Free Expression Digest: Tues., June 23
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PEN’s Free Expression Digest brings you the latest news and developments on censorship, mass surveillance, and other challenges to free expression worldwide. Subscribe to the Free Expression Digest to receive a daily curated email of the most important free expression-related stories from around the web.
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Spies hacked computers thanks to sweeping secret warrants, aggressively stretching U.K. law
British spies have received government permission to intensively study software programs for ways to infiltrate and take control of computers. GCHQ’s reverse engineering targets a wide range of popular software products for compromise, including online bulletin board systems, commercial encryption software and anti-virus programs. THE INTERCEPT
US, UK Intel agencies worked to subvert antivirus tools to aid hacking
Documents from the NSA and GCHQ obtained by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden reveal that the two agencies targeted antivirus software developers in an attempt to subvert their tools to assure success in computer network exploitation attacks on intelligence targets. ARS TECHNICA
Australia passes controversial anti-piracy web censorship law
A controversial bill to allow websites to be censored has been passed by both houses of the Australian parliament. The Copyright Amendment Bill 2015 allows companies to go to a Federal Court judge to get overseas sites blocked if their “primary purpose” is facilitating copyright infringement. ARS TECHNICA
Press freedom under threat in Spain, says IPI delegate
Journalists in Spain believe press freedom is in danger of being undermined ahead of national elections in November this year, due to five factors: The overt politicization of Spain’s public service broadcaster; the fact that six new broadcasting licenses will be granted by the government rather than an independent broadcasting regulator… THE GUARDIAN
India: Another journalist burned to death, the second murder in as many weeks
Journalist Sandeep Kothari was abducted by a group of men who beat him to death and then burned his body in Madhya Pradesh. Kothari’s family said he was killed for reporting about illegal mining in the Balaghat district. His death comes less than two weeks after another journalist was burned to death in neighboring Uttar Pradesh. ASSOCIATED PRESS
Egyptian journalist detained over charges of ‘belonging to illegal group’
A journalist with state-owned newspaper Akhbar al-Youm has been detained over charges of “belonging to an illegal group,” said head of Journalists’ Syndicate Yahia al-Qalash Monday. Egypt is currently ranked as the sixth worst jailer of journalists worldwide. THE CAIRO POST
Israeli artists fear political censorship from government
The newly appointed Minister of Culture Miri Regev sparks strong criticism. A series of recent statements lead to believe freedom of expression could be threatened by the government’s policies. DEUTSCHE WELLE