Michael Caster

Very excited to drop our long awaited report on #China's Digital Silk Road! We show how Beijing is seeking to create a China-centric global authoritarian alternative to digital governance norms, through examples in the Indo-Pacific article19.org/resources/chin…

China is the only country providing AI surveillance technology to all 11 major African nations currently investing in smart city monitoring systems restofworld.org/2026/africa-ch…

On World Press Freedom Day: Free speech and free press issues are usually framed around the rights of the speaker or newsroom. David Kaye explains it's also about your right to know — and who is reshaping those rights (hint: Big Tech). 🔗 Full video: bit.ly/dw-pressfreedom

RightsCon 2026 in Zambia Cancelled Under Pressure from China "'At a time when this sector is already under immense financial and political strain, what we and our community forcefully experienced is unprecedented and existential.'" chinadigitaltimes.net/2026/05/rights…

Journalism is not a crime. Governments should take note. From warring parties targeting journalists in Yemen to a Hong Kong Court’s conviction of former publisher Jimmy Lai, there are steep efforts to curtail free speech worldwide. This is precisely why we must speak out. On World Press Freedom Day, we continue to fight all forms of repression of speech, in all media, around the globe. #WorldPressFreedomDay

China is the reason why @rightscon, one of the world's largest human rights conferences attended by thousands, has been canceled in Zambia — a location specifically chosen to honor the Global South. I've been to the past three (Taipei, Costa Rica, online). Some thoughts... 1/5

今天是 #世界新闻自由日 据无国界记者（RSF）发布的2026年世界新闻自由指数，中国连续第二年排名倒数第三，仍是全世界最大的记者监狱。 rsf.org/zh-hans/classe… #WorldPressFreedomDay2026

#China's Disruption of RightsCon is a Wake-Up Call To Counter Its Authoritarian Influence, I write at @techpolicypress techpolicy.press/chinas-disrupt…

The Chinese Government Just Got the World’s Largest Digital Rights Conference Canceled wired.com/story/the-chin…

The cancellation of RightsCon just days before kick-off demonstrates the lengths the CCP will go to prevent those on the frontlines of freedom from working in common cause. This not only undermines months of preparations by more than 750 institutions from all around the world—it also sets a dangerous precedent for how the CCP and other authoritarian actors can disrupt spaces they perceive as threats to their repressive models. As authoritarian actors expand their reach, @NEDemocracy partners are helping people communicate safely, overcome censorship, strengthen digital security, and use emerging technologies in defense of freedom. We will continue to support those working to ensure technology remains a force for freedom in the world. More about the cancellation: wired.com/story/the-chin…

❗️Rightscon Zambia summit was cancelled because 🇨🇳 put pressure on the Zambian govt because of Taiwanese *civil society* participants. Not even 🇹🇼 government. Just people. Beijing is trying to shrink the world for Taiwanese people. Simply appalling. Full statement below.

The Zambian government should never have agreed to host RightsCon 2026 if it was then going to effectively cancel the summit on technology and human rights because the Chinese government was unhappy about the presence of people from Taiwan. trib.al/S7aJoeF

Trump has joined with Russia and China to oppose a resolution that called Putin's invasion of Ukraine an act of "aggression." Now why would Trump be worried about condemning aggression? trib.al/THIJtTz

⚠️ There have been at least FIVE serious, international coercion events against 🇹🇼 by 🇨🇳 in a week. This is a very serious escalation, with Beijing seeking to control the skies + policy of other countries + simple travel plans of Taiwanese people. 1️⃣ Mauritius, Seychelles, Madagascar bow to 🇨🇳 pressure to revoke President Lai’s flight permits. 2️⃣ Czech Republic, Germany reportedly refused to permit Lai’s transit. 3️⃣ @rightscon summit in Zambia cancelled reportedly because 🇨🇳 whinged about Taiwanese participation. 4️⃣ @UNESCO (due to be held in Zambia) now having to be subjected to additional screening to ensure certain delegates are excluded (who do you think they might mean?). 5️⃣ Event with Taiwanese ambassador in Argentina summarily cancelled, suspect PRC pressure. Lawmakers pressured not to attend another meeting about authoritarian influence. More on this one later. Beijing is trying to shrink the world for Taiwanese. The free world should respond by sending invitations to 🇹🇼 and offering the kind of welcome visitors always receive when they go to Taipei.

How does China influence Iran’s ‘cyber sovereignty’? ARTICLE 19’s @michaelcaster spoke to German public radio about digital freedom and the rise of ‘national’ internets in China, Iran and Russia. Listen now📣↘️ deutschlandfunkkultur.de/internet-sperr…

RightsCon cancelled by Zambia government, likely pressured by CCP A global digital rights conference just got killed at the eleventh hour—and how it happened tells us a great deal about how power works in 2026. #Zambia was set to host RightsCon from May 5–8 in Lusaka. Thousands of delegates were already boarding flights when the government abruptly cancelled it, citing vague “security concerns” and the need to align with “national values.” Reporting by News Diggers! points to the underlying issue. The venue was a Chinese government–donated facility. The agenda included Taiwanese civil society participants, including Amnesty International #Taiwan’s 邱伊翎, speaking on digital repression. And just days earlier, on April 25, #Xinhua News Agency announced a new China–Zambia cooperation agreement. In other words: critics of #Beijing were about to speak, on a Beijing-funded stage, about Beijing’s dismal global rights record. Zambia is operating under real constraints—debt exposure, infrastructure dependence, and deep economic ties with #Beijing. In that environment, governments don’t need explicit instructions. They learn where the red lines are. The #CCP’s supposed doctrine of “non-interference” remains rhetorically central—but in practice, it functions asymmetrically: as a shield against scrutiny at home, and a flexible boundary-setting mechanism abroad, especially where #Taipei is concerned. What just happened in #Zambia is a case study in how authoritarian preferences go global—not through invasion or overt censorship, but through architecture, debt, and the quiet, rational calculations of governments trying to keep their biggest creditor happy. A forum built to examine exactly this dynamic has just become its latest victim. HRIC is planning to move its session online at the original time. The venue may be gone—the conversation isn't.

ARTICLE 19 condemns the Zambian authorities’ cancellation of RightsCon 2026, raising serious concerns for free expression and freedom of assembly. Zambia must demonstrate its commitments and uphold the rights of civil society, journalists & partners. article19.org/resources/zamb…

#BREAKING @Europarl_EN urges repeal of China’s ‘ethnic unity’ law Led by IPAC members Dainius Žalimas and @MiriamMLex, the motion rejects PRC interference in Tibetan spiritual succession. The EP is the 4th IPAC legislature to act on Tibet after #IPACBrussels25, joining 🇪🇪🇦🇺🇨🇿.

Good response from @article19org to the censorship at V&A, along with some more context about the other ways the Chinese government has abused its authority to influence (and often censor) cultural works in Europe: article19.org/resources/euro…

Big news on the transnational repression beat: RightsCon, the world's biggest digital human rights conference, has been CANCELED just days before it was set to begin in Lusaka, Zambia. The government of Zambia — which signed an agreement with China on April 24 — canceled it:

📢 RALLY: No Deals Without Freedom ✊ 1/ As President Trump prepares to meet Xi Jinping, join us at the White House on May 11, at 10 a.m., with one message: free political prisoners in China and Hong Kong.👇 🔗nodealswithoutfreedom.eventbrite.com