[1]

INSIDE EXPRESSION: JANUARY 2024 

THIS MONTH: DIGITAL DEMOCRACY SAVES THE DAY IN TAIWAN, ISRAEL AT THE WORLD
COURT, AND WHY WE NEED A MORATORIUM ON SURVEILLANCE TECHNOLOGY

[2]

SO YOU THINK YOU KNOW FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION?

This month’s newsletter covers an entire gamut of expression issues –
from AI to espionage, and from Mexico to Malaysia.

But how well do you know freedom of expression?

TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE

[3]

DIGITAL DEMOCRACY SAVES THE DAY: LESSONS FROM TAIWAN

On 13 January, Taiwan voted in a presidential election that China bombarded
with coordinated disinformation and deepfakes spanning Facebook, TikTok,
and YouTube.

YET DESPITE CHINA’S BEST EFFORTS, DEMOCRACY WON OUT: THE PEOPLE OF TAIWAN
ELECTED THE DEMOCRATIC PROGRESSIVE PARTY.

This result is particularly impressive given that, of all the countries in
the world, Taiwan is the most targeted [4] by foreign disinformation
operations – and even more so given that, due to China’s pressure
campaigns, Taiwan is not even recognised as a sovereign country.

IN THIS SUPER ELECTION YEAR, WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM TAIWAN ABOUT PROTECTING
DEMOCRACIES FROM FOREIGN INFORMATION MANIPULATION?

The world’s governments should follow Taiwan’s example: prioritising
open data, radical transparency, genuine public participation, and
deepening both digital and democratic literacy.

Yet when it comes to building solutions, the Taiwan case suggests that the
civic tech community is at least as important as government initiatives.
From creating fact-checking chatbots to running media-literacy workshops to
organising disinformation-disrupting hackathons, organisations like Taiwan
FactCheck Center [5], Cofacts [6], g0v [7], and the Open Culture Foundation
[8] have been central.

And – crucially – Taiwan’s government worked closely with these
organisations to embrace and scale these solutions.

Perhaps the key lesson is this:

IN OUR CONNECTED WORLD, NO SINGLE SECTOR CAN BUILD DIGITAL DEMOCRACY AND
RESIST DIGITAL AUTHORITARIANISM ALONE. THE WHOLE OF SOCIETY – PUBLIC,
PRIVATE, AND THE PEOPLE – MUST UNITE.

> _‘Ultimately, the methods of digital democracy developed by Taiwan’s
> civic tech community and embraced by its government may point to
> structures by which other states might seek to roll back the rise of
> digital authoritarianism.’_
>
> – Michael Caster
> ARTICLE 19 Asia Progamme Manager

Find out more

[9]

TO FULFIL THE WORLD COURT’S ORDERS, ISRAEL MUST PROTECT JOURNALISTS AND
KEEP PEOPLE CONNECTED

26 January marked a huge milestone in the case at the International Court
of Justice (ICJ), brought by South Africa, alleging that Israel is
violating the Genocide Convention in Gaza.

Acknowledging that the ‘catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Gaza
strip is at serious risk of deteriorating before the court reaches its
final judgement’, the ICJ ordered [10] Israel to do the following while
the case continues:

* prevent acts of genocide – including by its military;
* prevent and punish incitement to genocide;
* allow humanitarian access; and
* prevent the destruction of evidence that could be used in the case.

Read our analysis

IN ADDITION TO FULFILLING THE ICJ’S ORDERS, ARTICLE 19 CALLS ON ISRAEL
TO:

* Protect journalists already in Gaza: [11] This war has been the
deadliest for journalists since at least 1992. Journalists in Gaza are
working under the worst imaginable circumstances to bring us accurate
information – including documenting vital evidence that could be used in
the ICJ case.

* Allow international media to enter Gaza: [12] Granting access to
independent journalists is essential, not only to ensure objective coverage
and keep us all informed but also to document violations and protect
civilians.

* Restore internet and telephone access: [13] The relentless targeting of
journalists and news agencies in Gaza has left civilians to document the
conflict via social media. In war, internet access is fundamental to
reporting and recording war crimes – but it can also be the difference
between life and death, providing vital information to access food, fuel,
and water.

> _‘Each journalist’s death is a personal tragedy for their loved ones,
> and each attack against them deprives all of us of critical information
> about the facts on the ground.’_
>
> – Saloua Ghazouani
> (Regional Director, ARTICLE 19 MENA)

Read more

[14]

PODCAST: VERIFYING THE TRUTH IN A TIME OF WAR

Historical footage of unrelated wars, clips from video games, AI-generated
deepfakes… Some of the most viral online content about the Israel–Gaza
war has been false.

This poses significant challenges to truth, justice, and democracy. It also
increases the risk of genuine footage being dismissed as ‘fake news’
– a significant concern in 2024, when over half the world’s population
will go to the polls.

In the latest episode of _Techtonic_, we speak to Valerie Wirtschafter of
the Brookings Institution about how the conflict in Gaza has played out on
social media.

JOIN US TO DISCUSS NOT ONLY THE PROBLEMS BUT ALSO THE SOLUTIONS: IMPROVING
DIGITAL LITERACY, PROMOTING CREDIBLE JOURNALISM, AND CHALLENGING OUR OWN
IN-BUILT CONFIRMATION BIASES.

> _‘What is viral is often what’s most outrageous. If we can not
> contribute to that by just taking a little pause, exploring a little
> more… that is really, really important – especially in these intense
> moments.’_
>
> – Valerie Wirtschafter
> (Brookings Institution)

Listen on Apple Podcast

Listen on Spotify

Listen on Google Podcasts

[15]

MEXICO: WHY WE NEED A MORATORIUM ON SURVEILLANCE TECHNOLOGY

On 12 January, a judge in a Mexico City court acknowledged [15] that:

* Journalist Carmen Aristegui’s phone was tapped with illegal Pegasus
spyware from 2015–16;
* She was targeted because of her journalism, which investigated
corruption at the highest levels; and
* This spying inhibited her work and put herself, her family, and her
sources at risk.

However, the judge acquitted businessman Juan Carlos García Rivera of the
crime because, regrettably, the Attorney General’s Office had not
provided sufficient evidence. The judge urged the Attorney General’s
Office to continue its investigations until those responsible can be
brought to justice – a call ARTICLE 19 wholeheartedly supports.

Dozens of similar cases of illegal espionage against journalists and human
rights defenders remain unsolved. Some were brought to the Attorney
General’s attention over 6 years ago; others were perpetrated by the
Armed Forces under the current administration. [16]

As long as those responsible enjoy impunity, journalism will remain under
threat.

THAT’S WHY, IN ADDITION TO CALLING FOR JUSTICE FOR INDIVIDUAL
JOURNALISTS, ARTICLE 19 IS CALLING FOR A MORATORIUM ON SURVEILLANCE
TECHNOLOGIES UNTIL REGULATIONS ARE IN PLACE THAT PROTECT HUMAN RIGHTS.

FIND OUT MORE

_Coming soon..._

Stay tuned for our new report, _AI Red Lines_, which will equip civil
society with essential tools to advocate for effective regulation of
surveillance and biometric technologies.

NEWS AND CAMPAIGNS

Türkiye: Stop abusing anti-terrorism laws to silence journalists

This month, ARTICLE 19 attended the hearings of 3 journalists facing
trumped-up terrorism charges in Türkiye. We are calling for their
acquittal, and for the Turkish authorities to stop abusing anti-terrorist
legislation against journalists for simply doing their jobs as public
watchdogs.

Read more

New report: Weaponising anti-extremism laws in Eastern Europe and Central
Asia

In recent years, states in Eastern Europe and Central Asia have undergone
profound upheaval – from crackdowns against protesters in Belarus to
conflicts along the Kyrgyzstan–Tajikistan border to Russia’s war of
aggression against Ukraine.

In the context of these upheavals, we have witnessed a worrying regional
trend of authorities weaponising anti-extremism and anti-terrorism laws and
policies to crush dissent, civil rights, and public participation.

Our new report, produced by ARTICLE 19 and partners of the Civic Solidarity
Platform, examines this trend and offers recommendations for change.

Read the report

UN: Governing AI for humanity

At the end of 2023, the UN Secretary-General’s AI Advisory Body issued
its interim report, Governing AI for Humanity. [17]

While we welcome the report’s embrace of international human rights law
as a guiding principle for AI governance, we are disappointed that it does
not capture the impacts that AI has already had on freedom of expression
– not least for journalists and the media, who are notably missing from
the report.

Read our full analysis

ARTICLE 19 IN THE MEDIA

* Joanna Szymańska tells the Liverpo [18]ol [18] Echo [18] about Andrei
Aliaksandrau, journalist and valued ARTICLE 19 ex-colleague, who remains in
jail in Belarus.

* Mahsa Alimardani tells Deutschland Radio [19] [German] how women in Iran
are being surveilled using facial-recognition technology made in Germany.

* ARTICLE 19 Mexico and Central America is mentioned in a Washington Post
[20] piece about the growing dangers for journalists in Mexico.

Partner spotlight: Freedom Film Network, Malaysia

Freedom Film Network [21] (FFN) is a nonprofit established to support and
develop human rights documentary filmmaking in Malaysia. It organises an
annual human rights film festival, FreedomFilmFest, as well as supporting
filmmakers through training, grants, and network-building.

FFN’s campaign, #SaferSpacesForArts [22], documents attacks against
artists, analyses whether they constitute incitement to harm, outlines what
the state and the public can do, and provides resources for persecuted
artists: from emergency funding to Digital First Aid kits.

ARTICLE 19’s Asia Pacific office is working with FFN on a campaign to
protect the creators of the film _Mentega Terbang_, who were charged [23]
on 17 January for ‘hurting religious feelings’.

Though the film was released back in 2021, it was banned in September 2023
for being ‘contrary to the public interest’, and filmmakers Tan Meng
Kheng and Khairi Anwar Jailani have suffered a distressing witch hunt –
both online and offline.

BUT THE FILMMAKERS ARE NOT TAKING IT LYING DOWN.

On 31st January, they will be back in court, filing a judicial review that
challenges the constitutionality of the ban. Indeed, they have bravely
resisted the censorship all the way. And they’ve had widespread support
– both locally and internationally.

Show your support!

> _'Social films … can return the power to the disenfranchised and
> marginalised in our society, through the representation of their
> voices.’_
>
> – Freedom Film Network

[24]

JOIN THE MOVEMENT FOR FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION

You can advance freedom of expression around the world by supporting
ARTICLE 19!

Invest in freedom of expression today

BOOKMARK

[25]

HELD

by ANNE MICHAELS

‘With every tightening of the screw, the tyrant makes our hope more
precise. And nothing enrages a tyrant more than hope.’

Read the review on The Guardian [26]

REMEMBER TO TAKE THE QUIZ!

[27]

HOW WELL DO YOU KNOW FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION? 

TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE!

DID A FRIEND OR COLLEAGUE FORWARD THIS TO YOU?

Subscribe [28] to ARTICLE 19's monthly Inside Expression update.

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