Category : Digital Freedom Statements

Index calls on governments to ensure encrypted tools are available to public

alt informationIndex joined 52 other civil society organisations as well as private companies and security researchers in calling on governments to allow technology companies to offer strong encryption tools such as Signal or WhatsApp to the public.

Government’s online harms white paper risk damaging freedom of expression in the UK

alt informationThe proposals in the online harms white paper risk damaging freedom of expression in the UK, and abroad if other countries follow the UK’s example, Index on Censorship said in its response to the government's consultation.

Duty of care does not translate well from the offline to online context

alt informationUK government must engage all stakeholders to map the way forward on online content regulations

Joy Hyvarinen: The internet shouldn’t become a place just for pre-approved opinions

alt informationUnder pressure to be seen to be doing something, the UK government has rushed out the proposals in the online harms white paper without thinking through the consequences.

Joint letter to Information Commissioner on “age appropriate” websites plan

alt informationWe write to you as civil society organisations who work to promote human rights, both offline and online. As such, we are taking a keen interest in the ICO’s Age Appropriate Design Code.

European Commission must mitigate concerns on automated upload filters

alt informationWe consider that, in order to mitigate these concerns, it is of utmost importance that the European Commission and Member States engage in a constructive transposition and implementation to ensure that the fears around automated upload filters are not realized.

Online harms and media freedom: UK response to Council of Europe lacks concrete details

alt information"The UK's response to our Council of Europe alert lacks concrete details about how government proposals dealing with online harms will not damage media freedom and the public's right to information," said Joy Hyvarinen, head of advocacy, Index on Censorship.

Online harms proposals pose serious risks to freedom of expression

alt informationWhile we recognise the government’s desire to tackle unlawful content online, the proposals mooted in the white paper – including a new duty of care on social media platforms, a regulatory body, and even the fining and banning of social media platforms as a sanction – pose serious risks to freedom of expression online.

The UK government’s online harms white paper shows disregard for freedom of expression

alt informationAccording to leaked details, it will include a statutory duty of care, which will be enforced by a regulator. Ofcom is expected to take on the role of regulator to begin, with a new regulator established later.

UK government proposals to tackle online harms pose real risk to online freedom of expression

alt informationIndex on Censorship has joined with Open Rights Group and Digital Rights Partners to warn the UK government that its proposals for tackling online content pose a real risk to freedom of expression.