Latest Censorship News

Pakistan's parliament passes bill with sweeping controls on social media

Jan. 23, 2025 07:44 AM EST

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan’s lower house of parliament on Thursday passed a controversial bill that will give the government sweeping controls on social media, including sending users to prison for spreading disinformation. The bill was quickly passed after lawmakers from the...

Musk's straight-arm gesture embraced by right-wing extremists regardless of what he meant

Jan. 21, 2025 19:45 PM EST

NEW YORK (AP) — Right-wing extremists are celebrating Elon Musk’s straight-arm gesture during a speech Monday, although his intention wasn't totally clear and some hate watchdogs are saying not to read too much into it. “I just want to say thank you for making it happen,”...

Trump orders government not to infringe on Americans’ speech, calls for censorship investigation

Jan. 20, 2025 20:38 PM EST

NEW YORK (AP) — President Donald Trump on Monday ordered that no federal officer, employee or agent may unconstitutionally abridge the free speech of any American citizen, an early step toward his campaign promise to dismantle what he called government “censorship” of U.S. citizens. ...

Transcript: Trump returns to presidency declaring 'the golden age of America begins right now'

Jan. 20, 2025 14:34 PM EST

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump delivered a 30-minute speech from the U.S. Capitol Rotunda, his second inaugural address to the American people. Here is a transcript: Vice President Vance, Speaker Johnson, Senator Thune, Chief Justice Roberts, justices of the United...

Supreme Court's decision on a looming TikTok ban could come Friday

Jan. 16, 2025 16:47 PM EST

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court 's decision could come Friday in the case about whether TikTok must shut down in a few days under a federal law that seeks to force its sale by the Chinese company that owns the social media platform used by 170 million people in the U.S. ...

Supreme Court seems open to age checks for online porn, though some free-speech questions remain

Jan. 15, 2025 15:11 PM EST

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Wednesday seemed open to a Texas law aimed at blocking kids from seeing online pornography, though the justices could still send it back to a lower court for more consideration of how the age verification measure affects adults' free-speech rights. ...

Court lets Tennessee porn site age verification law take effect as Texas law goes to Supreme Court

Jan. 14, 2025 17:30 PM EST

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A panel of appeals judges has ruled that Tennessee can begin enforcing a law that requires pornographic websites to verify their visitors’ age as the First Amendment debate rises to the U.S. Supreme Court this week for oral arguments over a similar Texas law. ...

Supreme Court seems likely to uphold a federal law that could force TikTok to shut down on Jan. 19

Jan. 10, 2025 17:55 PM EST

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Friday seemed likely to uphold a law that would ban TikTok in the United States beginning Jan. 19 unless the popular social media program is sold by its China-based parent company. Hearing arguments in a momentous clash of free speech and...

European Investment Bank to boost funds for Bangladesh as it weathers political turmoil

Jan. 10, 2025 01:36 AM EST

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — A senior official of the European Investment Bank says the regional lending agency is keen to double its funding for Bangladesh, but she expressed concern over human rights as the country endures a spell of political turmoil. In an interview with The...

TikTok's fate arrives at Supreme Court in collision of free speech and national security

Jan. 09, 2025 08:09 AM EST

WASHINGTON (AP) — In one of the most important cases of the social media age, free speech and national security collide at the Supreme Court on Friday in arguments over the fate of TikTok, a wildly popular digital platform that roughly half the people in the United States use for entertainment...