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Furor erupts over anonymous New York Times op-ed by senior Administration official who describes internal “resistance” to Trump’s excesses, impetuousness, and amorality. Britain relies on pervasive, high-powered surveillance cameras to hunt down Russian agents accused in poisoning incident. Twitter and Facebook executives face tough questioning on Capitol Hill on interference with democracy and political bias on the platforms. Infowars’ Alex Jones has verbal spat with Florida Senator Marco Rubio. Social media companies aggressively monitor student usage, aiming to detect signs of impending suicides or violence. -Suzanne Nossel, Chief Executive Officer

 

The most pressing threats and notable goings-on in free expression today

U.S.

Fallout After Anonymous Times Op-Ed Blasts Trump
An unnamed senior Trump administration official assailed Trump’s “amorality” and reckless decision-making in a New York Times op-ed. The writer said he or she is part of a “resistance”, prompting a scramble inside the administration to identify them.
CNN

British Police Reportedly Identify Russian Suspects in Nerve Agent Attack on Skripals
British police examining CCTV footage have reportedly identified multiple Russian suspects believed to have carried out the March nerve-agent attack on former spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter.
NPR

Top Twitter and Facebook Executives Face a Grilling on Capitol Hill
On Tuesday, Facebook’s Sheryl Sandberg and Twitter’s Jack Dorsey will face grilling at a high-profile Senate hearing on social media and foreign influence campaigns. Dorsey will then later appear at a hearing focused more squarely on Twitter.
TIME

Alex Jones and Marco Rubio Explain the Internet
Rubio was holding court with reporters outside a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing when Infowars publisher Alex Jones confronted him, wanting to know why Rubio wasn’t pursuing the tech executives for censoring conservative voices online.
ATLANTIC

These Firms Say They Can Help Prevent School Shootings and Suicides. Do They?
More than 100 public school districts and universities, faced with the prospect that the next attacker may be among their own students, have hired social media monitoring companies. And each successive tragedy brings more customers.
NEW YORK TIMES

 
Global

Jail Fear Prevents Women in Mauritania from Filing Rape Complaints, Study Finds
Human rights activists are calling for a change to Mauritanian law so that women and girls who have been raped will not be prosecuted for adultery. “Mauritania should… stop treating victims as suspects, support them in seeking justice and recovery.”
GUARDIAN

Homosexuality is No Longer a Crime, India Supreme Court Rules
India’s top court struck down a colonial-era law that made homosexual acts punishable by up to 10 years in prison, a landmark victory for gay rights in the world’s largest democracy. “We feel as equal citizens now.”
HUFFPOST

Brazil’s Largest Queer Art Exhibition Reopens After Being Censored Last Year
Nearly one year after far-right groups caused Brazil’s largest queer art exhibition, Queermuseu (Queermuseum), which presents “issues related to the expression and identity of gender and differences in Brazilian works of art”, to close, it has reopened.
HYPERALLERGIC

Young People in China Don’t Know the Internet We Do—and They Like it That Way
Accustomed to the homegrown apps and services, many appear uninterested in knowing what lies behind censorship, allowing Beijing to build an alternative value system that competes with western liberal democracy. These trends are to spread.
INDEPENDENT

‘Israel is a Racist Endeavor’: London Bus Stops Plastered with Posters Amid Anti-Semitism Row
A number of London bus stops have been plastered with posters declaring the state of Israel a racist endeavor. It is not clear who was behind the stunt, but pro-Palestinian activist groups have praised the message.
NEWSWEEK

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