This is one of the better free speech developments we've seen in a while.

The Home Office says non-crime hate incidents are being scrapped, lawful free speech should not be recorded, and police should stop being dragged into everyday online rows and focus on actual crime instead.

That does not mean every harmful Act is suddenly protected. The stated aim is to stop policing lawful speech while still responding where there is genuine harm, safeguarding risk, or serious community tension.

That is a meaningful shift, at least on paper. Now we need to see whether police forces actually apply it consistently in the real world.

Gov source:
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-response-to-non-crime-hate-incidents-final-report

Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-ybrpy-DGo

Do you think this will meaningfully protect lawful speech, or will the culture stay the same?

#FreeSpeech #DigitalRights #CivilLiberties #UKPolitics #FreedomOfExpression

Nasrin Sotoudeh Arrested by Security Agents

https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://www.en-hrana.org/nasrin-sotoudeh-arrested-by-security-agents/

At least 37 Citizens Arrested Across Multiple Provinces

https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://www.en-hrana.org/at-least-37-citizens-arrested-across-multiple-provinces/

Turkey to Require Social Media Users to Verify Their Identities

https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://balkaninsight.com/2026/04/03/turkey-to-require-social-media-users-to-verify-their-identities/bi/

The fight for digital rights has never been more vital.

So subscribe to ORG's newsletter today.

We'll keep you updated on everything that's going on in the UK. From campaign updates to events and how to get involved, we've got you covered.

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https://action.openrightsgroup.org/sign-up-for-org-email-updates

#DigitalRights #privacy #freedomofexpression #uk #dataprotection

Wartime internet shutdowns are not just about blocking websites. In Iran, they can mean digital isolation, surveillance, failing VPNs, and serious danger for people simply trying to contact family or access vital information.

This piece is worth your time:
https://www.techpolicy.press/what-digital-isolation-and-censorship-evasion-look-like-in-wartime-iran/

When a state can squeeze the internet down to a trickle, control communication, and punish attempts to evade censorship, the web stops being a public space and becomes a weapon.

#Iran #InternetShutdown #Censorship #Privacy #DigitalRights #FreedomOfExpression

#iran #palestine #jordan #kuwait #qatar #bahrain #uae : #humanrights / #uno / #ohchr / #freedomofexpression / #detention / #gaza / #westbank / #opt / #middleeast /

„From Iran to multiple nations in the Gulf and the wider Middle East, around 3,000 people have reportedly been arrested in the first month of the ongoing war across the region, sparking alarm over #freespeech restrictions and state #repression.“

https://news.un.org/en/story/2026/04/1167234

Age gates keep getting sold as online safety, but EFF's latest piece on California's A.B. 1043 is a sharp reminder that they can become censorship infrastructure instead.

EFF argues that these systems push more people to hand over age data, increase breach risks, harm small and open-source developers, and chill lawful speech.

Read the link below.
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/03/ab-1043s-internet-age-gates-hurt-everyone

Privacy, free expression, and open platforms rise or fall together. Which part of the web do you think is most at risk when age-gating becomes normal?

#Privacy #DigitalRights #FreeSpeech #FreedomOfExpression #OpenSource #Decentralisation