Brazil: Arrest of Facebook Executive a Drastic and Unnecessary Measure
The arrest of a Facebook executive by Brazilian authorities over the inability of Whatsapp, a Facebook subsidiary, to hand over data it does not have is an egregious judicial… More
Joint Statement: PEN Joins Call Asking World Leaders to Support Strong Encryption
Today PEN American Center joined 195 experts, companies, and organizations in more than 35 countries in asking world leaders to support strong encryption and to reject any law, policy,… More
Vietnamese Journalist and Blogger Dieu Cay Released from Prison into Exile
PEN hails the release of Dieu Cay by the world's most notorious jailer of bloggers, but protests his forced exile. More
Larger Questions as Twitter Enters the Fray in Battle Against Surveillance
Twitter filed suit today against government surveillance on free speech grounds. But Twitter has some questions to answer of its own in Iran and beyond. More
Rights Advocates in Iran Imprisoned in Clampdown on Social Media
Journalist and blogger Marzieh Rasouli has been imprisoned for two years for collaborating with the BBC. Meanwhile, Ghoncheh Ghavami has been detained without a lawyer for pressing for the… More
Hairy Bacon and Digital Censorship in China: an Interview with Jason Q. Ng
Why is the term hairy bacon banned online in China? We spoke with the author and tech activist to learn more about microblogging, censorship, and what issues to watch… More
Leading Authors Agree: Mass Surveillance is Censorship
Edward Albee, Don DeLillo, John Green, Rachel Kushner, and twenty-five other leading American writers joined PEN American Center today in an open letter to the Senate leadership demanding National… More
In Ethiopia, Protecting Yourself Online is a Crime
The seven members of the Zone 9 blogger collective, who sprung to international attention upon their arrest last April, stand accused of associating with outlawed political groups and of… More
N’existe Pas
The paparazzo placed his denim elbows squarely on the café table’s darkly polished depths. “The truth is, there is no further distinction to be made between ‘surveillance’ and ‘media’.… More
The Future of Writing in English
In 2013, a Canadian company released the program ToneCheck that screens emails for potentially conflict causing language. Post-meeting anger: alert. Late night reach/bite toward a lost lover: don’t. More