How Google plans to fight toxic trolls
Google’s parent company, Alphabet, says it plans to apply machine learning technology to promote more civil discourse on the internet and make comment sections on sites a little less awful,… Read more »
Russia mobilizes elite cyber warriors: anti-fake news site mocked online
Russia’s foreign ministry has launched a website to debunk fake news, but some social media users critical of the government are unimpressed by its lack of evidence, the BBC reports:… Read more »
Cuba blocks OAS chief’s visit to receive dissident prize
provocCuban authorities prevented the head of the Organization of American States (OAS), a former Chilean minister and an ex-president of Mexico from traveling to Cuba to attend an award ceremony… Read more »
Has the Communist Party guided China to (sustainable) success?
While some China experts believe the regime will be able to maintain a “centralized and disciplined party and security state (the Xi Jinping system),” one analyst is less sure, arguing… Read more »
Russia creates propaganda unit to wage information warfare
Russia has added information warfare troops to its military, Moscow’s defense chief said in a speech to parliament on Wednesday, The Hill reports: Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu would not… Read more »
Kazakhstan rights groups harassed: NGOs targeted
Kazakhstan’s authorities have been abusing tax issues to harass human rights groups. Two prominent human rights organizations, the International Legal Initiative Foundation and Liberty, have had tax audits, and the… Read more »
‘Historic decision’ in Nepal’s transition to democracy
Deep political divides have prevented Nepal from implementing a new constitution that paves the way for elections, but the first local elections in two decades will be held in May,… Read more »
Cuba: foreign former officials can’t attend dissident event
Cuba stoked tensions across Latin America on Tuesday by blocking a former Chilean minister and one of Mexico’s ex-presidents from travelling to the island to attend an award ceremony hosted… Read more »
How democratic backsliding happens
Surveying democratic around the world, the clear lesson is: Not every wolf threatening democracy howls and bares its teeth. Many threats are stealthy, according to Aziz Huq and Tom Ginsburg,… Read more »
‘Clear evidence’ Putin interfered with election results
There is “clear evidence” of direct Russian involvement in British elections, a Labour former minister has said. Former Europe minister Chris Bryant also warned that many believed some of the… Read more »