Free Expression Daily Digest: Thurs., Feb 25

PEN’s Free Expression Digest brings you a daily curated round-up of the most important free expression-related stories from around the web. Subscribe here. *This mailing list is currently in BETA as we work out the kinks. Please send your feedback and suggestions to [email protected]

Crackdowns on free speech rise across a Europe wary of terror
The arrests of Spanish puppeteers earlier in the month are part of a lengthening string of prosecutions, including two against a rap musician and a poet, that have fueled a debate over whether freedom of protest and speech are under threat in Spain. THE NEW YORK TIMES

Journalist ‘metadata’ scheme may be incompatible with human rights law
Attorney-General George Brandis has not managed to assuage the concerns of a parliamentary committee that a system of warrants for police seeking journalists’ ‘metadata’ are incompatible with Australia’s human rights obligations. COMPUTERWORLD

India’s literary festivals multiply amid anxiety over free expression
The final session at this year’s literary festival in Jaipur was a debate on freedom of expression, a subject of anxiety among many Indian liberals. THE NEW YORK TIMES

Apple is said to be trying to make it harder to hack iPhones
Apple engineers have begun developing new security measures that would make it impossible for the government to break into a locked iPhone using methods similar to those now at the center of a court fight in California, according to people close to the company and security experts. THE NEW YORK TIMES

Indian political party plans protest for attacked activist
The Aam Aadmi Party is planning a one-day protest march in Bastar on Friday, demanding suspension of the Inspector General and conducting special investigation of the attack on Soni Sori. TIMES OF INDIA

Russian journalist banned from entering Ukraine for five years
Russian journalist Maria Stoliarova has been banned from entering Ukraine for a five-year term due to “her deeds that harm interests of Ukraine.” INTERFACE UKRAINE