As China’s middle class grows, so too does its consumption of processed food. As a result, food safety issues have become increasingly - worryingly - common. According to a 2015 Global Attitudes Survey by the Pew Centre, 40% of Chinese citizens had strong concerns about the safety of...

Rapid technological increases in digital communications have allowed individual citizens to mobilize, engage and influence in new and powerful ways, most markedly in the beginning stages of the Arab Spring or in global digital response to the 2010 earthquake in Haiti. However, as activists, journalists, humanitarians and international observers soon discovered, this form of...

We will be hosting a debate panel at Rightscon in Silicon Valley with the goal of creating a discussion around the politics of liberation technology. Location Thursday, March 31, 2016 The Bridge Room 10:30 AM Debate Statement We, the creators, bear no responsibility for the effects of liberation technology on the people we...

Voices from Syria shares untold stories from women who have escaped conflict. Women affected by violent extremism face victimization, but they are also survivors, leaders and activists with the ability to speak directly about their experiences. In 2016, an all-female film crew set out to connect with them and help...

The makers of the eponymous anonymous Tor Browser (see what we did there), have released an early version of their new chat program – Tor Messenger – for those of us looking for a more private communications experience online. It’s not ready for official release, but for the adventurous interested...

When it comes to digital security, that's what we hear from users. Digital hygiene - personal habits that make for better online safety - are not intuitive. Technical experts think they should be. You probably know a few of these specialists, and when you ask about it, they seem genuinely confused that...

Digital diplomacy is conventionally understood as diplomats engaging in international diplomacy through social media. In 2013, the Munk School set out to break that traditional approach. We aimed to create a new online space to facilitate dialogue for people facing extreme censorship and internet access restrictions. This school had...

ASL19 and the Munk School have developed a platform that automatically highlights the top content shared by Iranians across blocked social media channels - Meidoon. The project is all about connecting Iran's digital citizens with their own trending conversations in an uncensored environment. For English language readers there is a portal where...

Hello World? With every new site comes a traditional preamble that reads, "Welcome to our new website!" Welcome. We're pleased to be online with a new public portal. Here you'll find the latest information about the Digital Public Square.

Michael Karanicolas is the Senior Legal Officer for the Centre for Law and Democracy (CLD), where he has worked since 2010 as an advocate for human rights issues, with a particular emphasis on digital rights and freedom of expression online. He has authored over a dozen major publications on freedom...