Civil Liberties

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The White House lawn on a sunny day with the White House in the background.

The Executive Branch Needs Intelligence Oversight Reform

The PIOB and PCLOB should be combined into a single White House civil liberties and compliance office, with an expanded mission.
A long list blown up in poster size of "public complaints" against Facebook policies, including the social media giant's political stances, data security lapses, politicization, privacy violations and misinformation, is taped to the outside of their office building during a protest led by the organization Public Citizen in Washington, DC, May 25, 2021.

Facebook’s New Dangerous Individuals and Organizations Policy Brings More Questions Than Answers

The company has responded to criticism with clarifications and revisions, but the rules require a fundamental rethink.
US flag in front of Capitol building

America’s Democracy Moment

As Americans prepare to celebrate Independence Day, it is crucial to recognize the gravity of the threats still facing US democracy.
A protestor holds a sign reading, “Digital Right is Human Right” during a demonstration at Ojota in Lagos on June 12, 2021. Other protestors stand in the background.

Nigeria’s Twitter Ban Is a Bellwether Case for Internet Freedom

When Twitter removed his post, President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria banned the site. Other leaders may follow suit.
Handy Kennedy, founder of AgriUnity cooperative, prepares feed for his cows on HK Farms on April 20, 2021 in Cobbtown, Georgia.

Will the American Rescue Plan Finally Bring Meaningful Debt Relief to Farmers of Color?

The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 has the potential to mark the beginning of the end of the decline of Black farmers and the loss of Black-owned farmland in America – but…
The “Police Nationale” sign at the entrance of the police station of Champigny-sur-Marne, outside Paris, on the evening after it was attacked by around 40 people launching fireworks.

The French Global Security Law: Security or Liberties?

When it comes to the Global Security Law Proposal, which is currently being discussed by the French Parliament, it seems that France is choosing security before liberties.
Demonstrators in Washington, DC, on June 4, 2020, raise signs as they gather at The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial to protest the death of George Floyd, who died in police custody in Minneapolis. One sign reads, “Black Lives Matter,” and another sign reads, “I am no longer accepting the things I can not change. I am changing the things I can not accept.”

MLK Believed “No Justice, No Peace”

Arguments that the protests over the killings of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and countless others betray King’s legacy are not only in bad faith, but plainly wrong.
Istanbul University's students hold posters of Bogazici University rector Mesut Balu and Istanbul University rector Mahmut Ak and placards reading "Istanbul University students in solidarity with Bogazici" during a solidarity protest against the appointment of the new rector to Bogazici University by Turkish President, on January 11, 2021 in Istanbul. The protestors wear face masks in compliance with COVID-19 safety measures.

A New Assault on a Democratic Citadel in Turkey, Too

A week before the Jan. 6 US Capitol attack, Turkey's president waged another kind of assault on one of his country’s last bastions of democratic thought.
Face masks with two most popular candidates for Uganda's Presidential election, incumbent President Yoweri Museveni and Robert Kyagulanyi, aka Bobi Wine, the pop star-turned-opposition leader, printed on them are sold in Kampala, Uganda, on January 4, 2021.

Ugandan Human Rights Lawyer Fights Charges on Eve of Presidential Election

Following a now-predictable pattern in the leadup to the polls, authorities have hastened arrests of political opponents and critics of President Museveni.
U.S. Attorney General William Barr removes his face mask before testifying to the House Judiciary Committee in the Congressional Auditorium at the U.S. Capitol Visitors Center July 28, 2020 in Washington, DC.

Bill Barr’s Misguided View of US History

His grumble that coronavirus-related restrictions constitute the greatest civil liberties violation since slavery ignores a litany of government abuses.
Police and private security personel monitor security cameras at the Lower Manhattan Security Initiative on April 23, 2013 in New York City.

In the Drive to Curb Police Abuses, Rein in Their Tech Too

Local groups in a national movement are pressing for oversight of how and when law enforcement agencies use technology to monitor citizens.
Police stand at a crosswalk in front of a building with a chain link and tarp fence which protesters have written on.

Why the Calls to Deploy Military Force in the US Protests Weren’t Surprising

Trump's and Cotton's rhetoric might be extreme, but the concepts they espouse are simply a culmination of a trend unfolding over at least 50 years.
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