Skip to main content
Read page text
page 8
INDEX ON CENSORSHIP   |   VOL.53   |   NO.3 The Index ELECTION WATCH The bumper election year continues. Here’s who is heading to the polls next LEFT TO RIGHT: Donald Trump - US; Salva Kiir Mayardit - South Sudan; Umaro Embalo Guinea-Bissau 1. US presidential election 5 NOVEMBER 2024 In November, the US electorate will head to the polls to elect either Kamala Harris or Donald Trump as the country’s new leader. Free expression issues in the US election have been well documented, with perhaps the most pressing concern being the level of disinformation spread during the campaign period, particularly online. Social media platform X has been the main offender, with questions being raised over the validity of the role played by its billionaire owner Elon Musk. Musk publicly endorsed Trump and has been accused of manipulating the platform’s content. On one occasion he shared an AI-made video of Harris without clarifying that it was fake, which was a violation of the platform’s own terms and conditions. Concerns were heightened when Trump declared that the US electorate “won’t have to vote any more” if he was elected, sparking debate over his commitment to the democratic process. Further obstacles to free speech include electoral practices such as gerrymandering and implementing stricter voter ID laws which have been accused of being racially discriminatory. 2. South Sudan general election 22 DECEMBER 2024 The last general election held in South Sudan before it gained independence took place in 2010. An election scheduled for 2015 was repeatedly postponed after an alleged coup d’état in 2013 and an ensuing civil war. A general election is now finally expected to take place on 22 December 2024 yet concerns have been raised that the country is not ready for elections. One United Nations security official warned that there is “potential for violence with disastrous consequences” if the election is not handled carefully. The ongoing conflict in the state will hinder the population’s participation in an election, and persistent human rights violations suggest there is no possibility of people being able to vote freely and fairly. Even if the election is to finally go ahead, South Sudan’s violent and unstable environment will prevent the result from being credible. 3. Guinea-Bissau parliamentary election 24 NOVEMBER 2024 Clashes between two army factions in Guinea-Bissau in December 2023 left two people dead and caused a political crisis after President Umaro Embaló labelled it an attempted coup and dissolved the opposition-led parliament just six months after it had been elected. Security forces carried out the order with excessive force, using tear gas to block lawmakers from accessing the chamber. The original fighting was sparked by the arrest of two cabinet ministers from the African Party for the Independence of Guinea-Bissau and Cabo Verde (PAIGC) on corruption charges; PAIGC has described the president’s response as unconstitutional. According to Freedom House, voters in Guinea-Bissau have a lack of free choice in the country’s elections as politicians continue to be influenced by corruption, while organised crime has created an unstable political environment which significantly hinders democracy and freedom of expression. C R E D I T: ( Tr u m p ) G a g e S k i d m o r e v i a F l i c k r ( C C B Y 2 . 0 ) , ( M a y a r d i t ) S s u n a r o n a l d v i a W i k i m e d i a C o m m o n s ( C C B Y S A 4 . 0 ) ; ( E m b a l o ) P a u l K a g a m e v i a F l i c k r ( C C B Y - N C - N D 2 . 0 ) ; ( B l a c k M y t h W u k o n g ) G a m e t r a i l e r 6  INDEXONCENSORSHIP.ORG
page 9
U p F ront TECH WATCH Games without frontiers MARK STIMPSON on how video games have become a battleground in freedom of expression BLACK MYTH: WUKONG is set to be one of the biggest gaming hits of the year after it sold more than 10 million copies in less than three days after its August launch. The role-playing game, developed by Game Science, is inspired by the 16th century Chinese novel Journey to the West featuring an anthropomorphic monkey, also the inspiration for the hit 1970s television series Monkey. Players of the game become this staff-wielding monkey. All standard video-game fare. Yet concerns have been raised after gaming influencers, who have an essential role in the success or otherwise ABOVE: Do rules over early access to hit game Black Myth: Wukong reveal the hidden hand of the censor? of new titles, were only given access to advance copies of the game if they agreed to a number of conditions regarding their reviews of the new title. One condition was that their reviews must not mention “politics, violence, nudity, feminist propaganda, fetishisation, and other content that instigates negative discourse”. It is not specified exactly what “feminist propaganda” entails. Another rule forbade the use of “trigger words such as ‘quarantine’ or ‘isolation’ or ‘Covid-19’”, a sure sign that either the Chinese Communist Party was involved in drafting the rules or that the developer was self-censoring for fear of upsetting the Chinese government. China’s Global Times said that concern about the rules had led to inaccurate coverage in Western media. It wrote in an editorial that “the radar of some anti-China forces is triggered when Black Myth: Wukong is increasingly considered as a symbol of China’s soft power” and specifically criticised the BBC. It said: “Their strategy of attacking the game is just the same old Western tactic - politicising every Chinese achievement, even in the realm of gaming. What’s next? Will they portray the Chinese gaming industry as a ‘threat’ in the future?” China’s gaming industry was worth around 300 billion yuan ($41 billion) in 2023, out of a global total of around $184 billion. So, is the gaming sector about to become the new frontier in free expression? Possibly. The gaming sector is already double the size of the movies and entertainment sector. Messages and morals portrayed in video games are arguably as influential as those displayed in films. It is little wonder that China, or those doing its bidding, are interested in what people have to say. Free speech in numbers Russia and Western countries on 1 August 26 The number of people released as part of a prisoner swap between strike in protest at the invasion of Ukraine 11 The number of mourners at the funeral of gifted pianist Pavel Kushnir, who died in a Russian jail after a hunger Share of vote claimed by Nicolas Maduro in the Venezuelan presidential election 51.2% 67% Share of vote claimed by opposition politician Edmundo González in the same election 950 million Number of active users of messaging app Telegram, whose founder Pavel Durov was arrested in France in August INDEXONCENSORSHIP.ORG   7

Page Text

View plaintext

INDEX ON CENSORSHIP   |   VOL.53   |   NO.3

The Index

ELECTION WATCH

The bumper election year continues. Here’s who is heading to the polls next

LEFT TO RIGHT: Donald Trump - US; Salva Kiir Mayardit - South Sudan; Umaro Embalo Guinea-Bissau

1. US presidential election

5 NOVEMBER 2024

In November, the US electorate will head to the polls to elect either Kamala Harris or Donald Trump as the country’s new leader. Free expression issues in the US election have been well documented, with perhaps the most pressing concern being the level of disinformation spread during the campaign period, particularly online. Social media platform X has been the main offender, with questions being raised over the validity of the role played by its billionaire owner Elon Musk. Musk publicly endorsed Trump and has been accused of manipulating the platform’s content. On one occasion he shared an AI-made video of Harris without clarifying that it was fake, which was a violation of the platform’s own terms and conditions. Concerns were heightened when Trump declared that the US electorate “won’t have to vote any more” if he was elected, sparking debate over his commitment to the democratic process. Further obstacles to free speech include electoral practices such as gerrymandering and implementing stricter voter ID laws which have been accused of being racially discriminatory.

2. South Sudan general election

22 DECEMBER 2024

The last general election held in South Sudan before it gained independence took place in 2010. An election scheduled for 2015 was repeatedly postponed after an alleged coup d’état in 2013 and an ensuing civil war.

A general election is now finally expected to take place on 22 December 2024 yet concerns have been raised that the country is not ready for elections. One United Nations security official warned that there is “potential for violence with disastrous consequences” if the election is not handled carefully.

The ongoing conflict in the state will hinder the population’s participation in an election, and persistent human rights violations suggest there is no possibility of people being able to vote freely and fairly. Even if the election is to finally go ahead, South Sudan’s violent and unstable environment will prevent the result from being credible.

3. Guinea-Bissau parliamentary election

24 NOVEMBER 2024

Clashes between two army factions in Guinea-Bissau in December 2023 left two people dead and caused a political crisis after President Umaro Embaló labelled it an attempted coup and dissolved the opposition-led parliament just six months after it had been elected. Security forces carried out the order with excessive force, using tear gas to block lawmakers from accessing the chamber. The original fighting was sparked by the arrest of two cabinet ministers from the African Party for the Independence of Guinea-Bissau and Cabo Verde (PAIGC) on corruption charges; PAIGC has described the president’s response as unconstitutional. According to Freedom House, voters in Guinea-Bissau have a lack of free choice in the country’s elections as politicians continue to be influenced by corruption, while organised crime has created an unstable political environment which significantly hinders democracy and freedom of expression.

C R E D I

T: (

Tr u m p )

G a g e S k i d m o r e v i a F l i c k r (

C C

B Y 2 .

0 ) , (

M a y a r d i t ) S s u n a r o n a l d v i a

W i k i m e d i a

C o m m o n s (

C C

B Y S A 4 .

0 ) ; ( E m b a l o )

P a u l

K a g a m e v i a F l i c k r (

C C

B Y -

N C -

N D 2 .

0 ) ; ( B l a c k

M y t h

W u k o n g )

G a m e t r a i l e r

6  INDEXONCENSORSHIP.ORG

read next page

My Bookmarks

Buy this Book
Skip to main content