#digital rights
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glyko.bsky.social
Iran plans permanent break from global internet, say activists:
Report claims unrestricted online access will be a ‘government privilege’, limited to individuals vetted by regime www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j... By @aishadown.bsky.social #Islamism #authoritarianism #internet
Iran is planning to permanently break from the global internet, only allowing individuals vetted by the regime to connect online, according to Iranian digital rights activists. "A confidential plan is under way to turn international internet access into a 'governmental privilege'," according to a report from Filterwatch, an organisation monitoring Iran's internet censorship, citing a number of sources in Iran. "State media and government spokespersons have already signaled that this is a permanent shift, warning that unrestricted access will not return after 2026" Under the plan, Iranians who had security clearance or passed government checks would have access to a filtered version of the global internet, said Amir Rashidi, the leader of Filterwatch. All other Iranians would be allowed to access only the national internet: a domestic, parallel internet cut off from the broader world. This whitelisting was probably enabled by technology exported by China, said researchers focused on Iran's internet at Project Ainita and Outline Foundation, who asked not to be named owing to Iranian reprisals against digital rights researchers. This is made possible by high-capacity middleboxes, devices that attach to network cables to monitor and manipulate internet traffic. Systems commercially available now could be scaled up to allow authorities to inspect the internet traffic of entire countries - spying on individual users, as well as blocking websites, protocols, and certain VPN tools. "Basically, there's this censorship equipment that is sitting on every network, and the government can prevent connections going in both directions," they said. The other side of this is Iran's national internet, which can only be accessed inside the country. It allows all Iranians to use a handful of websites and applications purpose-built by the regime, including Iranian messaging services, search engines, navigation apps and a video streaming service similar to Netflix. It is monitored and has virtually no links to the broader internet. Iran has been working towards national internet since 2009, after authorities briefly shut down the internet during mass protests after the re-election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and realised that a wholesale shutdown had extreme costs. "They literally just pulled the plug without thinking. They had never done it before," said the researchers at Outline Foundation and Project Ainita. "And it basically threw the entire internet, and it really damaged a lot of things on their end as well."
January 18, 2026 at 9:00 AM
techpolicypress.bsky.social
Iran stands as a clear example of how digital sovereignty empowers repression rather than protects rights, says Azadeh Akbari. It should be a warning against abandoning the idea of a free and global internet, she writes.
Iran’s Case Should Put an End to Illusions About Digital Sovereignty
Iran’s case shows why digital sovereignty won’t solve internet shutdowns or unchecked private dominance over digital infrastructure, writes Azadeh Akbari.
buff.ly
January 18, 2026 at 3:30 AM
globalcmd.bsky.social
Text-to-image is compressing creative timelines: higher fidelity, lower latency, easier tools. But rights and provenance are the new moat—ignore them and you’ll pay later.
#TextToImage #AIArt #C2PA
glcnd.io/text-to-image-technology-update-implications-for-digital-creativity/
January 18, 2026 at 12:45 AM
p42k32.bsky.social
Starlink terminals shout freedom; regimes cannot mute connected people. In Iran, digital solidarity is liberation for the unheard, Vox notes at https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/475567/iran-protests-starlink-satellites-space-human-rights.
50,000 clandestine Starlink terminals are keeping Iranians in touch with the rest of the world
Satellites are our only insight into the ongoing conflict — and worth protecting.
www.vox.com
January 17, 2026 at 10:39 PM
alltingsconsidered.bsky.social
Cancel the (terrible) tentative trade agreement we made before since that was designed to reduce tariffs and he's doing those anyway, and unilaterally re-impose all the digital rights and environmental protection we foolishly softened in a vain attempt to appease this dictator.
January 17, 2026 at 10:21 PM
javierpallero.bsky.social
The second expert to be featured in my digital rights micro-podcast is Gbenga Sesan a tech entrepreneur and digital rights activist who is working across Africa. (Links in thread)
January 17, 2026 at 9:18 PM
colehaddon.bsky.social
LIZZIE O'SHEA - digital rights activist - discusses the correlation between the number choirs in a society and the strength of their democracies...and what this might say about democracy in general.

Listen to the rest of 5AM StoryTalk's conversation with her here: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/d...
Are Choirs a Metric of Strong Democracies? - Digital Rights Activist Lizzie O'Shea #culturepodcast
YouTube video by 5AM StoryTalk with Cole Haddon
youtube.com
January 17, 2026 at 8:19 PM
counterhate.com
This Christmas, instead of being with his family, our founder was being forced to defend his constitutional rights - and the future of the important work of CCDH for safer digital spaces.

But how did we get here and why does it matter?

Learn more in our new blog 👇
counterhate.com
January 17, 2026 at 7:16 PM
areaofacceptance.bsky.social
The Attempts to Erode Canada's Digital Rights and Civil Liberties! (Bad News ⚠)

"Urgent warning about Canadian bills threatening digital rights and minority protections; citizens must act now!"
January 17, 2026 at 7:10 PM
multievolution.bsky.social
Would be nice, but I just don’t see it, the way things are now it’s going to get worse before it gets better. Once they realise the novelty doesn’t carry forward to a second set in the same property (with the odd exception) and tradeoffs like digital rights and story etc, I think it will rebalance
January 17, 2026 at 6:20 PM
beelbeebub.bsky.social
Absolutely, but what are your thoughts on retaliation via digital rights law as suggested by Cory Doctorow?

As I understand it these laws, which do favour big tech - overwhelmingly American - were put in place under threat of tariffs.
January 17, 2026 at 5:55 PM
megasoups.bsky.social
Reminding everyone to please contact your MEPs about the digital omnibus too, otherwise the EU's GDPR and other data privacy rights are getting gutted, effectively.

#chatcontrol #stopchatcontrol #savespeech #eu

edri.org/our-work/com...
Digital Omnibus is a major rollback of EU digital protections - European Digital Rights (EDRi)
The European Commission has published two Digital Omnibus proposals, reopening the EU’s core protections against harm in the digital age.
edri.org
January 17, 2026 at 5:33 PM
bluwhalien.bsky.social
From ARMY4Palestine’s Instagram:

#HybeDivestFromZionism
(+cont)
HYBE BOYCOTT GUIDE: ESCALATING THE BOYCOTT As we enter our third year of boycotting HYBE due to their Zionist ties, unethical corporate practices, artwashing of the genocide against the Palestinian people, directly donating to the IOF and having Scooter Braun-a prominent Zionist in the music industry who has been spreading dangerous fascist islamophobic propaganda-in the past as CEO of HYBE America and now as senior advisor and member of the board of directors (remaining a significant and influential shareholder and advisor), we call on all HYBE fandoms to escalate the boycott's baseline in the spirit of the BDS/ PACBI guidelines for consumer boycott and pressure targets. • Total Consumer Boycott: purchase of digital and physical albums & streaming music on official streaming services, all merchandise, and all concert and tour tickets (paid live streams included). This is an elevation that adds merchandise and concert/tour tickets to the "no exceptions" boycott. • Pressure Targets: all other monetary assets associated with HYBE. @ARMY4Palestine 27 84 leti_uchiha and 21 others commented army4palestine NEW HYBE BOYCOTT GUIDE: ESCALATING THE BOYCOTT After two years we are now escalating the boycott by adding two actions to the baseline of "no exceptions" boycott. This guide is constructed in consultation with PACBI|BDS and is intended to increase the pressure on HYBE. This means the popularized boycott priority list is no longer applicable as of now. ESCALATING THE BOYCOTT 2/8 The success of our #NoBTSinApartheid campaign, which led to the last seven BTS film releases not being screened in the settler colony of Israel, has shown that we can achieve great results when we collectively focus on highlighted actions and remain loud and steadfast. "Overseas fandom's political involvement has been intensifying around the Israel issue. The most sensible course for us is to wait for it to pass. [...] After this controversy, Weverse has been placing restrictions on words used in foreign fandom's public posts" - HYBE internal report, November 2024 @ARMY4Palestine 1O • • 27 84 leti_uchiha and 21 others commented army4palestine NEW HYBE BOYCOTT GUIDE: ESCALATING THE BOYCOTT After two years we are now escalating the boycott by adding two actions to the baseline of "no exceptions" boycott. This guide is constructed in consultation with PACBI|BDS and is intended to increase the pressure on HYBE. This means the popularized boycott priority list is no longer applicable as of now. TARGETED AND MONETARY BOYCOTTS Boycotting companies that directly or indirectly support the settler colony of Israel and its apartheid regime, ethnic cleansing, and genocide, or have ties to influential Zionists who help the colony benefit from said company and support the oppression of Palestinians, is a tool that uses economic and cultural pressure against Israel, its human rights violations, and fascist ideology. Cultural and economic boycotts are a powerful weapon in decolonization and denormalization of Zionism in different industries: in this case, the music industry. Monetary boycotts of these companies involve withdrawal of ALL financial support to create economic pressure. Reducing the revenue of these companies, such as HYBE, can influence their policies, practices and affiliations to align more with human rights standards. The goal is divestment from any ties to Israel and to stop contributing to the decades-long oppression of Palestinians. BDS is a Palestinian-led movement that has been organizing these boycotts for 20 years and encourages organizations and individuals to refrain from financing these companies and purchasing their products. @ARMY4Palestine 27 84 leti_uchiha and 21 others commented army4palestine NEW HYBE BOYCOTT GUIDE: ESCALATING THE BOYCOTT After two years we are now escalating the boycott by adding two actions to the baseline of "no exceptions" boycott. This guide is constructed in consultation with PACBI|BDS and is intended to increase the pressure on HYBE. This means the popularized boycott priority list is no longer applicable as of now. WHY WE ARE BOYCOTTING HYBE 4/8 1. HYBE America former CEO and now senior advisor and member of the board of directors, Scooter Braun's support of the genocide: Scooter has been spreading Islamophobic, fascist and racist propaganda against Palestinians. He has been organizing a pro-Israel exhibition in the past two years and is involved in screening a pro-genocide film, which includes debunked propaganda hoaxes and footage of rape-tortured Palestinians from Gaza. He has participated in fundraisers supporting the IOF, traveled to the apartheid state to promote propaganda endorsing the settler colony, and met with Netanyahu during one of these visits, sharing photos of their meeting on social media. Additionally, he holds the title of "honorary member" of the CCFP, an organization that galvanizes support for the apartheid state by spreading propaganda through the entertainment industry. While we're happy about Scooter stepping down as CEO of HYBE America last year and see it as a step in the right direction, we remain resolute in our demand to completely remove Braun from HYBE as executive advisor and director of the board. @ARMY4Palestine 27 84 leti_uchiha and 21 others commented army4palestine NEW HYBE BOYCOTT GUIDE: ESCALATING THE BOYCOTT After two years we are now escalating the boycott by adding two actions to the baseline of "no exceptions" boycott. This guide is constructed in consultation with PACBI|BDS and is intended to increase the pressure on HYBE. This means the popularized boycott priority list is no longer applicable as of now.
January 17, 2026 at 4:49 PM
milacatbat.bsky.social
??? Like... can we fight the Age Verification / digital ID stuff through consumer rights or accessibility to products you have bought? Somehow?

Idk I am not a lawyer

They got Al Capone through taxes, maybe we can fight the surveillance laws through something else, completely? Civil law issue?
January 17, 2026 at 3:44 PM
kai3690.bsky.social
## Automated Ontology Mapping for Intellectual Property Rights Management of Digital Avatars within Metaverse Environments

**Abstract:** This research proposes a novel framework, Automated Ontology Mapping (AOM), for streamlining the intellectual property (IP) rights management of digital avatars…
## Automated Ontology Mapping for Intellectual Property Rights Management of Digital Avatars within Metaverse Environments
**Abstract:** This research proposes a novel framework, Automated Ontology Mapping (AOM), for streamlining the intellectual property (IP) rights management of digital avatars within Metaverse environments. The framework leverages semantic web technologies and graph databases to create dynamic, layered ontologies that represent avatar properties, related creative works, and respective IP ownership claims. By automatically mapping these ontological representations, AOM enables efficient validation of rights, automated licensing agreements, and readily scalable enforcement mechanisms, addressing critical barriers to widespread adoption and commercialization within the Metaverse.
freederia.com
January 17, 2026 at 2:53 PM
oldsquida.bsky.social
“Iran is planning to permanently break from the global internet, only allowing individuals vetted by the regime to connect online, according to Iranian digital rights activists"

a further authoritarian method of human harm
Iran plans permanent break from global internet, say activists
Report claims unrestricted online access will be a ‘government privilege’, limited to individuals vetted by regime
www.theguardian.com
January 17, 2026 at 2:30 PM
tomski.com
On top of this, government can then design a set of digital credentials (preferably optional) so people can assert and prove their rights (to drive, to drink, to claim support etc).
January 17, 2026 at 2:13 PM
tomski.com
We need a properly designed and governed national identifier, as foundational, universal, publicly owned digital infrastructure for the UK. Not a 'card' or 'ID' but public infrastructure with associated rights of citizen access and quality.
January 17, 2026 at 2:09 PM
tomrank.bsky.social
"Iran is planning to permanently break from the global internet, only allowing individuals vetted by the regime to connect online, according to Iranian digital rights activists"
www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j...
Iran plans permanent break from global internet, say activists
Report claims unrestricted online access will be a ‘government privilege’, limited to individuals vetted by regime
www.theguardian.com
January 17, 2026 at 1:35 PM
lauraphillips.bsky.social
‘ #Iran is planning to permanently #break from the global #internet, only allowing individuals vetted by the regime to connect online, according to Iranian digital rights activists.’
Iran plans permanent break from global internet, say activists
Report claims unrestricted online access will be a ‘government privilege’, limited to individuals vetted by regime
www.theguardian.com
January 17, 2026 at 12:35 PM
rankednews.bsky.social
Iran plans permanent break from global internet, say activists: Iranian digital rights activists report that Iran is planning a permanent disconnection from the global internet, restricting access to only individuals vetted by the regime. This confidential plan, descr… https://ranked.news/137234?u=b
Article image
January 17, 2026 at 12:03 PM
antisignal.bsky.social
"DENSITY OF TIME". Abstract digital painting by A.G. (c) 2026. All Rights Reserved. #historiotheque #historiophany #artoperations #seasonsoftheheart #winterofthesoul
January 17, 2026 at 11:14 AM
kai3690.bsky.social
## Algorithmic Attribution & Derivative Rights Management in Metaverse Avatars: A Blockchain-Augmented Semantic Network Approach

**Abstract:** The rapidly evolving metaverse presents unprecedented challenges in defining and enforcing ownership rights, particularly concerning digital avatars and…
## Algorithmic Attribution & Derivative Rights Management in Metaverse Avatars: A Blockchain-Augmented Semantic Network Approach
**Abstract:** The rapidly evolving metaverse presents unprecedented challenges in defining and enforcing ownership rights, particularly concerning digital avatars and their derivative works. Current legal frameworks struggle to adequately address the complex interplay of copyright, intellectual property, and user-generated content within these immersive environments. This paper proposes a novel, algorithmically-driven solution leveraging blockchain technology and semantic network analysis to establish a transparent and verifiable attribution system for metaverse avatars and their modifications.
freederia.com
January 17, 2026 at 10:01 AM