censored.social collects the record of what social media removes, blocks and silences, and of who decides what may be said at all.
The Notes section is a working reference on how social media is censored: by states, by platforms and by the laws that bind both. The Dates section follows the meetings and deadlines that shape those rules. Both are kept current. The stream on this page carries the latest articles from the sources listed on the Sources page.
In use: the notes and dates here are real.
censored.social
The first wave brings banks, retailers, and the state onto one highly visible payment rail.
Age assurance was meant to separate children from adult content. Steam's version also sorts adults by banking access.
Miami, September 12, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed to learn that Haitian journalist Wesly Renaud Jean was abducted by armed gang members in the Delmas 31 neighborhood of Port-au-Prince on Sunday evening and calls on Haitian authorities to swiftly secure hi…
Governor Newsom signed a package of 12 bills yesterday aimed at “protecting children” online. One of them was AB 1709 , which EFF has opposed this legislative session and serves as a functional ban on young people under 16 using social media. However, EFF supported two of the bi…
Ctrl-Alt-Speech is a weekly podcast about the latest news in online speech, from Mike Masnick and Everything in Moderation‘s Ben Whitelaw. Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify, Pocket Casts, YouTube, or your podcast app of choice — or go straight to the RSS feed. T…
Copyright law is being used to make critical reporting disappear. Are tech companies too quick to trade free speech rights for access? The post Weaponising copyright: free speech’s new battleground appeared first on Index on Censorship .
Amazon recently debuted a new feature for its Ring cameras that the company is calling Throw Away the Key Encryption (TAKE). The idea is to cut back on the amount of video content available to the company, and thus potentially available to law enforcement. But while it might tec…
Two Yemeni newspaper offices were bombed a year ago, killing 31 journalists and destroying a historic archive The post Yemen bombing: Piecing together the explosion that killed 31 journalists appeared first on Index on Censorship .
Dear Friend of Press Freedom: It’s Sept. 11, the 25th anniversary of the deadly attacks on the U.S. and the beginning of the “war on terror.” It’s time for critical records on the attacks to be declassified, but they’re unlikely to see the light of day. Plus, the government give…
A new projected aims to turn research, experience and evidence of transnational repression into stronger protections and more coordinated policy responses across Europe The post Statement: Tackling Transnational Repression appeared first on Index on Censorship .
MISA Lesotho condemned the act, stressing that to abduct a journalist from his home, inflict severe physical violence, and discard him in the remote terrain of Thaba-Bosiu under threat of death is a barbaric violation of human dignity. The post Editor, rights defender and former…
Washington, D.C., September 11, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Egyptian authorities to immediately disclose the whereabouts of prominent Sudanese journalist Ataf Mohamed Mokhtar and the reasons for his arrest. Ataf was arrested Tuesday, September 8, 2026, fro…
Commenting on Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood calling on police chiefs to use facial recognition at protests, Big Brother Watch’s Senior Legal and Policy Office Jasleen Chaggar said: “The Home Secretary’s calls for a dystopian constellation of mask bans, facial recognition and AN…
Pro-democracy activists Chow Hang-tung and Lee Cheuk-yan were found guilty of ‘incitement to subversion’ in controversial national security case Two pro-democracy activists who were put on trial for organising an annual Tiananmen Square massacre vigil in Hong Kong have been sent…
Remember Appin? It’s the Indian “hack for hire” company that got so upset about Reuters’ giant investigation — which detailed how Appin grew into a “leading cyberespionage firm” that “stole secrets from executives, politicians, military officials and wealthy elites around the gl…
Bans Like California’s Don’t Fix What’s Wrong With Social Media Companies SAN FRANCISCO - Technology and the laws that regulate it should support and empower young people. California’s AB 1709 - signed into law today by Gov. Gavin Newsom - falls far short of this goal, say the E…
At a time when escalating political violence and armed clashes between government forces, aligned militias, and opposition groups have stalled the implementation of the 2018 peace agreement and deepened an already severe humanitarian crisis in South Sudan, IFEX member the Associ…
When Israel began its assault on Gaza, information was among the many casualties. Foreign media were largely barred from entering the territory, except for rare, Israeli military-escorted trips, with access remaining tightly restricted since. Palestinian journalists – themselves…
The Oversight Board co-chairs issued the following statement in response to Meta’s recent announcement that it would begin testing community notes in parts of Latin America: “The Board is paying close attention to Meta’s planned testing of its community notes program in 16 cou…
The Government’s proposals to prevent under 18s from creating or sharing nude images aim to address serious issues such as sextortion, grooming, and abuse. While these are worthwhile objectives, there are unintended consequences of introducing this kind of scanning onto our phon…
The ePrivacy framework limits commercial tracking and state access to communications. It is now being weakened from several directions at once. The post Europe’s cookie law is really a law about surveillance appeared first on European Digital Rights (EDRi) .
Last month’s firing of the publisher of Stars and Stripes, as well as an editor and reporter, further cemented the Trump administration’s full-fledged declaration of war against press freedom. To me personally, it stood out from his countless other attacks because I know the dan…
Last week, the Oversight Board published its summary decision, Graphic Videos From Iran, which highlights the overenforcement of Meta’s Violent and Graphic Content Community Standard. It is in a context of efforts to document and spread awareness of alleged human rights abuses, …
Labour peer tells Council of Europe inquiry failure to implement legal protections still putting journalists at risk Malta is vulnerable to “repeated instances of high-level corruption” unless it strengthens the rule of law and protections for journalists, the Labour peer Shami …
Dow Jones convicted of one count of deterring Selina Cheng from role at Hong Kong Journalist Association but cleared of second charge A Hong Kong court has convicted the publisher of the Wall Street Journal of deterring a reporter from taking up a trade union role, in a case tha…
Today ARTICLE 19 joined the Coalition for App Fairness and other partner organisations in writing to the European Commission regarding Apple’s new business terms for the EU App Store. Apple announced the terms on 18 August 2026 and has stated it will implement them from 1 Octobe…
On 26 August 2026, the US Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned the Italy-based digital service and infrastructure provider Autistici/Inventati (A/I), designating the collective a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT). ARTICLE 19 warns that such action agains…
New polling highlights UK’s “censorship crisis” as free speech billboards are plastered across London Underground Giant “Free speech makes Britain great” billboard seen at Oxford Circus (sample photos attached, high res available below) Polls show the British public wants fewer …
Poland’s anti-SLAPP law has been in force since 8 July, but it only protects against civil lawsuits. A statement can still lead to criminal charges. ARTICLE 19 Europe, our partners from the Polish anti-SLAPP Working Group The Watchdog Poland Citizens Network, and the Helsinki Fo…
An EU legislative proposal for a social media ban will be presented at the State of the European Union (SOTEU) annual address, but the tools which are pitched as “ready” and “privacy-preserving” fail on both counts. Here is a technical account of the shortcomings. The post Why t…
In today’s newsletter: Nearly nine years after Daphne Caruana Galizia was killed, the not‑guilty verdict for Yorgen Fenech has come to symbolise the struggle against the increased attempts to silence reporters Good morning. Malta is reeling today from the shock acquittal of one…
About the report The report finds that the UK’s adoption of AI is a key part of state strategy that appears to be principally motivated by improving economic performance and bolstering innovation. The paper highlights risks resulting from how AI systems are being developed, proc…
Since 2001, Apple has been warning its users when they may have been targeted by spyware, using email, iMessage, and banners in their accounts. But in September of this year, The post Apple threat notifications and spyware: what everyone should know appeared first on Access Now .
Access Now's Digital Security Helpline and Vita Activa offer holistic digital safety and mental health support for activists. The post Vita Activa & the Digital Security Helpline join forces to support mental health and digital safety for activists appeared first on Access Now .