Reuters recently reported that US diplomats worldwide have been ordered to track and counter data localization efforts, naming the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) as an example of “unnecessarily burdensome” regulation. According to Reuters, “Experts say the move signals the Trump administration is reverting...
The plot could easily have been from a Netflix dystopian thriller. “The Russian Guy” approaches ordinary women and girls leading ordinary lives, one walking her child to school, another stocking supermarket shelves, and a young girl walking by. “Hello. What’s your name? You look beautiful. Come with...
According to Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, social media platforms have become a “toxic, unpunished world” that “children were never meant to navigate alone.” This sharp critique, delivered at the World Governments Summit in Dubai on 4 February, reflects growing global concern about the unchecked power...
Germany’s far-right political party Alternative für Deutschland recently relaunched a youth wing called Generation Deutschland. One of its posters portrays a young blond Aryan woman instantly recalling – for those who have not forgotten 20th century European history – Hitler’s League of German Girls and...
The US government just announced it will withdraw from UNESCO (again) effective December 31, 2026, stating that “[c]ontinued involvement in UNESCO is not in the national interest of the United States.” UNESCO'S statement in response was a diplomatic shrug, underlining that they were prepared anyway for...
In times of crisis, communication must be recognized as a fundamental right and integrated as an essential service, with priority given to local, community-led approaches, panelists agreed at a WSIS+20 session co-organized by WACC and the CDAC Network last week.Under the theme “Communication is humanitarian...
Communication must be recognized not merely as a tool for development, but as a human right that is central to human dignity, agency, and justice, WACC General Secretary Philip Lee told participants at the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS)+20 High-Level Event on Wednesday. Despite...
The U.S. House of Representatives just passed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act intended to deliver the President’s domestic agenda. Among the provisions is a 10-year moratorium on states from regulating artificial intelligence. It reads: “…no State or political subdivision thereof may enforce, during the...
How to regulate social media platforms effectively has become the quest of liberal and illiberal governments alike. The one to eradicate hate speech, and the other to control rebellious populations. The UN defines hate speech as “any kind of communication in speech, writing or behaviour, that...
Civil society is a vital catalyst for change when it comes to addressing gender-based prejudices in the news, WACC gender and media expert Sarah Macharia reported at a side event to the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68) on Monday...