Steptoe Cyberlaw Podcast: Globalizing Censorship – Lawfare (blog)
Episode 168 features the Tinkers-to-Evers-to-Chance of global censorship, as Filipino contractors earning minimum wage delete posts in order to satisfy US tech companies who are trying to satisfy European governments. In addition to Maury Shenk, our panel of interlocutors includesDavid Sanger, Chief Washington Correspondent forThe New York Times, andKaren Eltis, Professor of Law at the University of Ottawa. Even if you think that reducingIslamic extremist proselytizingonline is a good idea, I conclude, thats not likely to be where the debate over online content ends up. Indeed, even today, controls onhate speechare aimed more at tweets that sound like President Trump than at extremist recruiting. Bottom line: no matter how you slice it, the first amendment is in deep trouble.
In other news, I criticize the right half of the blogosphere for not reading the FISA court decision they cite to show thatPresident Obamawasspying illegallyat the end of his term. Glenn Reynolds, Im talking about you!
The EU, in a bow to diplomatic reality, will not bother trying to improve theSafe Harbor dealit got from President Obama. Instead, it will try to get President Trump to honor President Obamas privacy promises. Good luck with that, guys!
Wikimedias lawsuit over NSA surveillancehas been revived by the court of appeals, and I find myself unable to criticize the ruling. If standing means anything, it seems as though Wikimedia ought to have standing to sue over surveillance; whether Wikimedia should be wasting our contributions on such a misconceived cause is a different question.
Chinas cybersecurity law has mostly taken effect.Maury explains how little we know about what it means.
Finally, David Sanger, in his characteristic broad-gauge fashion, is able to illuminate a host of cyber statecraft topics: whether the North Koreans are getting better at stopping cyberattacks on their rocket program; how good a job did Macron really did in responding to Russian doxing attempt; and what North Korean hackers are up to in Thailand.
As always, the Cyberlaw Podcast welcomes feedback.Send an email to[emailprotected]or leave a message at +1 202 862 5785.
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Steptoe Cyberlaw Podcast: Globalizing Censorship - Lawfare (blog)
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- The UK, Europe, and Canada Are Losing Freedom of Speech - Uncharted Territories | Tomas Pueyo - July 28th, 2026 [July 28th, 2026]
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- British journalists self-censoring stories about Trump and the right over safety fears - Tehran Times - July 26th, 2026 [July 26th, 2026]
- So to Speak Transcript: Ada Palmer on the history of censorship from the Renaissance to AI - FIRE | Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression - July 26th, 2026 [July 26th, 2026]
- Satluj review: Beyond the politics of censorship - Frontline Magazine - July 26th, 2026 [July 26th, 2026]
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- The Institute of National Remembrance has responded to Poland's bill on the OUN and UPA | Ukrainian News - LIGA.net - July 26th, 2026 [July 26th, 2026]
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- Documentary on film censorship in Ireland coming to RT - RTE.ie - July 26th, 2026 [July 26th, 2026]
- A Banned Book Club Blooms in Alberta - The Tyee - July 26th, 2026 [July 26th, 2026]
- German political satire show Die Anstalt bows to censorship in its 100th edition - World Socialist Web Site - July 24th, 2026 [July 24th, 2026]
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- Sudanese prosecutors issue arrest warrants for dozens of journalists over corruption reports - Sudan Tribune - July 24th, 2026 [July 24th, 2026]
- The KIDS Act is way worse than digital carding it is a mass surveillance system - CoinDesk - July 24th, 2026 [July 24th, 2026]
- The Streisand Effect Shows Why Suppressing Information Can Backfire - Discover Magazine - July 21st, 2026 [July 21st, 2026]
- Davidson Warns About the Global Expansion of Censorship and Surveillance - Congressman Warren Davidson (.gov) - July 21st, 2026 [July 21st, 2026]
- Artist and activist Ai Weiwei on political censorship in the West - NPR - July 21st, 2026 [July 21st, 2026]
- Google Is Censoring Reviews of ICE Detention Centers - The Intercept - July 21st, 2026 [July 21st, 2026]
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- Terror in Tehran - Index on Censorship - July 21st, 2026 [July 21st, 2026]
- Henrico bookstore raises money to fight book bans with a read-in and a reckoning - Henrico Citizen - July 21st, 2026 [July 21st, 2026]
- Ban this filth! The untold history of film censorship in Ireland - RTE.ie - July 21st, 2026 [July 21st, 2026]
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- A revolutionary act to watch it: the film Indias censors do not want you to see - The Guardian - July 20th, 2026 [July 20th, 2026]
- 'Satluj' row: Censorship and the politics of memory - Deccan Herald - July 20th, 2026 [July 20th, 2026]
- Indiana food truck ousted from market over innuendo-laced slogan - the-independent.com - July 20th, 2026 [July 20th, 2026]
- Archbishops of Canterbury and York accused of censorship after they tried to cancel conversion therapy event - Anglican Ink - July 20th, 2026 [July 20th, 2026]
- How the language of censorship became advertisings latest trope - The Drum - July 20th, 2026 [July 20th, 2026]
- Bollywood just surrendered to censorship. Hollywood could be next. - vox.com - July 20th, 2026 [July 20th, 2026]
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- Vance: Epstein Clearly Had Connections To The Highest Levels Of US And Israeli Intelligence, "Academic Censorship" - Yahoo - July 20th, 2026 [July 20th, 2026]
- 2026 World Cup: When Censorship Yields The Best Marketing Results - Brand Communicator - July 20th, 2026 [July 20th, 2026]
- The crusade to ban teens from social media is advancing across Europe - FIRE | Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression - July 20th, 2026 [July 20th, 2026]
- Russia restricts use of foreign SIM cards, blocking censorship circumvention and Ukrainian drone navigation - - July 13th, 2026 [July 13th, 2026]
- Censorship of medical journals infects journalism too - Freedom of the Press Foundation - July 13th, 2026 [July 13th, 2026]
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- Video. Fact check: Is the EU planning to censor access to the internet? - Euronews.com - July 13th, 2026 [July 13th, 2026]
- Cultural Solidarity: "Regulating Harmful Music for Youth Is Prior Censorship"... Urges Withdrawal of Kim Hyun's Bill - - July 13th, 2026 [July 13th, 2026]
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- A Bombshell Lawsuit Points to an Extraordinary System of Censorship at Texas Tech - The Chronicle of Higher Education - July 11th, 2026 [July 11th, 2026]
- Cancelled by your future self? The fear isnt censorship. Its permanence - The Indian Express - July 11th, 2026 [July 11th, 2026]
- The Myth and the Heretic: How Vit Nams Censorship and Recent Book Ban Suffocate Supporters - The Vietnamese Magazine - July 11th, 2026 [July 11th, 2026]
- Ken Newman Tackles Self-Censorship and Creative Freedom on Who Are the Bad Guys - V13 Media - July 11th, 2026 [July 11th, 2026]
- Texas Tech sued for erasing LGBTQ+ people and Black history from university classrooms - Advocate.com - July 11th, 2026 [July 11th, 2026]
- Media censorship/ How it works and the most common forms - cna.al - July 11th, 2026 [July 11th, 2026]
- NCLA to Fifth Circuit: Revive Suit Against Govt-Led Censorship of Covid Vaccine-Injured Americans - The Manila Times - July 11th, 2026 [July 11th, 2026]
- "Just too gay" - Robert Yang is battling censorship to launch a collection of his award-winning games on Steam and Itch, and it's completely... - July 11th, 2026 [July 11th, 2026]
- The Odyssey Cleared With 0 Cuts By Censor Board, Receives 'A' Certificate - NDTV - July 11th, 2026 [July 11th, 2026]
- Satluj row: Is banning the film only making more people watch it? - The Federal - July 11th, 2026 [July 11th, 2026]
- The battle to save Burton and Taylors dirty movie from the censors - The Telegraph - July 7th, 2026 [July 7th, 2026]
- Meta bosses grilled over decision to cut censorship that has potentially unleashed more antisemitic content - The Guardian - July 7th, 2026 [July 7th, 2026]
- 127 Cuts To An 'Uncut' OTT Version: How Satluj Released On ZEE5 Without Censorship - NDTV - July 7th, 2026 [July 7th, 2026]
- On the exact day marking the birth of Indian cinema, a raging battle over film censorship takes center stage. Diljit Dosanjhs latest historical drama... - July 7th, 2026 [July 7th, 2026]
- Arshad Warsi is self-censoring jokes after being trolled by Prabhas fans over joker comment: We need to lighten up | Bollywood - Hindustan Times - July 7th, 2026 [July 7th, 2026]
- Kansas City counselors win reversal in 8th Circuit Court censorship case - The Pathway - July 7th, 2026 [July 7th, 2026]
- Censorship, Secrecy, and Speculation Continue After Pilot in Beijing CITIC Tower Collision Identified - China Digital Times - July 7th, 2026 [July 7th, 2026]