Friday, 07 May 2021

There needs to be a space to be offended while protecting people from hate

Photo: Yui Mok/PA Wire/PA Images

This week Donald Trump, the former American president, once again made international headlines. This time not for something he had said that day – but rather on whether he has the right to have a public platform on social media, and Facebook in particular.

There needs to be space to be offended – while at the same time protecting people from hate and violence, says our CEO Ruth Smeeth in her latest blog post.

China's global brand: a century of silencing dissent

Index looks back on 100 years of the Chinese Communist Party and how their censorship continues to shape the lives of people around the world and threaten their right to free speech. Inside are articles by exiled writer Ma Jian, Clive Priddle on whether Simon and Schuster's decision not to publish Senator Josh Hawley's book is censorship and an exclusive short story from acclaimed writer Shalom Auslander.

Nick Clegg: Will clipping the wings of social media open the way for Chinese domination?

Should we entirely trust the superpower of Silicon Valley? Facebook enrages traditional media because it destroyed their economic model. It both enthrals and infuriates governments, which see it as a tax haven in the cloud.

The EU Digital Services Act intends to rein in the power of Facebook. The US Federal Trade Commission and 48 state attorneys-general would like to see the monopolies broken up. Is it right that Facebook should also own Instagram and WhatsApp? But does it provide a xxxxxx against Chinese influence?

Former Today programme editor and Index trustee Sarah Sands interviews Facebook vice-president Nick Clegg and asks for answers.

Support Index on Censorship's ongoing work

Watch our spring magazine launch with acclaimed writer Ma Jian and The Guardian's foreign leader writer Tania Branigan

Index on Censorship defends people's freedom to express themselves without fear of harm or persecution. We publish censored writers and artists, monitor and campaign against censorship, and encourage debate.

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