Meedan stands with Rappler in the fight against disinformation
Also, the Indian government is using laws to limit content online, how online false information is spreading offline in West Africa, and election misinformation in Brazil
Hey Checklisters!
We hope you’ve had a good week.
On June 28, the Philippines Securities and Exchange Commission affirmed its decision to withhold Rappler’s certificates of incorporation, effectively prohibiting them from operating in the country. Meedan stands with Rappler - our friends, partners and comrades in the battle for truth, and we are proud of all the work we have done together, including fighting the use of social media for disinformation through the #FactsFirstPH coalition. In this trying time, we salute the energy and courage of the Rappler team despite this and many other attacks on them and their work, and we hope for a quick resolution to this current crisis.
In this edition of the Checklist, we look into the actions by India’s government to compel platforms to take down and limit access to online content - the geoblocking of two YouTube videos, including one highlighting human rights violations in Kashmir, and ‘hostage-taking laws’ used by the government to take down posts by journalists and a human rights organization.
We also share VERA Files cofounder Ellen Tordesillas’ perspective on the future of the Philippines following the end of the Duterte era, a report on the spread of false information in West Africa from online to offline spaces, and Meta’s failure to prioritize tackling election misinformation ahead of elections in Brazil.
If there are updates you would like us to share from your country or region, please reach out to us at checklist@meedan.com.
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The latest top stories
Podcast: ‘Too complacent for too many years’ (Hamburg Foundation for the Politically Persecuted)
Ellen Tordesillas, the "Grande Dame" of Filipino investigative journalism, speaks on the future of the Philippines. Even though the reign of Duterte has come to an end, Ellen, who cofounded VERA Files, a non-profit online news organization in the Philippines, doesn’t feel much hope for the future of the country. Newly elected president Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. is no friend of free and independent media. His first order to the owners of Filipino media outlets has been to cancel the term "dictator" in regard to his father. From now on Marcos Sr., who had ruled and plundered the country for more than 20 years, should be referred to as a "strongman" only.
"Don't be fooled. This president has little respect for the rule of law, Human Rights and the values of democracy” — Ellen Tordesillas, VERA Files cofounder and trustee
Malayali filmmaker’s work on Kashmir restricted by YouTube on Indian govt’s request (The News Minute)
Two creative works, including a nine-minute short film on human rights violations in Kashmir by Kerala-based filmmaker Sandeep Ravindranath, have been geo-blocked by YouTube, a video-streaming platform considered to be a powerful tool for activism and engagement by filmmakers and artists. A letter from the YouTube Legal Support Team sent to Sandeep Ravindranath said they have received a notice from the Examination Committee of India's Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeITY) seeking blocking of the video, pursuant to Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, 2000.
"I am shocked and dismayed that a sensitively made film like Anthem for Kashmir has been taken down from Youtube. This is simply not tolerable and this decision must be reversed at once as it flies in the face of all democratic norms" — filmmaker Anand Patwardhan
Fake News in West Africa: Flows, Facilitators and Fixes (Centre for Democracy & Development)
A new report by the Centre for Democracy and Development shows that the spread of false information across information ecosystems in West Africa is growing, enabled by increasing access to social media and the internet across the region. False information is not only confined to online spaces, but moves between offline and digital environments with regularity and ease. The report identified seven main groups engaged in the spread of falsehoods - political activists, online influencers, governments, media enterprises, specialist consultancy firms, the diaspora and foreign states. Political actors are also increasingly recruiting domestic ‘cyber warriors’ or regional and international communication specialists during elections to give them an electoral advantage.
West African states have sought to clamp down on fake news by limiting the space, either through platform or internet shutdowns or through updating existing — or creating new — legislation to deal with digital disinformation. But digital regulation in the region is still primarily used as a political tool. Whilst regulation can be part of the solution to tackling falsehoods, this is only true if it is overseen by a credible and independent arbiter — Centre for Democracy and Development report
“Hostage-taking laws” seem to be fueling a Twitter crackdown in India (Rest of World)
A new wave of online censorship is currently unfolding in India, with observers saying that the current crackdown is in part driven by a series of social media laws that have taken effect since then. India’s adoption of so-called “hostage-taking laws” has seen Twitter take down posts from several journalists and at least one human rights organization in recent weeks following orders from the Narendra Modi government. These recent takedowns highlight how new laws make it easier to censor journalists and dissidents in the country.
"You have to realize that the rules of the game have changed. Whatever Twitter may have blocked last year…the Indian government has since given itself the power to jail someone from Twitter if it does not comply with government orders. And that’s a risk very few companies, maybe no company, will be willing to take.” — Nikhil Pahwa, digital rights activist and founder of tech policy publication MediaNama
"Not only Twitter, but other companies have obviously shifted in their stance about how they’re going to address matters of blocking and content takedown in India.... It is a great petri dish we are watching. The executive is really workshopping how they can use the [social media] companies in their censorship by proxy. The individuals and the users are always left out and don’t have a seat at the table as the negotiation of their rights is happening" — Mishi Choudhary, civil liberties activist and legal director of the Software Freedom Law Center
Facebook does not prioritize Brazil against fake news (Folha de São Paulo)
Frances Haugen, a former Meta employee and whistleblower, says there are fewer protections against attempts to interfere in the Brazilian election than there were in the US. Haugen, who was in charge of the civic integrity area at the company, arrived in Brazil to participate in a public hearing in the Chamber of Deputies on the country’s fake news bill and to talk to civil society organizations.
"Brazil is one of the most important democracies in the world and I assure you that Brazilian Portuguese is one of the languages that does not have the basic security systems it should. Facebook has been telling us for years that the best way to make the platform safe is to moderate content through 'magical' artificial intelligence. But they've always underinvested in safety in languages other than English, and they haven't invested enough either in moderators" — Frances Haugen, whistleblower and former Meta employee
What’s new at Meedan
Meedan Stands With Rappler In The Fight Against Disinformation
On June 28, the Philippines Securities and Exchange Commission affirmed its decision to revoke the certificates of incorporation of Rappler Inc. and Rappler Holdings Corporation, effectively prohibiting Rappler from operating in the Philippines. Rappler’s CEO and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Maria Ressa, has said the news outlet will continue to work and do business as usual and not succumb to intimidation tactics.
Meedan has worked on special initiatives with Rappler since 2016 and Maria has been a valued member of our Board of Directors since 2018. Meedan supports Rappler’s decision wholeheartedly and stands in solidarity with our friends, partners and comrades in the battle for truth. Meedan condemns this effort to threaten the work and the very existence of an independent newsroom that has consistently stood out for its meticulous and ethical journalism and for speaking truth to power.