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Political value of social media will rise in Africa

Location:

AFRICA

Relatively low internet penetration rates (an average of 40% across the continent) and stark differences in digital access within and across states mask social media’s increasing…

Jordanian laws may restrict political space

Location:

JORDAN

The state of emergency coincided with more restrictive rules for NGOs, notably on foreign funding. Moreover, proposed legislative amendments that would narrow the space for free…

Prospects for Iran in 2024

Location:

PROSPECTS 2024

The government will seek to boost turnout without opening up any more political or social space, and conservatives will maintain their thorough monopoly of power. However…

Riyadh will increase efforts to curb Twitter criticism

Location:

SAUDI ARABIA

Amid an outcry over the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, large numbers of accounts, ostensibly belonging to ordinary citizens (although many are fraudulent), have engaged in…

Samia will offer no respite to Tanzania’s opposition

Location:

TANZANIA

Mbowe and other Chadema leaders were arrested on July 20-21 ahead of a planned party meeting on constitutional reforms. Chadema has denounced the charges as a politically…

Chinese online controls keep grip on disinformation

Location:

CHINA

In China, by contrast, this problem is of relatively low priority. The Communist Party has long established itself as the sole arbiter of truth, attacking ‘rumours’ and other…

Abkhazia's elite fears ceding control to Russia

Location:

GEORGIA/RUSSIA

The wording, from a ruling on the August 2008 Georgian-Russian war, is stating the obvious but is nonetheless significant, coming from an international court. An agreement making…

Belarus will propagate more anti-Western narratives

Location:

BELARUS

A well-designed, powerful propaganda machine is being employed to manipulate public opinion and convince Belarusians that Russia is the sole protector of Belarus's imperilled…

Brazil policies focus on short-term poverty responses

Location:

BRAZIL

The pandemic has worsened the living conditions of vulnerable people. Governmental emergency aid has temporarily lifted people out of poverty, but declining income gains, high…

US tech policy reform will prioritise data protection

Location:

UNITED STATES

New state-level data protection laws, and a potential federal privacy law, are emerging as an important challenge for major US technology firms. Already they face rising pressures…