pielemeier.bsky.social

If you have concerns about the UK Online Safety Act, you may also want to understand the substantial concerns that we are raising about Sri Lanka's OSA. Check out @thegni.bsky.social's recommendations to learn more!

Screenshot of https://cdn.openai.com/trust-and-transparency/report-2024h1-government-requests-for-user-data.pdf showing Jan-June 2024 figures.

Screenshot of https://cdn.openai.com/trust-and-transparency/report-2024h2-government-requests-for-user-data.pdf showing July-December 2024 figures (table)

Growing # of intel & law enforcement requests for OpenAI user data, notably content data:
2023: 20 metadata reqs (8 successful); 0 content data reqs
2024: 86 metadata reqs (61 successful); 21 content data reqs (16 successful)
2025: first half report not posted yet
openai.com/trust-and-tr...

NEW REPORT: The Road to WSIS+20: Key Country Perspectives in the Twenty-Year Review of the World Summit on the Information Society - Global Network Initiative GNI and GPD are pleased to announce a new report supported by the inaugural ICANN Grant Program.

📣 New report by GNI and Global Partners Digital: The Road to WSIS+20

Featuring country insights from Africa, Asia, Europe & the Americas, it is designed to help governments and stakeholders prepare for the 20-year review of the World Summit on the Information Society.

Read more: shorturl.at/1t8Ex

GNI’s intervention at WSIS+20 virtual stakeholder consultation sessions (9-10 June 2025) - Global Network Initiative Realizing the WSIS vision and action lines will require robust multistakeholder engagement.

🌍 GNI has submitted our input for #WSIS20 - reaffirming the need for a people-centered, rights-based digital future. We call for:
✅ Multistakeholder governance
✅ Rights-based approach to AI governance
✅ Rights-respecting DPI
✅ Stronger civic space
globalnetworkinitiative.org/gnis-interve...

Thanks to all who participated, especially panelists from @ofcom.bsky.social, @ec.europa.eu, @cnam-ie.bsky.social, @cdteu.bsky.social and the NLUD/CCG. It was particularly interesting to hear from Ofcom about its ongoing review of risk assessment under the UK OSA - see slides included in our post.

Shaping WSIS+20: GNI, GPD, and Partners Promote Multistakeholder Internet Governance with ICANN Support - Global Network Initiative The project ensures representation of the Global Majority & technical community in the WSIS+20 review.

GNI and @gpdigital.bsky.social have launched a new project to support civil society engagement in the WSIS+20 Review. Funded by the ICANN Grant Program, the initiative brings multistakeholder dialogue to the forefront of global digital governance.
globalnetworkinitiative.org/shaping-wsis...

GNI's team is growing stronger and expanding our expertise. We are thrilled to have Shreya joining us!

Opinion | Trump Is Destroying a Core American Value. The World Will Notice. His overhaul of the State Department’s human rights bureau will make the United States weaker.

www.nytimes.com/2025/05/18/o...

Customs and Border Protection Confirms Its Use of Hacked Signal Clone TeleMessage After a hacker reportedly stole data from TeleMessage Signal that included references to CBP, the agency has now confirmed that it used the app but has now “disabled” it as a “precautionary measure.”

tired: SignalGate

@wired.com: The Signal clone, TeleMessage—which Mike Waltz appeared to use in a Reuters photo—has been hacked. And Customs and Border Protection also confirmed it used TeleMessage.

Welp.

Data localization: A Global Threat to Human Rights Online - Global Network Initiative As more and more governments turn to data localization, these laws’ negative impact on digital rights are becoming increasingly clear. The multistakeholder community must come together to devise right...

🔴 Read our latest Confluence blog post "Data localization: A Global Threat to Human Rights Online" by Freedom House's Community Engagement Specialist Maddie Masinsin and GNI Senior Fellow Ramsha Jahangir.
globalnetworkinitiative.org/data-localiz...

GNI, alongside 101 civil society organizations and 46 experts, endorses the Five Point Plan to help operationalize the WSIS+20 review modalities to ensure transparency, inclusivity, and meaningful stakeholder engagement. Learn more: www.gp-digital.org/five-point-p...

Looking Back at RightsCon 2025 - Global Network Initiative GNI appreciated the space to be in community and collaborate at a key moment for the sector.

At this difficult, yet critical, time for the human rights and tech community globally, GNI appreciated the space to be in community and collaborate at hashtag #RightsCon2025 at a key moment for the sector. globalnetworkinitiative.org/looking-back...

UK Encryption Crackdown Imperils Privacy, Security & Free Speech | TechPolicy.Press A secret "technical capability notice" from the Home Office represents a massive overreach, write Berin Szóka and Santana Boulton at TechFreedom.

Apple has been forced to disable end to end encryption for iCloud in the UK. This violates human rights law. If UK courts don't block this, the European Court of Human Rights will, as our new coalition letter explains. But users will be left unprotected...
www.techpolicy.press/uk-encryptio...

It's beyond disappointing that the United Kingdom’s government is using its powers under the Investigatory Powers Act to attempt to force Apple to break end-to-end encryption for its cloud service. The consensus among cybersecurity experts is clear: there’s no way to break encryption without making everyone more vulnerable. It is stunning that just days after the UK’s National Audit Office released a report that the "cyber threat to the UK government is severe,” the UK government would launch an attempt to weaken the security and privacy of a service that its citizens, including government employees, rely on. There still is no safe way for Apple to break end-to-end encryption on its cloud services without weakening the privacy and security of all its users. Undermining protections for end-to-end encryption would make UK businesses and individuals less safe online. Opening a backdoor for the UK government also opens a backdoor for cyber criminals intent on accessing our private info"

We are exceedingly disappointed to hear the UK has secretly ordered Apple to let it spy on all users’ encrypted accounts. The following can be attributed to Robin Wilton @komadori.bsky.social , Senior Director of Internet Trust:

U.K. orders Apple to let it spy on users’ encrypted accounts Secret order requires blanket access to protected cloud backups around the world, which if implemented would undermine Apple’s privacy pledge to its users.

A year ago @thegni.bsky.social lamented the potential for abuse of proposed amendments to the Investigatory Powers Act. This is an unnecessary & disproportionate assertion of power by HMG & terrible global precedent. www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...

globalnetworkinitiative.org/gni-statemen...

Great piece on impacts of $ freeze on intl tech policy. That this is happening as world gears up for WSIS+20 review isn’t mentioned but underscores the challenge this poses for US interests and the opportunity it creates for those pushing for a state-centric, top-down approach to Internet governance

This is an important moment in Bangladesh - a country with so much potential. Getting digital regulation right is not easy, even in the best of circumstances. Engaging key stakeholders is critical to ensure the country charts an open, reliable, sustainable, & rights-protecting digital way forward.

Enhancing Participation and Improving the Mechanics of Assessment - Global Network Initiative Recent adaptations to GNI's assessment process help meet the dynamic needs of our membership, while being responsive to external developments.

🔔 New blog post:
This is the fifth in a series that explores the rationale behind adaptations to GNI's fifth assessment cycle, covering how they improve alignment between GNI’s assessment process and the aforementioned developments.
globalnetworkinitiative.org/enhancing-pa...

GNI issued a letter to the Government of Pakistan today, in light of the amendments to the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) & amidst continued monitoring and restriction of internet access and social media services in the country.
Full statement: globalnetworkinitiative.org/gni-statemen...

Like many transparency reports, this provides useful insight while also provoking more questions. Overall, hats off to BSKY and @aaron.bsky.team for this good work. We look forward to more safety updates and seeing how this work evolves over the next year.

(3) The section on "User Reports" is particularly interesting given how small BSKY's T&S team is and the broader trend toward reliance on community enforcement. The narrative explanation usefully explains some of the data here, but doesn't fully address the large spike in user reports in late Nov.

(2) The # of govt demands to BSKY is relatively small, but it is notable they are only complying w/ ~60%, most of which came from democratic countries. It's also interesting that takedown requests are only ~20% of the total (most are requests for user data). Also curious re: the spike in late Oct...

(1) The fact they've done transparency reporting this quickly as they are just starting to scale is commendable. This year's report includes info on BOTH content governance by the company & its response to govt demands. This reflects a broader, positive evolution we've seen in reporting over time.

@safety.bsky.app's transparency report may have gotten lost in other #COMO news over the last few weeks. @thegni.bsky.app has worked on tech company transparency from the beginning - having played a role in encouraging Google to produce the very 1st one in 2010. A few thoughts on this report:

GNI Job Opportunity: Policy Associate or Manager - Global Network Initiative GNI is looking for a dedicated professional to help lead our global policy work to advance digital freedom of expression and privacy.

@thegni.bsky.social is hiring! Send us your best and brightest ;-)

globalnetworkinitiative.org/gni-job-oppo...

GNI Statement on Ongoing Digital Repression in Pakistan - Global Network Initiative GNI urges the Pakistani government to act consistently with its international obligations.

🇵🇰 GNI expresses deep concern regarding recent digital regulation proposals amidst continued monitoring and restriction of internet access and social media services in Pakistan, and urges the gov to act consistently with its international obligations.
globalnetworkinitiative.org/gni-statemen...

Our statement on the UNCC is here: globalnetworkinitiative.org/gni-statemen...

& @davidakaye.bsky.social's excellent critique is here: www.techdirt.com/2024/12/16/u...

The countries of Southeast Asia work together to quash dissent The countries of Southeast Asia are helping each other intimidate and extradite exiled government critics, according to a Post analysis of cases in the region.

This trend, which the article notes was called out by the UN HC for Human Rights last year, is especially troubling in light of the new UN Cybercrime Convention, which gives states even more transnational repression levers to pull

@shibanim.bsky.social

www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/0...

It’s not just Tesla. Vehicles amass huge troves of possibly sensitive data. Elon Musk’s willingness to share information about the Cybertruck explosion has highlighted how much data cars collect -- and left some drivers uneasy.

The GNI Principles & Implementation Guidelines are an open-source, no-commitment framework that any company - including car companies! - can use to develop & assess their LE response policies to ensure alignment with human rights principles.
www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...

Does anyone find it jarring that on Friday, the U.S. government will argue that TikTok should be barred from this country because it is possibly subject to pressure from the Chinese government--while we watch its main competitor changing its content moderation directly in response to U.S. politics?