As the UN General Assembly opens with flags, speeches, and talk of rights and democracy, a quiet coup unfolds — not in parliaments, but in the invisible infrastructure of the internet, writes Konstantinos Komaitis. Digital rights and free expression are under attack — who will defend them?

Freedom of speech isn’t absolute; it exists within society’s rules. Limiting hate speech doesn’t oppose free speech. True free speech has boundaries and consequences, believing you can say anything without repercussions is a misconception, not a sign of a free society. www.bbc.com/news/article...

My latest for @techpolicypress.bsky.social The internet is under a quiet coup. Surveillance tech once for dictators is now global, sold to governments. Democracies are complicit, civil society is shrinking. Will we defend an open internet—or let it vanish? www.techpolicy.press/the-internet...

The real Housewives of Silicon Valley @wired.com

The real housewives of authoritarianism!

Italy’s AGCOM just labeled CDNs as telecoms, triggering strict regulation. This risks slower speeds, higher costs, and digital protectionism — threatening the open internet across Europe. A dangerous precedent. Who’s next? #OpenInternet www.komaitis.org/write-share-...

The U.S. is distracted. The EU has tools but without a global strategy, they risk becoming regional outliers. The open internet is a geopolitical asset. It won’t defend itself. Europe must treat digital governance as foreign policy—not a technical footnote. www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/new-at...

Compare the similarities….bearing in mind that one country is meant to be a #democracy and the other is an #authoritarian country!

20 years ago, the WSIS captured lightning in a bottle. Now, with the WSIS+20 review on the horizon, the stakes for global digital governance are higher than ever. DTI’s @kkomaitis.bsky.social calls this a pivotal moment for the internet’s future: bit.ly/4lTlvQL

We see this particularly in the context of Internet governance and the entire Internet freedom agenda: www.techpolicy.press/the-us-just-... @marcacaputo.bsky.social

The retreat of the US from the Internet freedom agenda is not just a geopolitical shift but a normative collapse, writes @kkomaitis.bsky.social.

My latest....👇👇👇👇👇

The retreat of the US from the Internet freedom agenda is not just a geopolitical shift but a normative collapse, writes @kkomaitis.bsky.social. The US once linked the governance of cyberspace to the broader project of liberal democracy. That project is now in crisis.

I am looking for someone with extensive hacking experience in computers to get into an old server protected by a password that I can't retrieve. If you know someone or if you are that someone please DM me. #hacking #hacker #server

Muddling Through Uncertain Waters: Why the UN’s Troubles Could Spell Trouble for the Internet: www.techpolicy.press/muddling-thr... @techpolicypress.bsky.social #Internet

Taiwan fully gets the geopolitics of subsea cables and is sending a clear message to China: www.bbc.com/news/article...

Mark Zuckerberg obviously spent his weekend watching @hbo.bsky.social Mountainheads and got inspired! edition.cnn.com/2025/06/10/t...

The US retreat from the UN has created a strategic opportunity for China to expand influence. When democracies fail to participate, the Internet’s future risks being defined by values that undermine openness and human rights, writes Konstantinos Komaitis.

The UN faces a financial and political crisis, weakening global coordination. As the U.S. retreats, China gains influence—just as digital governance needs unified action. My latest for @techpolicypress.bsky.social www.techpolicy.press/muddling-thr...

What role should the UN’s IGF play in a rapidly changing digital world? 💻🌐 On June 12 at 9:00a.m. join Vint Cerf, @anriette.bsky.social, Jason Pielemeier, @chengetai.bsky.social, and @kkomaitis.bsky.social as they explore the forum’s next chapter: bit.ly/3SCO9J6

What I find fascinating about the theory of "tech fascism" is that its application has already proven to be worse than any democracy out there. Given that it is based on centralisation, it fails to account that centralised structures eventually implode. theconversation.com/friday-essay...

Ha! www.politico.eu/article/berl...

What is happening in Gaza will be a permanent stain on the world's collective conscience!

The bromance seems to be over...and, nobody gets custody of the mess they created!

So X is not only the most toxic platform; it is also the most dangerous one!

A letter to the editor of the @economist.com We need good news to remind us of what’s possible!

This is the biggest challenge tech companies face. Decoupling is not the answer because it means fragmentation; but countries need to be self-determined. Companies, which still work for the users, need to invest in presence outside of troubling jurisdictions. www.thedissident.news/internationa...

This is telling: ASEAN countries are bonding tighter, China is once again at the centre as key player and influencer, the Gulf countries are entering as potential new allies as multilateralism is moving regionally and outside of the UN. All the while the US is nowhere to be seen!

It's like Zuck has literally learned NOTHING at all! And, he is now becoming a caricature of an old self that is tired, dated and, frankly, no one ever wants to see ever again. #AI #Meta www.wsj.com/tech/ai/mark...

The conflict now escalates in India and Pakistan -- the only difference, these two countries are in possession of nuclear arsenals! Conflicts globally are increasing at rates that should scare us all.

That's not a big enough fine for sending European citizens' data to an authoritarian and surveillance-based country. www.politico.eu/article/tikt...

Great news coming from the EU and the UK.... www.politico.eu/article/uk-e...

IMF to Greece (2015): i’ve had enough of you IMF to Greece (2025): can’t have enough of you!

Two weeks ago, an obscure & mundane UN process became the political battleground for the future of internet governance. The CSTD is tasked with conducting the #WSIS20 year review, which will determine the future of #Internet #governance. Here's what happened. www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/new-at...

Europe’s rules must be enforced… www.politico.eu/article/eu-f...

How profoundly sad and disheartening!

Democracy does not allow the shortcuts Hungary is making and neither should the EU. It is time for the EU to start putting in place a process to oust Hungary and strip it from its EU membership! edition.cnn.com/2025/04/14/e...

This is how you do Internet policy and teach people about #encryption. And yes! Everyone must switch to @signal.org

🔥 Italy's AGCOM consults on expanding telco regulations to #CDNs. @kkomaitis.bsky.social warns about “regulatory overreach” to “appease telcos”, setting a bad precedent for the #DigitalNetworksAct debate & pushing #NetworkFees through the “backdoor”. www.linkedin.com/posts/inform...

Way to go @marklemley.bsky.social — bravo 👏 for fighting the good fight! And, thank you on behalf of democracies! www.vanityfair.com/news/story/m...

Foreign interference and manipulation of the information ecosystem is now part of politics. Calling out the companies and the countries that host them is important in ensuring information integrity. Remember that authoritarianism thrives on instability and chaos!

It’s all about #freespeech after all…. www.bbc.com/news/article...

This has been a concern of mine, the possibility of tech & tech rules becoming the trade off for other issues. What governments need to understand is that big tech IS the issue they need to tackle, especially now given how big tech has taken sides on the way democracies evolve. This is a bad move!

The EU must apply the rule of law - this is what will determine what sort of a democracy we are! If Meta does not like it....tough! www.wsj.com/tech/meta-eu...

Spot the irony: when a bunch of autocrats, flirting closely with authoritarianism, are talking about #democracy. The rule of law prevailed in France. No one is above the law. That's democracy in action! And, in France, democracy prevailed. www.bbc.com/news/article...

This is stupid in so many different ways. #Italy's Piracy Shield goes against EU law and sets a very bad precedent that can break the Internet. And, with the real and targeted attacks to the network from China in particular, Italy should know better. www.techdirt.com/2024/10/21/i...

For the far right, making babies is now a business venture, a pronatalist movement influenced by Elon Musk who himself is in the business of baby-making. cc @wired.com

I guess there are countries out there, like Brazil, where the rule of law is both in place and works!