<html><head></head><body><div class="yahoo-style-wrap" style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;"><div dir="ltr" data-setdir="false">Dear FoME-members,</div><div dir="ltr" data-setdir="false"><br></div><div dir="ltr" data-setdir="false">some of you might be interested in this recent report on tactics and tools of digitally enabled repression against exiled activists from Egypt, Syria and Iran. The report is the outcome of a 1-year research project funded by the Open Technology Fund. <br></div><div dir="ltr" data-setdir="false"><br></div><div dir="ltr" data-setdir="false"><a href="https://www.opentech.fund/news/silencing-effect-digital-transnational-repression/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" class="">https://www.opentech.fund/news/silencing-effect-digital-transnational-repression/</a></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div dir="ltr" data-setdir="false">From the introduction:<br></div><div dir="ltr" data-setdir="false"><br></div><div dir="ltr" data-setdir="false"><div><span>Authoritarian regimes have long used a variety of repressive tools to
control, silence, and punish dissidents living beyond their borders. Yet
the advent of the Internet—and its central role in activist
communities—has changed the means by which these regimes choose to
intimidate those who would dare speak out against them. Today, subtle
but pervasive forms of online transnational repression are increasingly
common. Activists living outside their homeland are now more likely to
encounter digital surveillance, threats, and smear campaigns designed to
stifle their opposition and induce self-censorship. Yet the extent to
which these tools are used, as well as their overall impact, remain
largely unexplored. What tools actually exist in these new digital
“toolkits” of transnational repression? And how successful are they in
disrupting cross-border information flows? </span></div><div><span></span><br></div><div dir="ltr" data-setdir="false">I continue working on this topic at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB). Should you be interested in any form of exchange or in reporting on the research findings, do not hesitate to get in touch. <br></div><div dir="ltr" data-setdir="false"><br></div><div dir="ltr" data-setdir="false">Best wishes,</div><div dir="ltr" data-setdir="false">Marcus Michaelsen</div><div dir="ltr" data-setdir="false"><br></div><div dir="ltr" data-setdir="false"><br></div><div dir="ltr" data-setdir="false"><div><span style="font-size: 10pt;" lang="X-NONE">Marcus Michaelsen, PhD<br>
Marie Skłodowska-Curie </span><span style="font-size: 10pt;" lang="EN-US">Postdoctoral</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;" lang="EN-US"> Fellow<br>
Law, Science, Technology
and Society (<a href="https://lsts.research.vub.be/en/marcus-michaelsen" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">LSTS</a>)
Research Group<br>
Vrije Universiteit Brussel </span></div><div><br></div></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><br></div></div></body></html>