Sarah McLaughlin

Senior Scholar, Global Expression at FIRE. Interested in international censorship, higher ed, and the relationship between the two. Currently working on a book about it.

Opinions mine. Posts about free expression, authoritarianism, and Philly sports. Go birds.

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sarahemclaugh_at_mastodon.ngo@mostr.pub

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Last Notes

2023-10-23 14:47:51

Two weeks ago I wrote about the speech restrictions blooming in response to the events in Israel and Gaza. Since then, more and more censorship has emerged globally. https://www.thedailybeast.com/dont-let-free-expression-become-a-casualty-of-israel-hamas-war

2023-07-25 17:20:23

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For anyone unfamiliar with what happened a few weeks ago, here's what I wrote about UN Human Rights Council's resolution about prosecuting "religious hatred" in response to Quran desecration in Sweden: https://www.thefire.org/news/un-human-rights-council-gets-it-wrong-prosecuting-blasphemy-wont-stop-religious-discord-it

2023-06-19 16:38:58

"Meta has adopted an internal list of Vietnamese Communist Party officials who should not be criticized on Facebook, said two former employees in Asia, who, like the others, spoke on the condition of anonymity to avoid retribution. This list, which is kept private even within the company and has not been publicly reported on before, is included in guidelines used in controlling online content and was shaped in large part by Vietnamese authorities" https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/06/19/facebook-meta-vietnam-government-censorship/

2023-06-05 13:50:37

What gets you detained on the Tiananmen anniversary in Hong Kong for seditious intent and "breaching public peace":
- carrying a bouquet of flowers
- holding a copy of a play about the Tiananmen crackdown
- standing alone on a street corner with a candle
https://www.reuters.com/world/china/arrests-tight-security-hong-kong-tiananmen-anniversary-2023-06-04/

2023-05-30 14:54:24

“You won’t hear much from Turkish universities in the next five years." Turkey's academics fear a continued decline for academic freedom and free expression after Erdoğan's re-election: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-01775-7

2023-05-18 18:14:41

Thai authorities have charged a teenager with violating the lese majeste law for two Facebook posts she wrote about the monarchy when she was only 14 years old. https://apnews.com/article/thailand-monarchy-defamation-protesters-973ffe721c34335e1d30eb9273cb5ed9

2023-05-08 16:52:38

Extremely rich to see the Chinese government complaining about the "politicization" of sport. I recall quite well that, ahead of the Beijing 2022 Olympics, the organizing committee explicitly threatened to investigate athletes' speech and also hid comments discussing human rights in its replies on Twitter. Hiding and censoring speech is explicitly political, not apolitical as they'd like to claim. https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3219705/china-tells-international-olympic-committee-concerns-about-politicising-sport
https://mastodon.ngo/system/media_attachments/files/110/334/096/053/416/677/original/e51cac00af99f014.png

2023-05-08 14:13:54

Blasphemy news this week:
Iran executed two men for blasphemy. They were reportedly involved in a Telegram channel, “Critique of Superstition and Religion.” https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/may/08/iran-hangs-two-men-for-blasphemy-as-executions-rise-amid-unrest
A mob in Pakistan murdered a man they claimed made a "blasphemous" prayer: https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/rallygoers-pakistan-kill-man-accused-blasphemy-99148327

2023-04-28 17:51:36

me: time to do some relaxing yoga
the cats:
https://mastodon.ngo/system/media_attachments/files/110/277/701/879/957/624/original/27e46b0bb5774832.mp4

2023-04-28 01:46:29

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#[0] the property has had an open violation since November and hasn’t stopped construction and I was told there would be an inspection but I’m trying to figure out how long it would take and what happens if the owner just continues to ignore the violation

2023-04-28 01:34:42

Hey #philly people: I could use some advice. Does anyone know how licenses and inspections investigations work? Having an issue with a neighboring construction site with violations.

2023-04-28 01:34:42

Hey #philly people: I could use some advice. Does anyone know how licenses and inspections investigations work? Having an issue with a neighboring construction site with violations.

2023-04-27 14:50:19

On Twitter's compliance with government demands under Musk: "Twitter's self-reports do not show a single request in which the company refused to comply, as it had done several times before the Musk takeover." https://restofworld.org/2023/elon-musk-twitter-government-orders/

2023-04-25 14:53:22

More bad news on the blasphemy front. A Polish court found two women guilty of offending religious feelings for showing an image of Mary and Jesus with rainbow haloes during an LGBT march. Blasphemy should not be a crime. https://reason.com/volokh/2023/04/24/blasphemy-conviction-for-displaying-rainbow-virgin-mary-at-equality-march-in-poland/

2023-04-25 03:59:44

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#[0] I’ve been going a lot more over the past year or so. It’s one of those things I didn’t realize I loved so much until covid hit and I couldn’t go to a show for a long time

2023-04-25 03:03:28

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#[0] also a very wet $10 bill in a washing machine

2023-04-25 03:00:21

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#[0] It's true. On two occasions I've found a random $20 bill on the sidewalk. I have been blessed by the city

2023-04-25 02:54:30

i just randomly checked a philly comedy club's schedule for the next couple of months and saw a couple of weeknight mike birbiglia shows that were not sold out. feeling good

2023-04-24 14:29:23

Three French protesters will face trial after they "shouted insults" and "made obscene gestures using the middle finger" during a visit from Macron. Just weeks ago, a woman was arrested for calling Macron "filth" in a Facebook post. https://www.rfi.fr/en/france/20230423-french-protesters-to-face-court-for-insulting-macron-over-pensions-policy

2023-04-24 00:58:37

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#[0] I'm cool with the ghosts at least

2023-04-23 22:01:38

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#[0] anything to protect The Package

2023-04-23 22:01:00

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#[0] that does seem the only way to make them palatable though

2023-04-23 19:38:26

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you all won't be laughing when i'm the only one that survives that ghost/weed apocalypse!!!!

2023-04-23 19:34:29

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#[0] You live forever

2023-04-23 19:34:19

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#[0] I wasn’t but now I’m wondering if I should….

2023-04-23 19:32:43

getting a bit concerned about what the Amazon algorithm thinks of me
https://mastodon.ngo/system/media_attachments/files/110/249/790/937/582/878/original/a7606f8cade6f5c4.jpeg
https://mastodon.ngo/system/media_attachments/files/110/249/791/006/121/140/original/befc30269f5965a8.jpeg
https://mastodon.ngo/system/media_attachments/files/110/249/791/072/748/182/original/0f15b761a1ea3bda.jpeg

2023-04-21 02:35:31

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#[0] My best guess is that it was a make up call from the embiid foul in the first half….but absurd either way

2023-04-21 01:35:33

pure Calvinball officiating in this sixers game. I’m getting mad online

2023-04-20 13:30:04

I wrote a piece at The Daily Beast on something that worries me: More and more, it's looking like authoritarian countries are starting to set the global speech rules on the internet. If that trend takes hold in tech, the future for free expression online is grim. https://www.thedailybeast.com/elon-musk-tech-bosses-are-letting-dictators-censor-what-americans-see

2023-04-17 17:58:27

Transnational repression is a real threat to dissent in free countries, including the United States. https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/40-officers-china-s-national-police-charged-transnational-repression-schemes-targeting-us

2023-04-17 13:55:47

Twitter has apparently not yet responded to any questions, including from the journalist whose tweets were affected, about why it globally withheld two tweets about India’s Home Minister. https://www.boomlive.in/decode/voices/my-tweets-were-banned-globally-and-i-dont-know-why-21658

2023-04-17 03:16:58

they are absolutely enthralled by windows
https://mastodon.ngo/system/media_attachments/files/110/211/982/298/648/837/original/998af59ae449ce41.jpeg

2023-04-16 20:56:44

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#[0] he is very frustrating to watch. Bryson Stott has been a lot of fun though

2023-04-16 20:36:26

So far the 2023 Phillies will either lose, or win by 10. There is no in between.

2023-04-14 01:27:16

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best case scenario: you enjoy a mildly pleasant candy
worst case scenario: you break three teeth
I don’t get it!

2023-04-14 01:24:47

why did everyone agree that a candy named “jawbreakers” would be a good idea

2023-04-13 19:28:58

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#[0] because i fear the online personality i have cultivated would indeed suggest i was throwing hot dogs at people at a phillies game. that's on me

2023-04-12 02:49:27

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#[0] I would like to say no. But that would be a lie.

2023-04-12 02:49:07

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I would like to make clear that I was not one of the people throwing hot dogs in the stands lol

2023-04-12 02:42:32

the Phillies did not win but it sure felt good to be back at the ballpark. I got ice cream in a tiny baseball cap, of course
https://mastodon.ngo/system/media_attachments/files/110/183/534/535/458/893/original/b1ba6d82774fd1b4.jpeg

2023-04-10 20:25:25

It looks like Twitter is *globally* withholding a tweet in response to a legal demand in India. This is a disaster for free speech online. Indian law dictating social media speech rules globally—a worst case scenario for free speech and content moderation. https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/twitter-takes-down-post-on-home-minister-globally/article66711854.ece
https://mastodon.ngo/system/media_attachments/files/110/176/390/036/311/892/original/f9cde7ddb6577cfa.png

2023-04-07 21:26:47

posted hours before twitter stopped users from retweeting substack links. amazing.
https://mastodon.ngo/system/media_attachments/files/110/159/644/557/041/394/original/e540098c57bf037f.png

2023-04-03 18:42:54

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something interesting i've noticed since having a tweet go sort of viral on twitter about China and free expression issues over the past 24 hours: the comments have been more dismissive and uglier than I'd usually get, including replies calling me "girl," "bitch," and "whore"

2023-04-03 04:17:13

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#[0] ah, I will say no more for now. I will not be one of the people who badgers someone into watching it because it’s good, though it is. I will just badger you into watching it because of the bagel

2023-04-03 04:14:09

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#[0] speaking of, I was rewatching EEAAO earlier and it occurred to me: how have we never discussed the central bagel plot point?

2023-04-03 04:08:49

checked twitter, currently getting yelled at by people with ccp state media links in their bios idontknowwhatiexpected.gif

2023-04-01 21:29:19

https://mastodon.ngo/system/media_attachments/files/110/125/680/420/327/253/original/f005c557afa713b3.jpeg

2023-04-01 21:29:19

https://mastodon.ngo/system/media_attachments/files/110/125/680/420/327/253/original/f005c557afa713b3.jpeg

2023-03-31 18:42:50

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"Midjourney CEO Says ‘Political Satire In China Is Pretty Not Okay,’ But Apparently Silencing Satire About Xi Jinping Is Pretty Okay"
Thanks to #[0] for letting me write at Techdirt about why we should worry that Midjourney is applying China's speech restrictions to all users, even those outside China. https://www.techdirt.com/2023/03/31/midjourney-ceo-says-political-satire-in-china-is-pretty-not-okay-but-apparently-silencing-satire-about-xi-jinping-is-pretty-okay/

2023-03-30 15:28:01

Boy do I have some thoughts about this CEO's quote in #[0]'s great reporting on Midjourney.
1) THIS IS HOW YOU END UP WITH TOOLS THAT APPLY ONE COUNTRY'S AUTHORITARIAN RULES TO A GLOBAL AUDIENCE
2) He doesn't at all consider that Chinese people might also want to satirize Xi Jinping. Do they not matter?
3) "Minimize drama" is condescending nonsense. Being able to criticize one of the most authoritarian leaders in emerging tech is not a question of "drama."
https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/03/30/midjourney-ai-image-generation-rules/
https://mastodon.ngo/system/media_attachments/files/110/112/931/619/867/371/original/2bc2118c71c9d1d8.png

2023-03-29 18:38:15

A woman in northern France will face trial and potential fines for insulting President Macron by calling him "filth" in a Facebook post. https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20230329-french-woman-faces-trial-for-insulting-macron-on-facebook

2023-03-22 14:38:18

Saudi Arabia has released American citizen Saad Ibrahim Almadi, who was previously sentenced to 19 years for tweets he posted while in the U.S., from prison but he remains stuck in the country under a travel ban. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-65022370