Freedom of expression

Taiwan leads in AI election defence efforts

Taiwan has been chosen to lead a new coalition formed by the International Foundation for Electoral Systems to strengthen democratic resilience against AI-driven disinformation. The AI Advisory Group on Elections will unite policymakers and experts to address AI’s role in protecting fair elections.

The island’s experience has made it a key voice in global AI governance as it counters sophisticated disinformation campaigns linked to authoritarian regimes. Taiwan’s Cyber Ambassador, Audrey Tang, stressed that AI must serve the greater good and help build accountable digital societies.

Taiwan has developed rapid response and civic fact-checking tools that many democracies now look to adopt. These measures helped ensure the integrity of its recent elections despite unprecedented levels of AI-generated disinformation and cyberattacks.

Global democracies are urged to learn from Taiwan’s playbook as threats evolve, and the influence of AI on elections grows. Taiwan’s success shows that resilience can be achieved without sacrificing civil liberties.

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AI governance efforts centre on human rights

At the Internet Governance Forum 2025 in Lillestrøm, Norway, a key session spotlighted the launch of the Freedom Online Coalition’s (FOC) updated Joint Statement on Artificial Intelligence and Human Rights. Backed by 21 countries and counting, the statement outlines a vision for human-centric AI governance rooted in international human rights law.

Representatives from governments, civil society, and the tech industry—most notably the Netherlands, Germany, Ghana, Estonia, and Microsoft—gathered to emphasise the urgent need for a collective, multistakeholder approach to tackle the real and present risks AI poses to rights such as privacy, freedom of expression, and democratic participation.

Ambassador Ernst Noorman of the Netherlands warned that human rights and security must be viewed as interconnected, stressing that unregulated AI use can destabilise societies rather than protect them. His remarks echoed the Netherlands’ own hard lessons from biassed welfare algorithms.

Other panellists, including Germany’s Cyber Ambassador Maria Adebahr, underlined how AI is being weaponised for transnational repression and emphasised Germany’s commitment by doubling funding for the FOC. Ghana’s cybersecurity chief, Divine Salese Agbeti, added that AI misuse is not exclusive to governments—citizens, too, have exploited the technology for manipulation and deception.

From the private sector, Microsoft’s Dr Erika Moret showcased the company’s multi-layered approach to embedding human rights in AI, from ethical design and impact assessments to rejecting high-risk applications like facial recognition in authoritarian contexts. She stressed the company’s alignment with UN guiding principles and the need for transparency, fairness, and inclusivity.

The discussion also highlighted binding global frameworks like the EU AI Act and the Council of Europe’s Framework Convention, calling for their widespread adoption as vital tools in managing AI’s global impact. The session concluded with a shared call to action: governments must use regulatory tools and procurement power to enforce human rights standards in AI, while the private sector and civil society must push for accountability and inclusion.

The FOC’s statement remains open for new endorsements, standing as a foundational text in the ongoing effort to align the future of AI with the fundamental rights of all people.

Track all key moments from the Internet Governance Forum 2025 on our dedicated IGF page.

Parliamentarians call for stronger platform accountability and human rights protections at IGF 2025

At the 2025 Internet Governance Forum in Lillestrøm, Norway, parliamentarians from around the world gathered to share perspectives on how to regulate harmful online content without infringing on freedom of expression and democratic values. The session, moderated by Sorina Teleanu, Diplo’s Director of Knowledge, highlighted the increasing urgency for social media platforms to respond more swiftly and responsibly to harmful content, particularly content generated by AI that can lead to real-world consequences such as harassment, mental health issues, and even suicide.

Pakistan’s Anusha Rahman Ahmad Khan delivered a powerful appeal, pointing to cultural insensitivity and profit-driven resistance by platforms that often ignore urgent content removal requests. Representatives from Argentina, Nepal, Bulgaria, and South Africa echoed the need for effective legal frameworks that uphold safety and fundamental rights.

Argentina’s Franco Metaza, Member of Parliament of Mercosur, cited disturbing content that promotes eating disorders among young girls and detailed the tangible danger of disinformation, including an assassination attempt linked to online hate. Nepal’s MP Yogesh Bhattarai advocated for regulation without authoritarian control, underscoring the importance of constitutional safeguards for speech.

Member of European Parliament, Tsvetelina Penkova from Bulgaria, outlined the EU’s multifaceted digital laws, like the Digital Services Act and GDPR, which aim to protect users while grappling with implementation challenges across 27 diverse member states.

Youth engagement and digital literacy emerged as key themes, with several speakers emphasising that involving young people in policymaking leads to better, more inclusive policies. Panellists also stressed that education is essential for equipping users with the tools to navigate online spaces safely and critically.

Calls for multistakeholder cooperation rang throughout the session, with consensus on the need for collaboration between governments, tech companies, civil society, and international organisations. A thought-provoking proposal from a Congolese parliamentarian suggested that digital rights be recognised as a new, fourth generation of human rights—akin to civil, economic, and environmental rights already codified in international frameworks.

Other attendees welcomed the idea and agreed that without such recognition, the enforcement of digital protections would remain fragmented. The session concluded on a collaborative and urgent note, with calls for shared responsibility, joint strategies, and stronger international frameworks to create a safer, more just digital future.

Track all key moments from the Internet Governance Forum 2025 on our dedicated IGF page.

World gathers in Norway to shape digital future

The Internet Governance Forum (IGF) 2025 opened in Lillestrøm, Norway, marking its 20th anniversary and coinciding with the World Summit on the Information Society Plus 20 (WSIS+20) review.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres, in a video message, underscored that digital cooperation has shifted from aspiration to necessity. He highlighted global challenges such as the digital divide, online hate speech, and concentrated tech power, calling for immediate action to ensure a more equitable digital future.

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Norwegian leaders, including Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre and Digitisation Minister Karianne Tung, reaffirmed their country’s commitment to democratic digital governance and human rights, echoing broader forum themes of openness, transparency, and multilateral cooperation. They emphasised the importance of protecting the internet as a public good in an era marked by fragmentation, misinformation, and increasing geopolitical tension.

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The ceremony brought together diverse voices—from small island states and the EU to civil society and the private sector. Mauritius’ President Dharambeer Gokhool advocated for a citizen-centered digital transformation, while European Commission Vice President Henna Virkkunen introduced a new EU international digital strategy rooted in human rights and sustainability.

Actor and digital rights activist Joseph Gordon-Levitt cautioned against unregulated AI development, arguing for governance frameworks that protect human agency and economic fairness.

Why does it matter?

Echoing across speeches was a shared call to action: to strengthen the multistakeholder model of internet governance, bridge the still-massive digital divide, and develop ethical, inclusive digital policies. As stakeholders prepare to delve into deeper dialogues during the forum, the opening ceremony made clear that the next chapter of digital governance must be collaborative, human-centered, and urgently enacted.

Track all key moments from the Internet Governance Forum 2025 on our dedicated IGF page.

Big Tech’s grip on information sparks urgent debate at IGF 2025 in Norway

At the Internet Governance Forum 2025 in Lillestrøm, Norway, global leaders, tech executives, civil society figures, and academics converged for a high-level session to confront one of the digital age’s most pressing dilemmas: how to protect democratic discourse and human rights amid big tech’s tightening control over the global information space. The session, titled ‘Losing the Information Space?’, tackled the rising threat of disinformation, algorithmic opacity, and the erosion of public trust, all amplified by powerful AI technologies.

Norwegian Minister Lubna Jaffery sounded the alarm, referencing the annulled Romanian presidential election as a stark reminder of how influence operations and AI-driven disinformation campaigns can destabilise democracies. She warned that while platforms have democratised access to expression, they’ve also created fragmented echo chambers and supercharged the spread of propaganda.

Estonia’s Minister of Justice and Digital Affairs Liisa Ly Pakosta echoed the concern, describing how her country faces persistent information warfare—often backed by state actors—and announced Estonia’s rollout of AI-based education to equip youth with digital resilience. The debate revealed deep divides over how to achieve transparency and accountability in tech.

TikTok’s Lisa Hayes defended the company’s moderation efforts and partnerships with fact-checkers, advocating for what she called ‘meaningful transparency’ through accessible tools and reporting. But others, like Reporters Without Borders’ Thibaut Bruttin, demanded structural reform.

He argued platforms should be treated as public utilities, legally obliged to give visibility to trustworthy journalism, and rejected the idea that digital space should remain under the control of private interests. Despite conflicting views on the role of regulation versus collaboration, panellists agreed that the threat of disinformation is real and growing—and no single entity can tackle it alone.

The session closed with calls for stronger international legal frameworks, cross-sector cooperation, and bold action to defend truth, freedom of expression, and democratic integrity in an era where technology’s influence is pervasive and, if unchecked, potentially perilous.

Track all key moments from the Internet Governance Forum 2025 on our dedicated IGF page.

Cybersecurity vs freedom of expression: IGF 2025 panel calls for balanced, human-centred digital governance

At the 2025 Internet Governance Forum in Lillestrøm, Norway, experts from government, civil society, and the tech industry convened to discuss one of the thorniest challenges of the digital age: how to secure cyberspace without compromising freedom of expression and fundamental human rights. The session, moderated by terrorism survivor and activist Bjørn Ihler, revealed a shared urgency across sectors to move beyond binary thinking and craft nuanced, people-centred approaches to online safety.

Paul Ash, head of the Christchurch Call Foundation, warned against framing regulation and inaction as the only options, urging legislators to build human rights safeguards directly into cybersecurity laws. Echoing him, Mallory Knodel of the Global Encryption Coalition stressed the foundational role of end-to-end encryption, calling it a necessary boundary-setting tool in an era where digital surveillance and content manipulation pose systemic risks. She warned that weakening encryption compromises privacy and invites broader security threats.

Representing the tech industry, Meta’s Cagatay Pekyrour underscored the complexity of moderating content across jurisdictions with over 120 speech-restricting laws. He called for more precise legal definitions, robust procedural safeguards, and a shift toward ‘system-based’ regulatory frameworks that assess platforms’ processes rather than micromanage content.

Meanwhile, Romanian regulator and former MP Pavel Popescu detailed his country’s recent struggles with election-related disinformation and cybercrime, arguing that social media companies must shoulder more responsibility, particularly in responding swiftly to systemic threats like AI-driven scams and coordinated influence operations.

While perspectives diverged on enforcement and regulation, all participants agreed that lasting digital governance requires sustained multistakeholder collaboration grounded in transparency, technical expertise, and respect for human rights. As the digital landscape evolves rapidly under the influence of AI and new forms of online harm, this session underscored that no single entity or policy can succeed alone, and that the stakes for security and democracy have never been higher.

Track all key moments from the Internet Governance Forum 2025 on our dedicated IGF page.

Civil society pushes for digital rights and justice in WSIS+20 review at IGF 2025

At a packed session during Day 0 of the Internet Governance Forum 2025 in Lillestrøm, Norway, civil society leaders gathered to strategise how the upcoming WSIS+20 review can deliver on the promise of digital rights and justice. Organised by the Global Digital Justice Forum and the Global Digital Rights Coalition for WSIS, the brainstorming session brought together voices from across the globe to assess the ‘elements paper’ recently issued by review co-facilitators from Albania and Kenya.

Anna Oosterlinck of ARTICLE 19 opened the session by noting significant gaps in the current draft, especially in its treatment of human rights and multistakeholder governance.

Ellie McDonald of Global Partners Digital, speaking on behalf of the Global Digital Rights Coalition, presented the group’s three strategic pillars: anchoring digital policy in international human rights law, reinforcing multistakeholder governance based on São Paulo guidance, and strengthening WSIS institutions like the Internet Governance Forum. She warned that current policy language risks drifting away from established human rights commitments and fails to propose concrete steps for institutional resilience.

Nandini Chami of the Global Digital Justice Forum outlined their campaign’s broader structural agenda, including a call for an integrated human rights framework fit for the digital age, safeguarding the internet as a global commons, ensuring sustainable digital transitions, and creating a fair international digital economy that combats digital colonialism. She stressed the importance of expanding rights protections to include people affected by AI and data practices, even those not directly online.

Zach Lampell from the International Centre for Not-for-Profit Law closed the session with a stark reminder: those who control internet infrastructure hold immense power over how digital rights are exercised. He and others urged participants to provide feedback by 15 July through an open consultation process, emphasising the need for strong, unified civil society input. The organising coalitions committed to publishing a summary paper to advance advocacy ahead of the final WSIS+20 outcome document.

Track all key moments from the Internet Governance Forum 2025 on our dedicated IGF page.

Global digital dialogue opens at IGF 2025 in Norway

The 2025 Internet Governance Forum (IGF) commenced in Lillestrøm, Norway, with a warm welcome from Chengetai Masango, Head of the UN IGF Secretariat. Marking the sixth year of its parliamentary track, the event gathered legislators from across the globe, including nations such as Nepal, Lithuania, Spain, Zimbabwe, and Uruguay.

Masango highlighted the growing momentum of parliamentary engagement in global digital governance and emphasised Norway’s deep-rooted value of freedom of expression as a guiding principle for shaping responsible digital futures. In his remarks, Masango praised the unique role of parliamentarians in bridging local realities with global digital policy discussions, underlining the importance of balancing human rights with digital security.

He encouraged continued collaboration, learning, and building upon the IGF’s past efforts, primarily through local leadership and national implementation of ideas born from multistakeholder dialogue. Masango concluded by urging participants to engage in meaningful exchanges and form new partnerships, stressing that their contributions matter far beyond the forum itself.

Andy Richardson from the IGF Secretariat reiterated these themes, noting how parliamentary involvement underscores the urgency and weight of digital policy issues in the legislative realm. He drew attention to the critical intersection of AI and democracy, referencing recent resolutions and efforts to track parliamentary actions worldwide. With over 37 national reports on AI-related legislation already compiled, Richardson stressed the IGF’s ongoing commitment to staying updated and learning from legislators’ diverse experiences.

The opening session closed with an invitation to continue discussions in the day’s first panel, titled ‘Digital Deceit: The Societal Impact of Online Misinformation and Disinformation.’ Simultaneous translations were made available, highlighting the IGF’s inclusive and multilingual approach as it moved into a day of rich, cross-cultural policy conversations.

Track all key moments from the Internet Governance Forum 2025 on our dedicated IGF page.

Parliamentarians at IGF 2025 call for action on information integrity

At the Internet Governance Forum 2025 in Lillestrøm, Norway, global lawmakers and experts gathered to confront one of the most pressing challenges of our digital era: the societal impact of misinformation and disinformation, especially amid the rapid advance of AI. Framed by the UN Global Principles for Information Integrity, the session spotlighted the urgent need for resilient, democratic responses to online erosion of public trust.

AI’s disruptive power took centre stage, with speakers citing alarming trends—deepfakes manipulated global election narratives in over a third of national polls in 2024 alone. Experts like Lindsay Gorman from the German Marshall Fund warned of a polluted digital ecosystem where fabricated video and audio now threaten core democratic processes.

UNESCO’s Marjorie Buchser expanded the concern, noting that generative AI enables manipulation and redefines how people access information, often diverting users from traditional journalism toward context-stripped AI outputs. However, regulation alone was not touted as a panacea.

Instead, panellists promoted ‘democracy-affirming technologies’ that embed transparency, accountability, and human rights at their foundation. The conversation urged greater investment in open, diverse digital ecosystems, particularly those supporting low-resource languages and underrepresented cultures. At the same time, multiple voices called for more equitable research, warning that Western-centric data and governance models skew current efforts.

In the end, a recurring theme echoed across the room: tackling information manipulation is a collective endeavour that demands multistakeholder cooperation. From enforcing technical standards to amplifying independent journalism and bolstering AI literacy, participants called for governments, civil society, and the tech industry to build unified, future-proof solutions that protect democratic integrity while preserving the fundamental right to free expression.

Track all key moments from the Internet Governance Forum 2025 on our dedicated IGF page.

Spyware accountability demands Global South leadership at IGF 2025

At the Internet Governance Forum 2025 in Lillestrøm, Norway, a powerful roundtable titled ‘Spyware Accountability in the Global South’ brought together experts, activists, and policymakers to confront the growing threat of surveillance technologies in the world’s most vulnerable regions. Moderated by Nighat Dad of Pakistan’s Digital Rights Foundation, the session featured diverse perspectives from Mexico, India, Lebanon, the UK, and the private sector, each underscoring how spyware like Pegasus has been weaponised to target journalists, human rights defenders, and civil society actors across Latin America, South Asia, and the Middle East.

Ana Gaitán of R3D Mexico revealed how Mexican military forces routinely deploy spyware to obstruct investigations into abuses like the Ayotzinapa case. Apar Gupta from India’s Internet Freedom Foundation warned of the enduring legacy of colonial surveillance laws enabling secret spyware use. At the same time, Mohamad Najem of Lebanon’s SMEX explained how post-Arab Spring authoritarianism has fueled a booming domestic and export market for surveillance tools in the Gulf region. All three pointed to the urgent need for legal reform and international support, noting the failure of courts and institutions to provide effective remedies.

Representing regulatory efforts, Elizabeth Davies of the UK Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office outlined the Pall Mall Process, a UK-France initiative to create international norms for commercial cyber intrusion tools. Former UN Special Rapporteur David Kaye emphasised that such frameworks must go beyond soft law, calling for export controls, domestic legal safeguards, and litigation to ensure enforcement.

Rima Amin of Meta added a private sector lens, highlighting Meta’s litigation against NSO Group and pledging to reinvest any damages into supporting surveillance victims. Despite emerging international efforts, the panel agreed that meaningful spyware accountability will remain elusive without centring Global South voices, expanding technical and legal capacity, and bridging the North-South knowledge gap.

With spyware abuse expanding faster than regulation, the call from Lillestrøm was clear: democratic protections and digital rights must not be a privilege of geography.

Track all key moments from the Internet Governance Forum 2025 on our dedicated IGF page.