Digital rights Archives

Security agencies’ responses to a series of false bomb scares in Bosnia and Herzegovina have highlighted a general unpreparedness to address new security challenges and threats - suggesting that the hoaxers may want to publicly expose these inadequacies, experts say.

Immediately after the closing of the Olympic Games in Paris, where Algerian boxer Imane Khelif won a gold medal, she filed a legal complaint to a Paris court against social media platform X about the harassment to which she was subjected in a wave of online comments about her gender after her first bout.

Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Central Election Commission revealed the identities of dozens of people who reported electoral irregularities, putting them at risk of political pressure, blackmail or retaliation and deterring others from reporting violations.

Social media giant Meta said it removed offensive and threatening comments about the Bosnian Pride March on a Sarajevo-based website, but Detektor journalists found that some of them were still public ahead of the event.

Educating citizens about the sharing of data on the Internet, where gender-based violence, disinformation and other harmful narratives abound, is a necessity, BIRN’s Internet Freedom Meet conference in Skopje heard.

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More than half a million people follow pro-Russian Telegram channels covering the Balkans in Serbian and Russian languages. Followers are being urged to donate military equipment to Russia and join military units composed of citizens of Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina on the Ukrainian frontline, Detektor’s analysis shows.

Samir Nukic was charged with inciting ethnic, racial and religious hatred for writing posts on Facebook insulting Croat children who were killed in an artillery attack in the town of Vitez during wartime in 1993.

Posts about the war in Gaza and images of killed civilians are being censored by platforms like Facebook and Instagram, causing journalists and human rights organisations to accuse the social media companies of suppressing news about the violence in the Middle East.

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The case of a woman from Banja Luka who committed suicide after a humiliating video was posted online raised questions about the legal boundaries of privacy and how to prevent harassment on the internet without jeopardising freedom of speech.

The non-consensual sharing of private content is not punishable by law in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. A discussion at the Internet Governance Forum in Sarajevo on preventing gender-based violence, violence against children, and the online dissemination of private content emphasized that the absence of appropriate legal measures and protective systems leaves victims of online violence feeling betrayed.

Digital rights

Bomb Hoax Responses Spotlight Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Cybersecurity Weaknesses

Algerian Boxer Sues Social Network X Over Hate Speech on Pro-Russian Accounts

Bosnian Election Commission Failing to Protect Identities of Bosnian Voters Reporting Violations

Online Hate Speech, Threats Target LGBTIQ Community Before Bosnian Pride

Internet Freedom Meet in North Macedonia: Solving Challenges Requires Society’s Involvement

Pro-Russian Telegram Channels in the Balkans gain ground in Recruitment and Disinformation War

Bosnian Indicted for Insulting Child War Casualties on Facebook

Social Media Giants Accused of Concealing Gaza’s Suffering

Bosnian Woman’s Suicide After Online Ridicule Raises Privacy Questions

Internet Governance Forum: Victims of Non-Consensual Private Content Dissemination Remain Unprotected in the Federation

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