PEN Points: Twitter, India, and the fight for the internet’s future

OPINION | Twitter’s case against India is crucial to the internet’s future

Twitter is taking on the Indian government, and the stakes are high. The company’s lodging of a lawsuit to dispute overbroad content-blocking orders could mark a pivotal moment for internet speech around the world.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party has been chipping away at free expression online for some time, most notably with the passing of a law last year extending the executive’s censorship powers. Now, the government can demand that news and information providers remove certain material within 36 hours of receiving a request, and it can initiate criminal proceedings against a designated company grievance officer located in the country if these mandates are rebuffed.

These threats don’t appear idle: Twitter’s top executive was summoned by police in one state for failing to take down a violent video; armed forces once showed up at the company’s offices as part of an investigation about a matter as anodyne as a tweet having been labeled “manipulated media.”

U.S. Free Expression Stories

The fight over truth also has a red state, blue state divide
Several states run by Democrats are pushing for stiffer rules on the spread of false information, while Republican-run states are pushing for fewer rules.
THE NEW YORK TIMES

First Amendment advocates respond to a new Arizona law limiting recording of police
First Amendment advocates are considering their options in response to an Arizona law signed last week making it a crime to record video police officers from closer than 8 feet away. Organizations supporting free speech say it unnecessarily restricts activity protected by the First Amendment, as it limits what people can do on their phones while near a police officer.
NPR

Wall Street Journal: Musk-Twitter deal falling through would be “loss for free speech”
The editorial board of The Wall Street Journal is warning that a reported breakdown in negotiations between Elon Musk and Twitter in the tech mogul’s bid to purchase the social media company is bad news for free discourse.
THE HILL

The Latest from PEN America

PEN America Condemns Arrests of Iranian Filmmakers as a “Brazen Violation” of Human Rights

In response to news that several Iranian filmmakers—including Mohammad Rasoulof and Jafar Panahi—have been arrested after publicly calling for the Iranian government to end violence against protesters, PEN America called these arrests another egregious example of the Iranian government’s abuse of power. Rasoulof and Panahi have both been detained for their work in the past and are barred by the Iranian government from making films and from leaving the country. See the full statement.

Entangled Histories: Free Speech & Civil Rights from the 1960’s to Today
Thursday, 7/28 | 6:30pm – 8pm CT
Birmingham Museum of Art
2000 Rev. Abraham Woods, Jr. Blvd Birmingham, AL 35203

How has the First Amendment been invoked to help or to hinder the progress of civil rights? This discussion will examine how the mid-1960s were a turning point not only for the Civil Rights movement, but also the history of free speech in the U.S. From the Civil Rights Act to landmark Supreme Court decisions, the boundaries of the First Amendment were tested in ways that affected civil rights in the decades following. Learn more and register.

Cuba: One Year After 11J
Monday, 7/18 | 10am – 12:30 pm ET
Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (Room: Padilla Vidal)
1889 F Street NW, Washington, DC 20006

On July 11, 2021, an estimated 100,000 Cubans took the streets to protest political and social inequities on the island in the midst of a raging public health and economic crisis exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Cuban authorities responded with a swift and brutal crackdown designed to repress the protest movement, detaining at least a thousand people. To mark the one-year anniversary of the protests, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and The International Institute on Race, Equality and Human Rights (Race & Equality) are partnering with PEN America’s Artists at Risk Connection (ARC), PEN International, and PEN Cuban Writers in Exile, and Civil Rights Defenders to organize a discussion to reflect on the events of 11J, their aftermath, and what life in Cuba is like today. Learn more and register.

Global Free Expression Stories

Biden heads to Saudi Arabia amid discomfort and criticism
Biden promised during his campaign to make the kingdom a “pariah,” eager to distinguish himself from former president Donald Trump, who had been criticized for his closeness with the Saudis. Now Biden finds himself in an uncomfortable position as he visits Saudi Arabia later this week, trying to signal simultaneously that he values the country as an ally and that he harbors significant reservations about visiting.
See PEN America’s statement.
THE WASHINGTON POST

Maria Ressa: Amal Clooney condemns court after Nobel laureate’s conviction upheld
Human rights lawyer Amal Clooney has condemned a decision by a court in the Philippines to uphold the conviction of Nobel prize-winner Maria Ressa in a cyber libel case and her legal team has said the world is watching to see if newly elected president Ferdinand Marcos Jr will “stop the rot” or continue attacks on journalists.
THE GUARDIAN

A year after mass protest, Cubans face stark choice: “prison or exile”
One year after Cubans took to the streets in one of the largest protest movements since the Communist government took power six decades ago, hundreds of demonstrators are languishing in prison while tens of thousands have fled repression and destitution on the island.
See PEN America’s prior statement and letter.
THE NEW YORK TIMES

Spotlight: Thanom Chapakdee

Thanom Chapakdee, close friend and partner to PEN America and the Artists at Risk Connection, died on June 27 at the age of 64 after suffering a stroke. Chapakdee was an artist, academic, and art critic from Thailand. As an outspoken advocate on the power of art and art criticism in shaping democracy, he joined multiple PEN America sign-on letters and served as a trusted sounding board for our efforts to defend artistic freedom and free expression.

Below is an excerpt from an interview with Chapakdee, where he is introduced as “one of Thailand’s most respected and feared art critics.”

Working as a curator and art critic in Thailand is quite frustrating. You don't have the freedom to write your views on newspapers. In order to be free, I turned to community work as an art activist, on a small scale. I learned that more than writing, the best way to convey your thoughts in Thailand is to demonstrate them through action. That's way more powerful. I tried to escape from the center and went outside, to start anew and fresh. That's where the idea for the festival Manifesto comes from. This was based on participatory perspectives and we had artists developing art on the field, with the local community.

Read the full interview and our press release.

Get More News, Events, and Updates from PEN America ›

You are receiving this e-mail because you opted in at PEN.org or a PEN America-sponsored event.

manage subscriptions | unsubscribe | contact us