Author: michaelcaster

Michael Caster is a human rights advocate, researcher, and consultant. He holds an MA in Law and Diplomacy from the Fletcher School at Tufts University and an MA in Conflict Studies and Human Rights from Utrecht University. He has worked in China, Cambodia, Myanmar/Burma, Thailand, Myanmar, Turkey, and Tunisia.

Hong Kong: Protecting journalists means safeguarding internet freedom

June 6, 2022

Published 2 November at Thomson Reuters Foundation, here. Every November 2 is the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists, a day to condemn the killing, intimidation, harassment, and arbitrary detention of journalists and media workers around the world. Because these crimes often have a digital component, ending impunity for attacks on journalists … More Hong Kong: Protecting journalists means safeguarding internet freedom

UK Online Safety Bill risks emboldening digital authoritarians around the world

June 6, 2022

Published 16 September at Thomson Reuters Foundation, here. This summer the UK government published a draft Online Safety Bill, which now sits with a Joint Committee that has been given until 10 December to assess the legislation. At the draft’s release, British Digital Secretary Oliver Dowden said that the UK was showing “global leadership with our groundbreaking laws to … More UK Online Safety Bill risks emboldening digital authoritarians around the world

Data protection law will not rein in China’s ‘techno-authoritarianism’

June 6, 2022

Published 24 August 2021 at Thomson Reuters Foundation, here. Last week China’s National People’s Congress passed its long-awaited data protection law, which applies broadly to “all kinds of information, recorded by electronic or other means, related to identified or identifiable natural persons.” The Personal Information Protection Law (henceforth the Law), ostensibly promoting transparency and consent, introduces a number of … More Data protection law will not rein in China’s ‘techno-authoritarianism’

Apple says it cares about digital rights. Unless you’re in China

June 6, 2022

Published 13 July 2021 at ARTICLE 19, here.  Apple says it cares about privacy. The company’s human rights policy professes a ‘deep sense of responsibility to make technology for people that respects their human rights [and] empowers them with useful tools and information.’ At its June 2021 Worldwide Developers Conference, Apple unveiled a tool for Safari that will help users mask their … More Apple says it cares about digital rights. Unless you’re in China

Big tech needs a reset on Chinese censorship

June 6, 2022

Published 7 June 2021 at Thomson Reuters Foundation, here. On Friday, users of Microsoft’s search engine, Bing, reported that results for “tank man,” the iconic image from the June 4th 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre in Beijing, were being blocked. Censorship in China is rampant but this was global censorship, with users in the US, Germany, France, and elsewhere experiencing … More Big tech needs a reset on Chinese censorship

Why Elon Musk Won’t Save Us From Internet Shutdowns

June 6, 2022

Published 10 May 2021 at Vice, here. Since it first shut down the internet when it seized power in a Feb. 1 coup, the Myanmar military has sought totalitarian control online. From mid-February onward, near-total nightly shutdowns and restricted mobile data have plunged the country into terrorizing digital darkness. In desperation, pleas for Elon Musk to save Myanmar with satellite internet, … More Why Elon Musk Won’t Save Us From Internet Shutdowns

Signal down in China: Why we should protect encryption everywhere

June 6, 2022

Published 26 March 2021 at Thomson Reuters Foundation, here. Recently, Signal joined the ranks of foreign technologies blocked in China. The end-to-end encrypted messaging application is now only accessible through a virtual private network (VPN), which allows users to circumvent the Great Firewall and surf the web through encrypted tunnels. VPN use in China is itself … More Signal down in China: Why we should protect encryption everywhere

Why Cambodia’s China-style internet gateway is problematic

March 1, 2021

Published 18 February 2021 at Thomson Reuters Foundation, here. On Wednesday, the Cambodian government enacted a decree establishing a national internet gateway, paving the way for the creation of a China-style Great Firewall. Implementing a centralized censorship and surveillance infrastructure of this scale allows Prime Minister Hun Sen to tighten the noose on what remains of internet … More Why Cambodia’s China-style internet gateway is problematic

Myanmar’s internet shutdown: A global problem which needs global solutions

March 1, 2021

Published 1 February 2021 at Thomson Reuters Foundation, here. Within a week of seizing power in a 1 February coup, the Myanmar military has already orchestrated two nation-wide internet shutdowns. Amid the rolling internet shutdowns, the Myanmar Ministry of Transport and Communications (MOTC) issued orders on 3 February forcing telecommunication operators to block access to Facebook. This order … More Myanmar’s internet shutdown: A global problem which needs global solutions

How to Bypass ‘Digital Dictatorship’ During the Myanmar Coup

March 1, 2021

Published 8 February 2021 at Vice, here. Within the first week of the military seizing power in a coup on Feb. 1, Myanmar has already been plunged into two internet shutdowns: first, as soldiers arrested Aung San Suu Kyi and top leaders, and then several days later, as protests against the junta spread around the country. Between shutdowns, telecommunications … More How to Bypass ‘Digital Dictatorship’ During the Myanmar Coup