Russia: communications regulator demands censorship on information about Moscow demonstrations

On 11 August, the Russian national communications regulator Roskomnadzor published a statement demanding Google to prevent its video-sharing service Youtube from distributing information on the recent protests in Moscow. The agency said, it wants to prevent “advertising for unauthorized demonstrations”. Otherwise, countermeasures could be taken. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) condemns this attempt of censorship and demands Russian authorities to respect the citizen’s right for information. “According to available information, several entities possessing YouTube channels have bought advertising instruments [such as push notifications] with the aim of distributing information about unsanctioned [illegal] mass events, including those aimed at disrupting…

Google to finance development of Union project in Finland

This news was originally published on heikkijokinen.info. Cooperative Mediakunta received 50,000 euro from the Google fund to develop its business model for the billing work for freelance journalists and media professionals. The Union of Journalists in Finland set up the cooperative Mediakunta in January 2017 to help its members who are working on a gig-basis. The cooperative takes care of billing, pays taxes and other statutory contributions. The idea was to allow Union members to fully focus on what they do best, journalism and media work. So far some 150 Union members have joined the cooperative. Among them are both…

FEPS-Google panel: Access to information on a global, free, and open web

With the GDPR coming into effect in 2018, questions over the applicability of national laws, differences in interpreting digital rights, and enforcement challenges will feature prominently in policy discussions in the future. This requires dialogue between all stakeholders, within and beyond the EU. In that backdrop, FEPS-Europe and Google are co-hosting a panel and Q&A on information access and internet governance. Inter alia, the discussion will focus on the right to be forgotten (RTBF), an archetype of complex internet policy issues. The panel will  be an opportunity to hear the latest research on different legal and societal perspectives on digital…