FOIs in full that its state and territory counterparts.
Keywords: Australia news; Australian politics; Freedom of information

The largely forgotten history of Philadelphia’s police bombing of Black organization MOVE - Mike Fritz (PBS News, 2025)
This week marked the 40th anniversary of one of the worst tragedies in Philadelphia’s history. In May 1985, the city’s police department dropped an improvised bomb on a residential home that housed the Black revolutionary organization MOVE. The bomb and ensuing fire killed 11 people, including five children, and destroyed more than 60 nearby homes.

Brussels court ruling on tracking-based ads a major win for right to privacy - Amnesty International (Amnesty International, 2025)
On 14 May the Brussels Court of Appeal ruled that the consent model used by the tracking based online advertising industry is illegal under EU privacy law. The ruling establishes that the Transparency and Consent Framework fails to meet GDPR requirements for user consent and transparency.

Why does digital violence against LGBTI people in Thailand and Taiwan continue even after marriage equality? - Amnesty International (Amnesty International, 2025)
Thailand and Taiwan are hailed as champions of the rights of LGBTI people in Asia, as the only two places in the region to legalize same-sex marriage. However, rights won at the registry office do not always translate into safety online. Digital violence continues to threaten LGBTI people, undermining their human rights and progress made. Thai and Taiwanese authorities must do more to combat it.

Jordan bans 12 news sites for ‘spreading media poison’ following corruption report - Committee to Protect Journalists (Committee to Protect Journalists, 2025)
The Committee to Protect Journalists urges Jordanian authorities to lift Wednesday’s ban on a dozen online news outlets for “spreading media poison and attacking Jordan,” following the publication of allegations that the government unfairly profited from aid to Gaza.

How accurate are my medical records? You might be surprised how often errors creep in - Lloyd, Sheree (The Conversation, 2025)
Medical records of hundreds of patients at a Sydney hospital's cancer genetics service have been reviewed following irregularities related to care by a single specialist.

Amid States’ Negligence, Activists Working to Ensure Accountability for Israel’s Actions in Occupied Palestinian Territory - UN News (UN News, 2025)
The Foundation files requests for prosecution in national courts against “traveling soldiers” — a reference to Israeli soldiers traveling abroad. In States that have incorporated the principle of universal jurisdiction into their criminal codes, jurisdiction can be established by the mere physical presence of a perpetrator on their territory. It also files requests for prosecution in soldiers’ own countries — based on the principle of national jurisdiction. “There is no statute of limitations for these crimes and States' responsibility to act never expires,” he said. Finally, the Foundation shares information with international legal bodies like the International Criminal Court.

‘I am not who you think I am’: how a deep-cover KGB spy recruited his own son - Walker, Shaun; Alexandrou, Nicola; Bury, Ellie (2025)
For the first time, the man the KGB codenamed ‘the Inheritor’ tells his story.
Keywords: Espionage; Russia

Attack claimed by pro-Ukraine hackers reportedly erases a third of Russian court case archive - Antoniuk, Daryna (The Record, 2025)
About a third of the case file archive of Pravosudiye — Russia's national electronic court filing system — was deleted in a previously reported cyberattack, auditors said. A pro-Ukrainian group has claimed the intrusion.

Guns, gags and trolls: Disinformation and censorship are shaping the India–Pakistan conflict - GV South Asia (Global Voices, 2025)
India's “Operation Sindoor” sparked Pakistani retaliation and edged both nuclear-armed nations toward war, while Indian TV channels erupted in disinformation, blaring sirens, shouting anchors, and viral fake videos.

Guns, gags and trolls: Disinformation and censorship are shaping the India–Pakistan conflict - GV South Asia (Global Voices, 2025)
India's “Operation Sindoor” sparked Pakistani retaliation and edged both nuclear-armed nations toward war, while Indian TV channels erupted in disinformation, blaring sirens, shouting anchors, and viral fake videos.

A trial is testing ways to enforce Australia’s under-16s social media ban. But the tech is flawed - Maddox, Alexia; Heemsbergen, Luke; Le, My (The Conversation, 2025)
Australia's ban on under-16s from social media is due to take effect in December 2025. The law says social media platforms can't use official identification such as passports to check ages, and shouldn't track Australians. An age assurance technology trial is in its final stages.

New technologies risking ‘mental privacy’ of workers - Parliament of Victoria (Parliament of Victoria, 2025)
Imagine your employer having access to your brain activity. It may sound fanciful, but neurotechnology is one of a range of emerging technologies that are finding their way into workplace surveillance and will need to be subject to carefully considered regulation.

UN Strategic Communications and the Protection of Civilians: The Role of UN Radio - Schmidt, Annie (International Peace Institute, 2025)
Radio remains the most popular medium of communication in many countries where UN peacekeeping operations are deployed, and several missions have leveraged UN radio stations to communicate with local populations. UN strategic communications via radio can help reduce violence against civilians, both during and after armed conflict.

Keeping People Safe Online – Fundamental Rights Protective Alternatives to Age Checks - Windwehr, Svea (Electronic Frontier Foundation, 2025)
This is the final part of a three-part series about age verification in the European Union. In part one, we give an overview of the political debate around age verification and explore the age verification proposal introduced by the European Commission, based on digital identities.

Western countries gave Mossad information used to track and kill Palestinian terrorists in 1970s - Burke, Jason (The Guardian, 2025)
Declassified documents reveal secret support by intelligence agencies without oversight by elected politicians
Keywords: France; Germany; Israel; Italy; Middle East and north Africa; Munich massacre; Palestinian territories; Switzerland; The Mossad; UK news; US news

A decade of digital rights: Where has Big Tech's progress gone? - Giovana Fleck (Global Voices, 2025)
In a world with rising authoritarianism, the report shows that many Big Tech companies are largely continuing with “business as usual,” failing to address critical issues.

Ministers block Lords bid to make AI firms declare use of copyrighted content - Hall, Rachel (The Guardian, 2025)
Government uses arcane procedure to strip amendment passed by House of Lords from its data bill
Keywords: Artificial intelligence (AI); Beeban Kidron; House of Lords; Intellectual property; Labour; Politics; Technology; UK news

Pfizergate: EU Court Rules Commission in Violation of Transparency Law Over von der Leyen–Pfizer Texts - Hanna, Rachel (Access Info Europe, 2025)
14 May 2025 – The General Court of the European Union has annulled the European Commission decision to refuse access to text messages relating to COVID-19 vaccine negotiations, stating that doing so violated EU access to documents law and breached the principle of good administration. In early 2021, it was revealed that President von der

Migrant Workers Electrocuted, Decapitated, and Falling to Death at Workplaces - Human Rights Watch (Human Rights Watch, 2025)
Scores of migrant workers in Saudi Arabia die in gruesome yet avoidable workplace-related accidents, including falling from buildings, electrocution, and even decapitation

Who Watches the Watchers? A Conversation on Digital Rights and Decentralization - Jacobsen, Scott Douglas (International Policy Digest, 2025)
Alexander Linton discusses the urgent need for decentralized, privacy-focused technologies like Session to counter mass surveillance and protect digital rights in an increasingly data-driven world.

Digital Public Infrastructure Could Make a Better Internet - Kapur, Akash (Foreign Policy, 2025)
The approach has seen rapid uptake in the global south and may even challenge the existing geopolitical order.

BBC boss says disinformation ‘trust crisis’ putting social fabric of UK at risk - Savage, Michael (The Guardian, 2025)
Britain’s status as a cohesive, democratic society is at risk for the first time in a generation as the rise of social media platforms and disinformation fuel a “trust crisis”, the BBC’s director general has said. In a wide-ranging address about the future of the corporation, Tim Davie said BBC News would start to make special content for platforms such as YouTube and TikTok, where disinformation can go unchecked, as he couched the broadcaster as a “precious national asset” preventing the UK from becoming a society in which there were no shared facts.
Keywords: BBC; BBC licence fee; Culture; Digital media; Media; Social media; TV news; Television; The news on TV; Tim Davie

Is the U.S. Abandoning the Fight Against Foreign Information Operations? - Fried, Ambassador Daniel (Just Security, 2025)
The Trump administration's policy shift paves the way for foreign propaganda to flourish, leaving Europe to step into the breach.

Liberian Massacre Sites Documented in New Database - Mehnpaine, Tina S. (Liberianobserver.com, 2025)
The Ducor Institute releases a database on massacres during Liberia's civil war, aiming to supplement human rights activities and establish a War and Economic Crimes Court. Public contributions requested for database enhancement.

Boxes of Nazi Material Are Found After Decades in Basement of Argentina Court - Moses, Claire (The New York Times, 2025)
Thousands of documents in the boxes could result in new information about Nazi activity in Argentina in the early years of World War II.
Keywords: Argentina

EU told to set up agency to fight Russian bots, election interference - Anupriya Datta (Euractiv, 2025)
Democracy in the EU is under threat from Russian-backed foreign information manipulation.

IACHR warns of erosion to women’s and LGBTQ+ rights, memory policies in Argentina - Jaureguy, Martina (Buenos Aires Herald, 2025)
In its annual report, the human rights watchdog for the Americas expressed concern about President Milei’s austerity measures and violent discourse. The IACHR observed “setbacks in memory, truth and justice policies” including layoffs in the Human Rights Secretariat and the closure of programs and specialized entities.

Digital erasure: How social media platforms are silencing Palestinians in 2024 - Walid El Houri (Global Voices, 2025)
From shadow bans to account removals, tech platforms are censoring Palestinian speech while ignoring hate speech by Israeli figures.

Digital erasure: How social media platforms are silencing Palestinians in 2024 - Walid El Houri (Global Voices, 2025)
From shadow bans to account removals, tech platforms are censoring Palestinian speech while ignoring hate speech by Israeli figures.

Farmers Sued Over Deleted Climate Data. So the Government Will Put It Back. - Zraick, Karen (The New York Times, 2025)
The Agriculture Department pledged to restore online climate information that farmers said helped them do business, but which officials had deleted.
Keywords: Agriculture Department; Agriculture and Farming; Clayton, Walter J; Environmental Working Group; Global Warming; Greenhouse Gas Emissions; Natural Resources Defense Council; Northeast Organic Farming Assn; Suits and Litigation (Civil); United States Politics and Government

The CIA is trying to recruit Chinese spies for the US government. Chinese citizens don't seem interested - Oiwan Lam (Global Voices, 2025)
Although the videos have addressed the political tensions within the CCP, many find the narratives unconvincing, largely because the U.S has lost its moral high ground under president Donald Trump.

The CIA is trying to recruit Chinese spies for the US government. Chinese citizens don't seem interested - Oiwan Lam (Global Voices, 2025)
Although the videos have addressed the political tensions within the CCP, many find the narratives unconvincing, largely because the U.S has lost its moral high ground under president Donald Trump.

Hackers leak to press passenger details of Trump deportation flights - Gerard Edic (PBS News, 2025)
More than a month after The Atlantic broke the story that top U.S. officials were sharing military attack plans on Signal, the Trump administration’s handling of sensitive data is still under scrutiny. Hackers targeted another app used by Trump officials and also stole passenger lists from an airline used to deport migrants.

Trump fires top US copyright official - Katherine Tully-McManus (POLITICO, 2025)
President Donald Trump continued a firing spree at the Library of Congress on Saturday when he dismissed the top copyright official in the nation — a position traditionally overseen by the legislative branch.

Digital censorship amid the ongoing India-Pakistan conflict - Access Now (Access Now, 2025)
We are alarmed by executive orders issued by the Indian government restricting access to an alarming spectrum of online content, including requiring social media platform X to block access to over 8,000 accounts, including those belonging to journalists, human rights organisations, and independent media outlets. In today’s digital age, the many layers of conflict include the digital realm and efforts to control the information ecosystem. These orders are part of a broader pattern of digital censorship.

Digital censorship amid the ongoing India-Pakistan conflict - Access Now (Access Now, 2025)
We are alarmed by executive orders issued by the Indian government restricting access to an alarming spectrum of online content, including requiring social media platform X to block access to over 8,000 accounts, including those belonging to journalists, human rights organisations, and independent media outlets. In today’s digital age, the many layers of conflict include the digital realm and efforts to control the information ecosystem. These orders are part of a broader pattern of digital censorship.

Digital censorship and political repression: The blocking of the X account of Istanbul's jailed mayor - Arzu Geybullayeva (Global Voices, 2025)
On May 8, 2025, the X account of Ekrem İmamoğlu, the jailed mayor of Istanbul and the opposition's presidential candidate, was blocked in Turkey following a court order. The authorities cited a tweet from İmamoğlu’s account, which they claimed could incite criminal activity. The restriction has faced widespread backlash from legal experts, political allies, and digital rights advocates, who view it as an attempt to silence dissenting voices ahead of the 2028 presidential elections.

Trump Administration Fires Librarian of Congress - Balk, Tim (The New York Times, 2025)
Dr. Carla D. Hayden was the first African American and the first woman to serve as the head of the Library of Congress. Her firing drew a furious response from Democrats.
Keywords: Appointments and Executive Changes; Black People; Books and Literature; Democratic Party; Hayden, Carla D (1952- ); Libraries and Librarians; Library of Congress; Race and Ethnicity; Trump, Donald J; United States; United States Politics and Government

How Europe wants to bring Putin to The Hague - Brzozowski, Alexandra (Euractiv, 2025)
EU officials say Washington has informally signalled it will not object to the evidence being collected for the tribunal – a cautious but notable concession.

‘If it isn’t recorded it will disappear’: the Muslim photographer shining a light on Bradford’s Jewish community - Green, Graeme (The Guardian, 2025)
When Nudrat Afza learned that her friend’s synagogue was closing she began a multi-year project to document the city’s declining Jewish population. ‘In Bradford people from different communities respect each other,’ she says
Keywords: Art; Art and design; Culture; Exhibitions; Judaism; Photography

Trump news at a glance: military to immediately remove trans troops and use medical records to oust more - Guardian staff (The Guardian, 2025)
Buoyed by supreme court ruling, Pentagon will remove as many as 1,000 service members.
Keywords: Donald Trump; JD Vance; Pete Hegseth; Trump administration; US military; US news; US politics

How Signal, WhatsApp, Apple, and Google Handle Encrypted Chat Backups - Klosowski, Thorin (Electronic Frontier Foundation, 2025)
Encrypted chat apps like Signal and WhatsApp are one of the best ways to keep your digital conversations as private as possible. But if you’re not careful with how those conversations are backed up, you can accidentally undermine your privacy.

Male bias in medical trials risks women’s lives. But at least the data gap is finally being addressed - Perez, Caroline Criado (The Guardian, 2025)
We know some medications work differently in men and women. Why is it taking so long for studies to reflect this?
Keywords: Health; Medical research; Science; Society; Women; Women's health

Ukraine says it has busted Hungarian spy ring collecting military data - Walker, Shaun (The Guardian, 2025)
Two Ukrainians arrested as authorities claim operation had one eye on a possible future military incursion
Keywords: Europe; Hungary; Ukraine; Viktor Orbán; World news

Memo of Understanding to Issue Identity Documents for the Most Vulnerable Women - Human Access (HUMAN ACCESS, 2025)
The signed agreement is part of legal support services and includes a mechanism for receiving cases and procedures for issuing personal documents, which are key to accessing vital services, education, and rights. Without these documents, families face significant barriers to receiving aid and accessing opportunities, exacerbating the challenges they already face.

Noaa to stop tracking cost of climate crisis-fueled disasters: ‘Major loss’ - Press, Associated (The Guardian, 2025)
US agency will no longer update major weather database in latest showing of Trump’s influence on climate resources
Keywords: Climate crisis; Donald Trump; Environment; Extreme weather; Natural disasters; Trump administration; US news; US politics

Riefenstahl review – nauseating yet gripping story of Nazi poster woman - Bradshaw, Peter (The Guardian, 2025)
The only important woman in the Nazi movement entranced Hitler, directed Triumph of the Will – and spent the rest of her life alternately fearful and defiant
Keywords: Culture; Documentary films; Film; Nazism; World news

Call to Protect Elections from AI ‘Information Pollution’ - Naureen Hossain (Inter Press Service, 2025)
National and local elections can demonstrate the strengths and vulnerabilities that can be exploited as AI is used to influence voters.

Files documenting worst abuses at residential schools to be destroyed unless survivors ask otherwise - Schwientek, Samantha (CBC News, 2025)
Files documenting the worst abuses at residential schools are set to be destroyed in 2027 and, despite a multi-year outreach, some survivors say they didn't know they could opt to have their files preserved.

‘You feel the huge weight of history’: the room where Nazi Germany surrendered - Henley, Jon (The Guardian, 2025)
Military armistice ending second world war was signed in this nondescript Reims schoolhouse before VE Day
Keywords: Europe; France; Second world war; VE Day; World news

The Iraq War Crimes Archive - Liz Brown and Lydia Day (Unredated, 2025)
This archive represents the largest publicly available collection of materials relating to (allegations of) British war crimes in Iraq. It brings together documents from a wide variety of sources, including judgments and rulings in a range of court cases, submissions to the International Criminal Court, witness statements, submitted evidence and findings from a number of investigative mechanisms, evidence gathered in public inquiries, and information released through the Freedom of Information Act.
Keywords: Great Britain

World Press Freedom Day 2025: digital threats to press freedom - Maheshwari, Eliška Pírková, Rand Hammoud, Aymen Zaghdoudi, Namrata (Access Now, 2025)
It should be no surprise that 2024 was among the deadliest for journalists in 30 years. Across the world, we’re seeing a sharp increase in attacks on media pluralism and independence, as governments of all stripes undermine the rule of law and democratic governance, erode protections for whistleblowers, and use dangerous narratives to smear journalists and human rights defenders.

Argentina declassifies archives on Nazi war criminals who fled after World War II - Tamilla Hasanova (Caliber, 2025)
The records had been held in Argentina’s General Archives since 1992, when they were transferred there under a presidential decree by then-President Carlos Menem. They are the result of decades-long investigations carried out between 1950 and 1980 by Argentine federal agencies.

Situation of Press Freedom in Tunisia - Access Now (Access Now, 2025)
Article 24 has been widely used as a legal tool to prosecute journalists, lawyers, and human rights defenders, contributing to the suppression of media diversity, encouraging self-censorship, and discouraging public engagement in democratic debate.

The Latest Trump and DOGE Casualty: Energy Data - Elkind, Peter (ProPublica, 2025)
The Energy Information Administration has long provided reliable data on everything from oil and gas to alternative energy. Now one of its signature reports has been slashed and a second one canceled entirely amid sweeping job reductions and turmoil.

A Push to Remove Symbols of Imperial Russia Divides Odesa, Ukraine - Méheut, Constant; Mitiuk, Daria (The New York Times, 2025)
A push to rename streets and remove statues associated with imperial Russia is dividing Odesa, whose identity is tied up in its history.
Keywords: Babel, Isaac; Black Sea; Books and Literature; Catherine II, Empress of Russia; Language and Languages; Monuments and Memorials (Structures); Odessa (Ukraine); Politics and Government; Pushkin, Aleksandr; Russian Language; Ukraine; Writing and Writers

Life for the displaced in Calais – in pictures - Ozan Acıdere (The Guardian, 2025)
Photographer Ozan Acıdere documents the plight of migrants as French authorities impose hostile policies on them – while trying to attract more tourists to the coastal city
Keywords: Calais; Migration; Photography; Refugees; World news

Palestinian activist says home raided ‘in revenge’ for appearing in Louis Theroux documentary - Pearce, Matthew (The Guardian, 2025)
Issa Amro shares videos of confrontations with balaclava-clad military who he claims ‘want revenge’ after the BBC film The Settlers
Keywords: Culture; Israel; Israel-Gaza war; Louis Theroux; Social media; Television; Television & radio

Palestinian activist says home raided ‘in revenge’ for appearing in Louis Theroux documentary - Pearce, Matthew (The Guardian, 2025)
Issa Amro shares videos of confrontations with balaclava-clad military who he claims ‘want revenge’ after the BBC film The Settlers
Keywords: Culture; Israel; Israel-Gaza war; Louis Theroux; Social media; Television; Television & radio

Sabotage and secret identities: Russia’s spy network - Pidd, Helen; Walker, Shaun; Moore, Hannah; Khaleeli, Homa; Cassin, Elizabeth (The Guardian, 2025)
Shaun Walker reports on the history of Russia’s ‘Illegals’ programme and what it looks like today
Keywords: Cold war; Espionage; Europe; Russia

Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict Week 2025: Preserving Information Integrity in Conflict Settings: Action-Oriented Responses from Local Communities, Peacekeeping and Humanitarian Actors - ReliefWeb (ReliefWeb, 2025)
In his 2021 report “Our Common Agenda”, the Secretary-General acknowledged large-scale disinformation as an existential threat to humanity and proposed a global code of conduct to promote integrity in public information.

Undersea cable control: The information dimension - Richard Dunley (Lowy Institute, 2025)
Marine infrastructure has become somewhat less “invisible” than it has traditionally been, but efforts to target this infrastructure are not new. Most of the time, we view efforts to interfere with cables through two lenses. It is either an effort to tap an adversary’s cables for eavesdropping, like the Cold War-era Operation Ivy Bells, or it is an effort of sabotage, aimed at disrupting communication for military advantage or to undermine civil society.

‘A slippery slope to eugenics’: advocates reject RFK Jr’s national autism database - Schreiber, Melody (The Guardian, 2025)
US health secretary claims data will be used for research but has not addressed privacy concerns and potential misuse
Keywords: Autism; Health; Medical research; Privacy; Robert F Kennedy Jr; Society; Trump administration; US news; US politics

Las Maricas No Olvidamos: Dissident Archives Against Deliberate Erasure - Andrea Alejandro Freire (NACLA, 2025)
A sex-dissident archive recovers the memory of the struggle to decriminalize homosexuality in Ecuador through affective and archival work that combats invisibilization and patriarchal erasure.

Poland’s suspension of asylum claims a serious threat to human rights and lives - Darina Boykova (Jurist News, 2025)
Amnesty International (AI) on Thursday criticized Polish legislation suspending the right to asylum applications for migrants crossing the border from Belarus. According to AI, the law effectively codifies the unlawful forced return of migrants by authorizing border guards to disregard asylum applications without properly considering a person’s individual’s circumstances.

How Bad Is China’s Economy? The Data Needed to Answer Is Vanishing - Rebecca Feng; Jason Douglas (Global Voices, 2025)
Not long ago, anyone could comb through a wide range of official data from China. Then it started to disappear. Land sales measures, foreign investment data and unemployment indicators have gone dark in recent years. Data on cremations and a business confidence index have been cut off. Even official soy sauce production reports are gone. In all, Chinese officials have stopped publishing hundreds of data points once used by researchers and investors, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis.

Historians alarmed as Trump seeks to rewrite US story for 250th anniversary - Tait, Robert (The Guardian, 2025)
Ignorance no barrier as president begins to put out approved version of history that ignores American failures
Keywords: Donald Trump; US news; World news

There is a war on journalists raging around the world: let their voices be heard - Kelly, Annie (The Guardian, 2025)
Today is World Press Freedom Day. The Guardian is determined to highlight the dangers faced by reporters working in some of the world’s most perilous places, and to tell their stories
Keywords: Global development; Media; Newspapers; Newspapers & magazines; Press freedom; World Press Freedom Day 2025

Message From the Russian Military: ‘We Lost Your Son’ - MacFarquhar, Neil; Mazaeva, Milana (The New York Times, 2025)
Russia lacks any formal, organized effort to account for legions of missing soldiers. That often leaves relatives in limbo, fending for themselves with scant government information.
Keywords: Missing Persons; Putin, Vladimir V; Russia; Ukraine

These activists are ‘flooding the zone with Black history’ to protest against Trump’s attacks on DEI - Oladipo, Gloria (The Guardian, 2025)
The Freedom to Learn campaign included panels and coffee meetups and will end Saturday with a rally and prayer
Keywords: Black US culture; Culture; Museums; Protest; Race; Trump administration; US news; US politics

Wave of attacks on press freedom highlights urgent need to reform Digital Code - Amnesty International (Amnesty International, 2025)
The Benin authorities’ recent wave of sanctions against independent media outlets highlights the urgent need to protect press freedom.

Conservative offers perspective on Trump’s effort to exert authority over history and art - Jeffrey Brown; Anne Azzi Davenport (PBS Newshour, 2025)
President Trump has accused the Smithsonian and other museums of promoting “narratives that portray American and Western values as inherently harmful and oppressive.”

Concern over Potential 23andMe Data Sale Highlights Weaknesses of State Privacy Laws - Kara Williams (EPIC - Electronic Privacy Information Center, 2025)
While the United States’ lack of a comprehensive federal privacy law allows privacy harms to continue threatening Americans daily, 23andMe’s recent bankruptcy shines a spotlight on the problem.

TikTok fined €530m by Irish regulator for failing to guarantee China would not access user data - Milmo, Dan (The Guardian, 2025)
Ireland’s Data Protection Commission found video app breached GDPR and had submitted ‘erroneous information’ to inquiry.
Keywords: Business; China; Data protection; European Union; Ireland; Privacy; Social media; Surveillance; Technology; TikTok; World news

TikTok fined €530m by Irish regulator for failing to guarantee China would not access user data - Milmo, Dan (The Guardian, 2025)
Ireland’s Data Protection Commission found video app breached GDPR and had submitted ‘erroneous information’ to inquiry.
Keywords: Business; China; Data protection; European Union; Ireland; Privacy; Social media; Surveillance; Technology; TikTok; World news

An Anatomy of Genocide and Global Silence that Betrays Humanity - Mohamed El Mokhtar (Palestine Chronicle, 2025)
In Gaza, it is not merely a few souls, but two million human beings who daily beg for the basic right to exist.

Data Sharing Paper - National Academy of Public Administration (Program Integrity, 2025)
Data can fight fraud, but only if we break down silos without breaking trust. This paper explores how the federal government can expand data sharing to prevent fraud while upholding privacy, outlining a path to smarter, safer governance.

This NZ law aims to give people with criminal convictions a ‘clean slate’. It’s not working - Plum, Alexander; Dasgupta, Kabir (The Conversation, 2025)
New Zealand’s clean slate scheme is meant to let people leave their criminal past behind. But people are waiting seven years to leave their past behind, hurting their job prospects.

Pahalgam attack raises tensions between India and Pakistan amid disinformation surge - Ramna Saeed (Global Voices, 2025)
A deadly militant attack in Pahalgam Valley, in Indian-administered Kashmir, has rapidly increased tensions between the neighbors India and Pakistan, prompting retaliatory diplomatic measures.

Pahalgam attack raises tensions between India and Pakistan amid disinformation surge - Ramna Saeed (Global Voices, 2025)
A deadly militant attack in Pahalgam Valley, in Indian-administered Kashmir, has rapidly increased tensions between the neighbors India and Pakistan, prompting retaliatory diplomatic measures.

Silenced witnesses: Israel is killing journalists in Gaza at historic rates - Walid El Houri (Global Voices, 2025)
As the toll mounts, so too does the sense of abandonment felt by Gaza’s journalists who continue to witness and report in the most difficult conditions.

Silenced witnesses: Israel is killing journalists in Gaza at historic rates - Walid El Houri (Global Voices, 2025)
As the toll mounts, so too does the sense of abandonment felt by Gaza’s journalists who continue to witness and report in the most difficult conditions.

Archives and Human Rights: Preserving Historical Memory - Iberarchivos (Iberarchivos - Programa ADAI, 2025)
It explores how archives contribute to the promotion and protection of human rights.

Exploring the efforts to control how U.S. history is presented in museums and monuments - Jeffrey Brown (PBS News, 2025)
The Trump administration has put its mark on the nation’s cultural sector. One focus is on how American history is told and presented in museums and monuments. That has roiled many in the academic and art worlds.

Disasters and Disinformation: AI and the Myanmar 7.7 Magnitude Earthquake - Keith Paolo Catibog Landicho, Karryl Kim Sagun Trajano (S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, 2025)
A devastating 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck Myanmar on 28 March 2025, its tremors reaching as far as Bangkok, Thailand. In addition to the dire impacts, the victims were not spared from disinformation. Amid the chaos and the critical need for information, misleading AI-generated content spread widely, highlighting the dangerous intersection of technology and humanitarian crises.

Ukrainian nationalists rewrite history - Latysh, Éric Aunoble & Yurii (Le Monde diplomatique, 2025)
Eighty years after the defeat of Nazi Germany, the legacy of the war is still vitally important to both Ukraine and Russia. But Kyiv’s de-Russification policies are having troubling consequences.

Inquiry into workplace surveillance - Parliament of Victoria (2025)
The inquiry examined the extent to which surveillance data is being collected, shared, stored, disclosed, sold, disposed of and used in Victorian workplaces. It considered privacy and dignity of workers and security risks.

IOM Digital Identity Toolkit⁠ - International Organization for Migration (International Organization for Migration, 2025)
The Digital Identity Toolkit is designed to strengthen stakeholders’ understanding of how to establish and implement digital identity systems, with a strong emphasis on human rights, including privacy, security, and key technological considerations. The toolkit serves as a practical resource for policymakers and practitioners seeking to operationalize and implement digital identity frameworks. Its primary audience includes decision-makers and policymakers who possess a foundational understanding of government services as well as general IT and technological concepts.

Standard Operating Procedures: Determining the Legal Identity of Migrants Without Proof of Legal Identity - International Organization for Migration (2025)
Identifying migrants without proof of legal identity is complex, requiring structured procedures. To support this, IOM has developed Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) that provide step-by-step guidance to ensure consistency, efficiency and compliance with international standards. Adaptable to national contexts, the SOPs assist immigration and border authorities, law enforcement and other key stakeholders in verifying identity while safeguarding human rights.

Reporting from exile: Azerbaijani journalists confront new realities and old fears - Arzu Geybullayeva (Global Voices, 2025)
In recent years, as the Azerbaijani government has tightened its control over domestic media, a growing wave of journalists has been forced to continue their work from abroad.

South Africa's Cyril Ramaphosa sets up inquiry into sparse apartheid prosecutions - Chibelushi, Wedaeli (BBC, 2025)
Several apartheid-era atrocities, like murder, have been uncovered but few have made it to court.

UNRWA Commissioner-General on Gaza: The war of narratives continue - Philippe Lazzarini (UNRWA, 2025)
Circulating unsubstantiated claims to undermine UNRWA : a lifeline for 2 million people is ongoing. Such claims are threatening the lives and wellbeing of UNRWA staff across the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank. Dehumanising and polarising statements further deepen people’s suffering. They divert attention from the humanitarian crisis and the immense needs of people impacted by over 1.5 year of a systematic destruction of life. This is propaganda. It aims at intimidating and fostering a hostile atmosphere to silence voices showing the ugliness of this brutal war. Words and statements are a responsibility. Those using dis-information as a weapon of war must be held accountable.

UNRWA Commissioner-General on Gaza: The war of narratives continue - Philippe Lazzarini (UNRWA, 2025)
Circulating unsubstantiated claims to undermine UNRWA : a lifeline for 2 million people is ongoing. Such claims are threatening the lives and wellbeing of UNRWA staff across the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank. Dehumanising and polarising statements further deepen people’s suffering. They divert attention from the humanitarian crisis and the immense needs of people impacted by over 1.5 year of a systematic destruction of life. This is propaganda. It aims at intimidating and fostering a hostile atmosphere to silence voices showing the ugliness of this brutal war. Words and statements are a responsibility. Those using dis-information as a weapon of war must be held accountable.

Open satellite image archives could boost sustainable development goal - Science X staff (MSN, 2025)
Commercial satellite image archives should be opened to enhance research on the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Access to very-high-resolution (VHR) satellite imagery is crucial for monitoring smallholder farms, particularly in low- and middle-income countries where such farming is vital for food security.

Man Accused of Hacking Climate Groups Can Be Sent to U.S., Judge Says - Zraick, Karen (The New York Times, 2025)
A London court approved the extradition of Amit Forlit, who ran companies that allegedly stole information on behalf of a lobbying firm hired by Exxon.
Keywords: Extradition; Exxon Mobil Corp; Global Warming; Greenhouse Gas Emissions; London (England); Oil (Petroleum) and Gasoline

Digital Health in Somalia: A Game-Changer in Humanitarian Crisis Response - Action Against Hunger (ReliefWeb, 2025)
In South-Central Somalia, where conflict, displacement, and recurring natural disasters have for long deepened humanitarian needs, health systems have long struggled under the weight of outdated, paper-based processes. In a context where any delay results in loss of lives, the lack of reliable data and real-time visibility into health services and suboptimal supply chain performance has compromised operational efficiency, decision-making accuracy, and ultimately, the overall quality of healthcare.

Rebooting the global consensus: Norm entrepreneurship, data governance and the inalienability of digital bodies - de Souza, Siddharth Peter; Taylor, Linnet (Big Data & Society, 2025)
The establishment of norms among states is a common way of governing international actions. This article analyses the potential of norm-building for governing data and artificial intelligence technologies' collective effects. Rather than focusing on state actors's ability to establish and enforce norms, however, we identify a contrasting process taking place among civil society organisations in response to the international neoliberal consensus on the commodification of data. The norm we identify – ‘nothing about us without us’ – asserts civil society's agency, and specifically the right of those represented in datasets to give or refuse permission through structures of democratic representation.

Gun Owners Group Calls for Federal Inquiry Into Firearms Industry’s Secret Sharing of Customer Data - Johnson, Corey G. (ProPublica, 2025)
Citing a ProPublica investigation, Gun Owners for Safety called the secret program that spanned nearly two decades “underhanded.” “Gun owners’ privacy is not a partisan or ideological issue,” a member of the group wrote.

Renew Mandate to Establish War Crimes Court - Human Rights Watch (Human Rights Watch, 2025)
Liberian President Joseph Boakai should follow through on his commitment to justice and human rights by renewing an executive order key to establishing a war crimes court to address accountability for civil war-era crimes in the country.

Trump’s first 100 days show him dictating the terms of press coverage − following Hungarian strongman Viktor Orbán’s playbook for media control - Klein, Adam G. (The Conversation, 2025)
In his second term, President Donald Trump asserted new control over the press − as Hungary’s strongman leader Viktor Orbán had urged him to do.

The Disappeared: Mexico’s Industrial-Scale Human Rights Crisis - nés M. Pousadela (Inter Press Service, 2025)
They found shoes, hundreds of them, scattered across the dirt floor of an extermination camp in Jalisco state. These abandoned shoes, once belonging to someone’s child, parent or spouse, stand as silent witnesses to Mexico’s deepest national trauma.

How did Hitler’s film-maker hide her complicity from the world? - Apperly, Eliza (The Guardian, 2025)
A new documentary delves into controversial German film-maker Leni Riefenstahl’s private archive to uncover a director who spent a lifetime covering up her central role in the Nazi propaganda machine.
Keywords: Culture; Documentary films; Film; Germany; Holocaust; Nazism; Poland; Second world war

The Srebrenica Memorial Center’s fight against genocide deniers - Balkan Diskurs (Global Voices, 2025)
Legal experts warned that the Prosecutor’s Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina is violating its legal obligations by not applying the Criminal Code that refers to the prohibition of genocide denial.

TikTok announces new measures to combat misinformation ahead of Romanian election - Datta, Anupriya (Euractiv, 2025)
TikTok has launched an election centre to combat disinformation ahead of Romania’s repeat presidential vote in May, amid doubts whether the platform had failed to protect the integrity of the previous annulled election.

Israel’s A.I. Experiments in Gaza War Raise Ethical Concerns - Frenkel, Sheera; Natan Odenheimer (The New York Times, 2025)
Israel developed new artificial intelligence tools to gain an advantage in the war. The technologies have sometimes led to fatal consequences.
Keywords: Arabic Language; Artificial Intelligence; Computers and the Internet; Defense and Military Forces; Drones (Pilotless Planes); Facial Recognition Software; Gaza Strip; Hamas; Intelligence and Intelligence Tests (IQ); Israel; Social Media

Israel’s A.I. Experiments in Gaza War Raise Ethical Concerns - Frenkel, Sheera; Natan Odenheimer (The New York Times, 2025)
Israel developed new artificial intelligence tools to gain an advantage in the war. The technologies have sometimes led to fatal consequences.
Keywords: Arabic Language; Artificial Intelligence; Computers and the Internet; Defense and Military Forces; Drones (Pilotless Planes); Facial Recognition Software; Gaza Strip; Hamas; Intelligence and Intelligence Tests (IQ); Israel; Social Media

A lack of press freedom results in self-censorship and exile for many journalists - Jean Sovon (Global Voices, 2025)
The Burundian media landscape poses immense challenges for journalists in this Central African country. They often receive death threats and work in a virtually permanent state of insecurity.

Inspector General Probes Whether Trump, DOGE Sought Private Taxpayer Information or Sensitive IRS Material - Kroll, William Turton,Avi Asher-Schapiro,Christopher Bing,Andy (ProPublica, 2025)
The request, spelled out in an email obtained by ProPublica, comes amid concerns that DOGE has overstepped its bounds in seeking highly restricted private information about taxpayers, public employees or federal agencies.

As History Erasure Intensifies, Independent Internet Archives Are Helping Fortify The ‘Digital Preservation Infrastructure’ - Orion, Damon (Eurasia Review, 2025)
In the context of website scrubbing, censorship and erasure, independent internet archives, such as the Freedom Archives and the Internet Archive, have become important sources of information and evidence. These initiatives preserve and provide access to collections related to progressive movements, labour histories, and other struggles.

Representation in mapping: ensuring impact with women behind the data - Atiya Anis; Céline Jacquin (Humanitarian Practice Network, 2025)
Every map tells a story. But what happens when half the world’s population is underrepresented in the data that shapes our lives?

Meta squares up for fine fight with Brussels over personalised ads - Datta, Anupriya (Euractiv, 2025)
Meta introduced the "pay or consent" model for European users in November 2023.

Gathering Evidence and Documents in Conflict and War Zones - GIJN (Global Investigative Journalism Network, 2025)
A webinar exploring how investigative journalists can document human rights abuses in war zones, with a focus on methods to ensure the information gathered can later be used by legal investigators or international courts.

Grand chief requests halt to auction of Hudson's Bay items linked to First Nations - Hudes, Sammy (CityNews Vancouver, 2025)
As Hudson’s Bay heads to court seeking permission to auction off 1,700 pieces of art and more than 2,700 artifacts, the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs is requesting a halt to the sale of items that may be belong to or be linked with First Nations people. A letter by assembly Grand Chief Kyra Wilson to […]

Invaders remove almost 360,000 archival documents from Kherson – intelligence - Interfax-Ukraine (Interfax-Ukraine, 2025)
After the liberation of Kherson, it was established that the Russian occupiers illegally removed almost 360,000 documents of the National Archival Fund of Ukraine (NAF), reports the Main Intelligence Agency of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.

Aid groups are erasing climate change from their websites - Irwin Loy (The New Humanitarian, 2025)
Aid groups are erasing climate change from their websites

Exit to Open - Jim Fruchterman & Steve Francis (Standard Social Innovation Review, 2025)
In a difficult time when many nonprofits will be forced to close, nonprofit leaders and funders must act to preserve data and other intangible assets.

Macron seeks 'forgiveness' for colonialism on Madagascar visit - Le Monde (Le Monde, 2025)
Keywords: France

Macron seeks 'forgiveness' for colonialism on Madagascar visit - Le Monde (Le Monde, 2025)
Keywords: France

Alleged former members of neo-Nazi group claim its leader is Russian spy - Makuch, Ben (The Guardian, 2025)
Allegation against Rinaldo Nazzaro, founder of the Base, could shed new meaning on group’s efforts inside Ukraine
Keywords: Europe; Far right (US); Russia; US news; US politics; Ukraine; World news

As History Erasure Intensifies, Independent Internet Archives Are Helping Fortify The ‘Digital Preservation Infrastructure’ - Orion, Damon (Eurasia Review, 2025)
These online resources hold crucial information on history, social issues, and activism. Despite Donald Trump's disavowal of Project 2025, his administration began enforcing that initiative's agenda immediately after his second inauguration. This includes efforts to erase history through education cuts, classroom and book censorship, website scrubbing, and the silencing of media outlets and institutions like PBS, NPR, and the Smithsonian American Art Museum....

Enacted law hinders freedom of expression and association and jeopardizes access to justice for victims - Amnesty International (Amnesty International, 2025)
Amnesty International rejects the recent enactment of the law that modifies the creation of the APCI, a norm that violates freedom of expression and association and access to justice for victims in Peru.

From memory to action: Radio as a tool for a healthier information ecosystem - Espitia, Nathaly (The Engine Room, 2025)
Oír Más is a radio collective dedicated to amplifying the voices of diverse communities through radio experimentation.

Serbian students take aim at state TV in battle against propaganda - Geslin, Laurent (Euractiv, 2025)
For Serbian civil society, it is the authorities’ widespread corruption that is seen as the trigger behind the tragedy at the heart of the mobilisations.

Threatened by transnational repression, Hong Kong exile media outlets aim to preserve press freedom - Oiwan Lam (Global Voices, 2025)
The Hong Kong journalist diaspora strikes to report on politically sensitive news and connect the scattered diaspora communities.

Decolonise How? Who owns the story? - Patrick Gathara (The New Humanitarian, 2025)
What journalists owe to those they report on goes right to the heart of the colonial power imbalances that should weigh heavily on the profession.

Ahead of municipal elections, Lebanese voter data is at risk - SMEX (Global Voices, 2025)
Lebanon’s public voter lists expose sensitive personal data, putting citizens at risk of surveillance, discrimination, and targeted attacks.

Adam Schiff asks National Archives to investigate Donald Trump officials' Signal use - Timotija, Filip (The Hill, 2025)
Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) asked the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) to investigate Trump administration officials’ use of Signal and other third-party messaging applications.

Georgia university receives $500,000 grant to preserve Gullah Geechee heritage - Walker, Adria R. (The Guardian, 2025)
GSU will establish the Gullah Geechee Sacred Land Project to research and protect the community and its culture
Keywords: Black US culture; Georgia; Gullah Geechee; South Carolina; US news

With ‘AI slop’ distorting our reality, the world is sleepwalking into disaster - Malik, Nesrine (The Guardian, 2025)
A perverse information ecosystem is being mined by big tech for profit, fooling the unwary and sending algorithms crazy, says Guardian columnist Nesrine Malik
Keywords: Artificial intelligence (AI); Facebook; Politics; Social media; WhatsApp; X; YouTube

DHS Removed 100+ Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Records - Nick Schwellenbach (POGO, 2025)
POGO is making available over 160 investigative memos documenting alleged abuses and problems across the Department of Homeland Security.

How Meta’s News Ban Could Disrupt Canada’s Election - Stevis-Gridneff, Matina; Nikolov, Nikolay; Hanley, Karen; Surdam, James; Jouppi, David (The New York Times, 2025)
After Meta blocked news from its platforms in Canada, hyperpartisan and misleading content from popular right-wing Facebook pages such as Canada Proud have filled the gap.
Keywords: Canada; Elections; Facebook Inc; Meta Platforms Inc; News and News Media; Rumors and Misinformation; Social Media

News Is Blocked on Meta’s Feeds in Canada. Here’s What Fills the Void. - Stevis-Gridneff, Matina; Thompson, Stuart A. (The New York Times, 2025)
Hyperpartisan and misleading content from popular right-wing pages such as Canada Proud is thriving on Facebook as the election nears.
Keywords: Ballingall, Jeff; Canada; Canada Proud; Carney, Mark J; Computers and the Internet; Elections; Facebook Inc; Instagram Inc; Meta Platforms Inc; News and News Media; Rumors and Misinformation; Social Media

Understanding and Addressing Misinformation About Science - Viswanath, K.; Taylor, Tiffany E.; Rhodes, Holly G. (National Academies Press, 2025)
Our current information ecosystem makes it easier for misinformation about science to spread and harder for people to figure out what is scientifically accurate. Proactive solutions are needed to address misinformation about science, an issue of public concern given its potential to cause harm at individual, community, and societal levels. Improving access to high-quality scientific information can fill information voids that exist for topics of interest to people, reducing the likelihood of exposure to and uptake of misinformation about science.
Keywords: Education--Math and Science Education; Education--Policy, Reviews and Evaluations

'There's no right time': FSU collects memorials around campus for archives after shooting - Jean, Tarah (Tallahassee Democrat, 2025)
Sites on Florida State University’s campus that were once flooded with memorials of flowers, candles, cards and stuffed animals after a recent mass shooting are now left with small portions of the community’s united support. As the Seminole family continues to mourn, FSU is archiving the memorial objects to preserve them.

Mass convictions of opposition activists after sham trial marks a dangerous moment - Amnesty International (Amnesty International, 2025)
A Tunisian court has sentenced forty individuals to harsh prison terms after they were convicted on trumped-up charges.

The survivors of state abuse have not been heard - Clatworthy, Harry (E-Tangata, 2025)
“The removal of section 7AA goes against the kōrero of survivors and the recommendations of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care. Yet this government pushes on, seemingly determined to repeat the mistakes of the past.”

Elon Musk Cuts Funding for Internet Archive - Futurism (Futurism, 2025)
Elon Musk's DOGE has cut finding to the American nonprofit Internet Archive, which was busy archiving websites targeted by Trump.

‘If I die, I want a loud death’: Gaza photojournalist killed by Israeli airstrike - Ellis-Petersen, Hannah (The Guardian, 2025)
Fatima Hassouna, who had been documenting war in Gaza for 18 months and was subject of new documentary, killed along with 10 members of her family
Keywords: Gaza; Israel; Journalist safety; Media; Middle East and north Africa; Palestinian territories; World news

‘If I die, I want a loud death’: Gaza photojournalist killed by Israeli airstrike - Ellis-Petersen, Hannah (The Guardian, 2025)
Fatima Hassouna, who had been documenting war in Gaza for 18 months and was subject of new documentary, killed along with 10 members of her family
Keywords: Gaza; Israel; Journalist safety; Media; Middle East and north Africa; Palestinian territories; World news

How the California gold rush continues to shape Africa and other global majority countries - Global Voices (Global Voices, 2025)
Digital technology has interconnected people and services, but global governance driven by mercantilist interests have led to unprecedented marginalization, exacerbating poverty, immigration crisis, and global instability.

Experts raise red flags about privacy loopholes in EU health data initiative - Pirnay, Emma (Euractiv, 2025)
The EU's health data plan faces privacy concerns and calls for stronger protections.

An archivist’s job is to ‘keep the receipts.’ What happens when they can’t do their job? - Sorapuru, Julian E. J. (BostonGlobe.com, 2025)
Several archivists told the Globe they see the president’s actions as a threat to government transparency.

What does decolonising AI really mean? An interview with artist Ameera Kawash - UntoldMag (Global Voices, 2025)
"Technology is integral to the discourse on the future, and we need to be part of the future. We must be involved in shaping it, not cut out from it."

Gaza: Alongside conflict, an information war is still happening, warns UNRWA chief - Daniel Johnson (UN News, 2025)
Amid reported Israeli strikes across the Gaza Strip into Thursday that killed at least 23 people, the head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, issued an urgent call to “get international media into Gaza” to cover the conflict, in addition to those reporters trapped in the enclave.

MEPs blast back at Meta over allegations it targeted depressed teens online - Datta, Anupriya (Euractiv, 2025)
Meta is under investigation under the EU Digital Services Act over its treatment of minors online.

Macron says joint Franco-Haiti commission will examine 'painful' past - Reuters (Reuters, 2025)
French President Emmanuel Macron is to set up a joint Franco-Haitian commission to examine France's past with its former Caribbean colony, but he made no mention of the possibility of reparations that Haitian activists have long called for.

Macron says joint Franco-Haiti commission will examine 'painful' past - Reuters (Reuters, 2025)
French President Emmanuel Macron is to set up a joint Franco-Haitian commission to examine France's past with its former Caribbean colony, but he made no mention of the possibility of reparations that Haitian activists have long called for.

Documentary heritage: 74 new entries on UNESCO's Memory of the World Register - UENSCO (UNESCO, 2025)
UNESCO today added 74 new documentary heritage collections to its Memory of the World Register, bringing the total number of inscribed collections to 570. The entries - from 72 countries and 4 international organizations - cover topics such as the scientific revolution, women's contribution to history and major milestones of multilateralism.

Universal Declaration of Human Rights among new entries to UNESCO Memory of the World Register - UN News (UN News, 2025)
The Register consists of documentary collections including books, manuscripts, maps, photographs, and sound or video recordings, which bear witness to the shared heritage of humanity. These items often are extremely fragile and at risk of deterioration or exposure to disaster.

UNRWA Commissioner-General on Gaza: Since the war began 1.5 years ago, the Israeli Authorities have banned the entry of international media to Gaza - UNRWA (UNRWA, 2025)
Since the war began 1.5 years ago, the Israeli Authorities have banned the entry of international media to Gaza to report independently.

UK officials label trade documents ‘secret’ to shield from US eyes amid Trump tariff war - Isaac, Anna; editor, Anna Isaac City (The Guardian, 2025)
Civil servants beef up security rules for sensitive negotiating papers over fears posed by hostile US trade policy
Keywords: Business; China; Civil service; Economics; European Commission; European Union; Global economy; JD Vance; Politics; Tariffs; Trade policy; Trump tariffs; UK news; Ursula von der Leyen; Xi Jinping

UK officials label trade documents ‘secret’ to shield from US eyes amid Trump tariff war - Isaac, Anna; editor, Anna Isaac City (The Guardian, 2025)
Civil servants beef up security rules for sensitive negotiating papers over fears posed by hostile US trade policy
Keywords: Business; China; Civil service; Economics; European Commission; European Union; Global economy; JD Vance; Politics; Tariffs; Trade policy; Trump tariffs; UK news; Ursula von der Leyen; Xi Jinping

Trump Aides Close State Dept. Office on Foreign Disinformation - Wong, Edward (The New York Times, 2025)
Secretary of State Marco Rubio put about 40 employees on leave who had tracked disinformation by China, Russia, Iran and terrorist groups.
Keywords: Censorship; Conservatism (US Politics); Global Engagement Center; Rubio, Marco; Rumors and Misinformation; Shutdowns (Institutional); State Department; Trump, Donald J; United States Politics and Government

Revealed: Chinese researchers can access half a million UK GP records - Burgis, Tom (The Guardian, 2025)
Medical information will be available from UK Biobank, despite western intelligence agencies’ security fears
Keywords: Asia Pacific; China; Data protection; Genetics; Health; Medical research; Privacy; Science; Society; Technology; World news

Revealed: Chinese researchers can access half a million UK GP records - Burgis, Tom (The Guardian, 2025)
Medical information will be available from UK Biobank, despite western intelligence agencies’ security fears
Keywords: Asia Pacific; China; Data protection; Genetics; Health; Medical research; Privacy; Science; Society; Technology; World news

Genocide Prevention & Responsibility to Protect - Gareth Evans and Jennifer Welsh (Inter Press Service, 2025)
April marks Genocide Prevention and Awareness Month, a time to reflect on the history, causes and victims of past genocides and to mobilize the necessary resolve to confront risks facing populations around the world today who face the threat of genocide and other mass atrocity crimes not for anything they have done, but for who they are.

Jeju Massacre archives added to UNESCO Memory of the World - Darryl Coote (UPI, 2025)
Archives documenting an early Cold War-era massacre on a South Korean island and the decadeslong truth-finding process seeking reconciliation that followed have been selected by UNESCO for preservation.

Censored modern Chinese history resurfaces in online archive: Interview with China historian Ian Johnson - Filip Noubel (Global Voices, 2025)
“But it is not true that suddenly all these people with alternative opinions disappeared from China or no longer work,” says China historian Ian Johnson.

German archive where victims of the Nazis come back to life - Céline LE PRIOUX (KTEN, 2025)
If it wasn't for the Arolsen Archives, half-sisters Sula Miller and Helen Schaller would never have met.

How China’s model of internet censorship is getting traction in Asia: Interview with ARTICLE 19 researchers - Filip Noubel (Global Voices, 2025)
The NGO Article 19 released a report in which it describes the importance of digital security norms increasingly imposed by China in the larger Asia-Pacific region.

Ink, angels and hard graft: the artists keeping Ethiopia’s ancient illuminated manuscript craft alive - Harter, Fred (The Guardian, 2025)
In an Addis Ababa workshop, sacred texts are painstakingly crafted on goat skin using methods dating back to early Christianity – plus a bit of inspiration from Google Images
Keywords: Africa; Christianity; Ethiopia; Global development; Religion; World news

Irish data privacy watchdog opens investigation into Musk's Grok AI model - Hartmann, Théophane (Euractiv, 2025)
Under the GDPR, X could be fined up to 4% of its annual global turnover.

Why is evidence of Israel’s war crimes in Gaza disappearing? - Lila Hassan (Al Jazeera, 2025)
Israel’s siege and tech censorship are erasing evidence of Gaza’s war crimes faster than they can be saved.

Politicians Shouldn’t Get to Delete Inconvenient Facts - Thylstrup, Nanna Bonde; Ovenden, Richard (The New York Times, 2025)
The Trump administration has started purging the government’s digital memory. Democracies die without proper archiving and public records.
Keywords: Archives and Records; Computers and the Internet; Data Storage; Data.gov; Medicine and Health; National Archives and Records Administration; Research; Trump, Donald J; United States Politics and Government

Trump’s EPA Plans to Stop Collecting Greenhouse Gas Emissions Data From Most Polluters - Lerner, Sharon (ProPublica, 2025)
Climate experts expressed shock and dismay at the move. “It would be a bit like unplugging the equipment that monitors the vital signs of a patient that is critically ill,” one said.

The Trump Administration’s Assaults on Black History - Trey Walk (Human Rights Watch, 2025)
This week, it was reported that the United States National Park Service had begun scrubbing information from its exhibits about Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad; one of the most significant stories of resistance against chattel slavery in the United States.

Sudan: Rapid Support Forces’ horrific and widespread use of sexual violence leaves lives in tatters - Amnesty International (Amnesty International, 2025)
The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has inflicted widespread sexual violence on women and girls throughout Sudan’s two-year civil war to humiliate, assert control and displace communities across the country.

Why does algorithmic transparency matter and what can we do about it? - Juan David Gutiérrez (OpenGlobalRights, 2025)
We need mandatory rules governing the disclosure of information about automated decision-making systems.

Civil society’s data in north and east Syria is not secure - SMEX (Global Voices, 2025)
Despite the significant cybersecurity risks civil society faces in Syria, organizations have yet to implement robust digital security measures against breaches and infiltration.

Top IRS official quits over plans to share personal data with immigration authorities - William Brangham (2025)
The top IRS official is resigning after a deal between the agency and immigration authorities to share sensitive data. For decades, the IRS encouraged undocumented immigrants to file taxes with the assurance that their data would be protected. But the new agreement would give authorities who want to deport migrants access to personal records.

Unlocking Public Value with Non-Traditional Data: Recent Use Cases and Emerging Trends - Zable, Adam (Data Stewards Network, 2025)
How emerging data sources are advancing public interest research — and pointing toward new opportunities for impact.

DOGE Replacing Magnetic Tape Archives With Digital Is a Dangerous Move, Critics Say - Maxwell, Thomas (Gizmodo, 2025)
What seems at first like a logical move to modernize the government's archives may in fact be an ill-advised decision.

Digital Democracy at a Crossroads. Key Takeaways from RigthsCon2025 - Carolina Vega and Chibuzor Nwabueze (Inter Press Service, 2025)
As digital spaces become central to public discourse, civil society’s work is crucial to ensure these spaces remain accessible, open, participatory and resistant to disinformation, censorship and repression.