Freedom House Indian prime minister Narendra Modi and his Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party have incorporated censorship, including the use of automated systems, into the country’s legal framework. The Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules require large social media platforms to use AI-based moderation tools for broadly defined types of content— such as speech that could undermine public order, decency, morality, or the country’s sovereignty, integrity, and security, or content that officials had previously ordered removed. For instance, in early 2023, authorities ordered YouTube and Twitter to restrict access within India to a British Broadcasting Corporation documentary about communal violence during Modi’s tenure as chief minister of the state of Gujarat. Because the government ordered the restriction of the documentary, the IT Rules require the two platforms to use automated scanning tools to sweep up any additional posts that share the film. As the country prepares for general elections in 2024, the government’s expanding censorship regime is creating an uneven playing field by silencing criticism of and independent reporting on the ruling party. In more authoritarian contexts, automated censorship systems could close what little space remains for online expression. The Vietnamese government imposes tight controls on digital platforms to curb dissent, independent reporting, and other forms of political and social speech. For example, authorities have reportedly compelled Meta to remove all criticism of specified CPV officials. Regulations passed in August 2022 empower the Ministry of Public Security to block platforms that do not comply with a requirement to remove “toxic” content within one day of being notified, a threat that incentivizes overbroad removal at a pace only achievable through automation. Authorities have since explicitly demanded that companies use AI to remove so-called toxic content. In more authoritarian contexts, automated censorship systems could close what little space remains for online expression. @freedomhouse Such measures are growing in popularity among governments with less robust technological and regulatory capacity. In Nigeria, where authorities have imposed significantly less censorship than their counterparts in Vietnam and India, a code of practice introduced in October 2022 requires companies to remove content within 48 hours of notification from a government agency. The code was introduced after then president Muhammadu Buhari imposed a seven-month block on Twitter because the company removed a post in which he appeared to threaten violence against separatists. It is unclear to what extent the code has been enforced since the election of President Bola Tinubu in February 2023. Automated systems play a positive and supportive role in conducting content moderation at scale, including by detecting influence operations and reviewing dangerous and harmful content—such as child sexual abuse imagery and depictions of graphic violence—that traumatizes human moderators. However, even when these systems are used appropriately, they can excessively or inconsistently flag online material, especially content in languages other than English or in slang, thus increasing the likelihood that political, social, and religious speech will be removed. To protect against that risk and to ensure that the systems strengthen information integrity, laws covering online content and AI should be grounded in human rights principles, require audits and increased transparency regarding the use and impact of algorithms, and include mechanisms for notice, explanation, redress, and appeal. Conventional forms of censorship endure Especially during times of crisis or protests, AI-powered moderation and filtering tools may struggle to keep up with a surge of unexpected content and expressions of dissent. Blunter forms of censorship will thus continue to be utilized. During the coverage period, internet connectivity was restricted in at least 16 countries. One of them was Iran, where the regime’s technically advanced censorship apparatus was overwhelmed by mass mobilization in 2022 and 2023, forcing authorities to cut off service. Sudanese authorities similarly restricted access to the internet in April 2023, severing critical communication channels at a time when hundreds of thousands of people were caught in the middle of heavy combat between rival paramilitary and military forces. freedomhouse.org 15