The Electronic Frontier Foundation’s analysis of Amazon Ring argues that technologies originally marketed as tools for safety are increasingly contributing to systems of mass surveillance. Ring doorbell cameras were introduced as a way for individuals to monitor their homes, but the article suggests that their widespread adoption has created vast networks of privately owned surveillance devices that can be accessed and utilized beyond their original purpose. What makes this c

The Privacy International case against the UK government raises a question that feels increasingly relevant in the digital age: how free are people if they do not know when, how, or why they are being monitored? The case challenges the government's use of secret surveillance orders that can require technology companies to weaken security protections while preventing those companies from informing the public. What makes this issue especially concerning is not just the existenc

The 2025 Freedom on the Net report paints a concerning picture of digital freedom worldwide. According to Freedom House, global internet freedom has declined for the 15th consecutive year, with governments increasingly using surveillance, censorship, and digital monitoring to control public discourse. What was once seen as a space for free expression is gradually becoming a space of observation and control. One of the report’s most significant findings is the growing use of d

This week’s Field Notes suggest that social media has transformed youth activism from localized protest into a networked form of civic participation shaped by algorithms, culture, and digital visibility. Across multiple reports and case studies, one pattern becomes clear: young people are no longer engaging with politics only through traditional institutions, but through platforms that influence how movements are organized, amplified, and remembered. Research from UNICE

The Washington Post article on Kenya’s Gen Z protests shows that modern youth activism is no longer expressed only through political slogans or organized demonstrations. In Kenya, young protesters transformed social media into a cultural space where activism blended with music, visual art, poetry, fashion, and digital storytelling. What makes this movement significant is how culture itself became a form of resistance. Artists, musicians, and online creators used TikTok,