Speech
Macron, Merz, and von der Leyen Defend Expanded Speech Controls
The Munich Security Conference just became a defense session for Europe’s most ambitious censorship regime.
Arizona Bill Would Require ID Checks to Use a Weather App
The bill would require parental permission or ID checks to open the calculator app that came with your phone.
Pam Bondi and Kristi Noem Are Sued Over Pressure on Apple and Facebook to Remove ICE-Tracking Platforms
The legal question is centered around how the idea of safety is used to let the government delete speech that breaks no laws.
Keir Starmer Considers VPN ID Checks as UK Expands Online Safety Act Powers
Britain may soon require ID to access the very tool designed to protect you from ID tracking.
Germany’s CDU Pushes Real-Name Social Media Mandate and ID Checks
The party could ask Germans to show their papers before they can post a tweet.
40 State Attorneys General Want To Tie Online Access to ID
The bill’s supporters call it child protection; its architecture looks more like a national ID system for the internet.
UK Regulator Ofcom Proposes Second Fine Against US Platform 4chan
Ofcom is pressing ahead with enforcement against a US platform over speech rules controversial even in Britain, as the platform argues in US federal court that Ofcom has no jurisdiction.
Russia Blocks WhatsApp Nationwide, Pushing 100 Million Users Toward Kremlin-Backed App Max
Russia’s 100 million WhatsApp users are being nudged toward Max, a Kremlin-friendly app that doesn’t offer end-to-end encryption.
UK Fines US Platform Imgur For Lack of Age Verification
Britain is trying to extend its regulatory reach to force digital ID-style age checks onto global platforms.
Brazil Charges Woman for 2020 Social Media Posts Under Court-Defined “Transphobia”
The country’s Supreme Court created the crime she’s accused of without asking Congress, and now a veterinary student faces a decade in prison for arguments she made on Twitter in 2020.
Russia Restricts Telegram Access to Push Citizens Toward State-Controlled Max App, Pavel Durov Says
Durov’s defiance comes as Moscow tries the same playbook that failed in Iran, only this time with a homegrown WeChat waiting in the wings.
“Kids Off Social Media Act” Opens the Door to Digital ID by Default
The bill never says “show your ID,” but it quietly demands systems that make anonymous speech impossible.