India Scales Back Online Takedown Powers & EU Commission Accuses Meta and TikTok of DSA Breach | The Free Flow 10/30/25
India scales back online takedown powers, EU Commission accuses Meta and TikTok of breaching the DSA, British journalist detained after criticizing Israel during U.S. speaking tour, and more.
This Week At A Glance 🔎
— 🇺🇲 British Journalist Detained after Criticizing Israel During U.S. Speaking Tour
— 🇲🇱 Former Mali PM Sentenced to Jail Over Tweet
— 🇮🇳 India Scales Back Online Takedown Powers After Criticism
— 🇪🇺 EU Commission Accuses X and Meta of Breaching DSA
— 🇨🇲 Cameroon Opposition Leaders Arrested Amid Mass Protests
First of All 🇺🇲
» British Journalist Detained in U.S. After Criticizing Israel
British journalist Sami Hamdi has been detained by federal immigration authorities at San Francisco International Airport during a U.S. speaking tour, where he criticized Israel’s ongoing military campaign in Gaza.
Details:
Hamdi was scheduled to speak at a Council on American-Islamic Relations event in Florida before he was detained.
Tricia McLaughlin, the Department of Homeland Security’s press secretary, announced in an X post that Hamdi’s visa has been revoked and he is now in custody.
“Those who support terrorism and undermine American national security will not be allowed to work or visit this country,” McLaughlin added.
A U.S. senior official, speaking anonymously to AP News, said the decision to revoke Hamdi’s visa was made after officials were alerted to his past and current statements on the Middle East.
Hamdi was traveling in the U.S. on a visitor visa, despite being a British citizen who may have been eligible for the Visa Waiver program, the official added.
» Tennessee DA Drops Charges for Man Arrested Over Charlie Kirk Comments
Charges have been dropped against Larry Bushart, a former Tennessee police officer. Bushart had been arrested and charged with a threat of mass violence.
Details:
The charges stemmed from a political meme Bushart posted on Facebook in response to a Perry County community group page that was planning a vigil for Charlie Kirk, as detailed in a previous Free Flow.
Bushart was jailed on a $2 million bond since his arrest on September 22 and was released on October 29 after District Attorney Hans Schwendimann dropped the charges.
The Digital Age 🤖
» Former Mali Prime Minister Sentenced to Prison Over Tweet
On October 27, a Malian court sentenced former prime minister Moussa Mara to prison on charges of undermining state authority and inciting public disorder.
Details:
Mara’s August arrest came after a tweet he made on July 4, which expressed solidarity with imprisoned activists and politicians who were critical of the military junta.
After visiting the jailed critics, Mara had tweeted, “As long as the night lasts, the sun will obviously appear! We will fight by all means for this to happen as soon as possible.”
Mara was sentenced to two years in prison, one year without parole, and the other suspended, and must pay a fine equivalent to $888.
» India Scales Back Online Takedown Powers After Prolonged Criticism
The Indian government has reduced the number of officials who can order online content takedowns, following prolonged criticism of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 2023 decision to expand the authority to issue content takedown requests to thousands of officials.
Past Criticism:
Among the critics of the decision is the social media platform X, which sued the government in March, alleging that the expansion of powers curbed free speech.
X lost the lawsuit in the Karnataka High Court in September, after a judge ruled the company had to abide by local laws.
India’s New Rules:
On October 22, India’s Information Technology Ministry changed its policy to limit the number of people who can issue content takedown requests to top-ranking bureaucrats and police officials.
A government statement said the changes are focused on ensuring “senior-level accountability” and “precise specification of unlawful content.”
The changes will take effect on November 15 and will also require content takedown orders to be supplemented with a “reasoned intimation” specifying the content’s illegality.
» Belarus Blocks Access to Russian Social Network VKontakte
The Belarusian government has blocked access to the Russian social network VKontakte (VK), but has not indicated the reason or duration of the block.
Details:
Last year, the National Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Sociology found that 22.2% of Belarusian survey respondents used VK, which has blocked several pages at the Belarus government’s request.
However, days before the Committee for State Security requested the ban, Belarusian courts had already determined that the Militant Black Meta Shop group and the Doloy Lukashenko! (Down with Lukashenko!) Communities on VK were “extremist content.”
The Brussels Effect: Europe and Beyond 🇪🇺
» EU Commission Accuses Meta and TikTok of Breaching DSA
The European Commission said its preliminary investigation found that both TikTok and Meta have breached their obligations under the Digital Services Act to provide researchers with “adequate access” to public data.
Details:
The Commission said its findings reveal that the companies may have imposed burdensome procedures for researchers seeking access to public data, thereby compromising the research process.
It added that Meta’s Instagram and Facebook had failed to provide users with simple mechanisms to flag illegal content and challenge content moderation decisions.
If upheld, the Commission is empowered to issue a decision, and the companies could face fines of up to 6% of their total worldwide annual turnover.
Companies Response:
» Swiss Man Jailed for Transphobic Facebook Post
Emanuel Brünisholz chose a 10-day jail sentence over a fine after he was convicted for “hate speech” and “publicly belittling” comments toward sexual orientation under the Swiss Criminal Code.
Details:
Brünisholz, a wind-instrument repairman, commented on a Facebook post made by Swiss National Council member Andreas Glarner, expressing that there are only two genders.
“If you dig up LGBTQI people after 200 years, you’ll only find men and women based on their skeletons. Everything else is a mental illness promoted through the curriculum,” his comment read.
Burgdorf police delivered a prosecution letter to Brünisholz, and he was convicted and fined 500 Swiss Francs ($630 USD).
Another court upheld the convictions, and he was ordered to pay a fine or serve 10 days in jail. He chose jail time.
Free Speech Recession 🌍
» Pakistan Adds Peaceful Activists to Proscribed Terrorists List
Pakistan has added 32 individuals as “proscribed persons” under its Anti-Terrorism Act, including peaceful Baloch activists, which places them under surveillance and restricts their expressive activity.
Details:
Proscribed individuals are legally restricted from traveling outside designated areas without explicit permission from local police. Their financial assets, as well as those of their immediate family members, are subject to investigation and potential freezing.
Notifications issued on October 2 and 16 added individuals from Khuzdar, Kech, and Chagai districts in the Balochistan province to the list, including several female activists.
Human-rights organization Amnesty International said, “This designation comes at a time when worrying reports of unlawful killings are emerging from parts of Balochistan province.”
“Of particular concern is the strict lockdown in Zehri, Khuzdar district, where all movement in and out of the area has been barred since 25 September and an internet shutdown has been in place for the past few months in total disregard of the right to freedom of expression,” it added.
The news follows a move from the Trump administration in August to designate the Balochistan Liberation Army as a “foreign terrorist” organization, as it seeks new investments with Pakistan and increased contact.
» Moscow Court Jails Singer Monetochka in Absentia for Violating ‘Foreign Agent’ Law
A Moscow court has ordered the arrest in absentia of Russian pop singer Yelizaveta Grdymova, also known as Monetochka, and has accused her of failing to comply with “foreign agent” regulations.
Details:
Prosecutors claim Monetochka continued posting on social media without the mandatory “foreign agent” disclaimer, despite being fined twice in 2023 for similar offenses.
Monetochka was targeted and designated a “foreign agent” by Russia’s Justice Ministry in January 2023 after condemning the invasion of Ukraine and raising funds for Ukrainian civilians.
Authorities opened a criminal case in 2024 and placed her on a wanted list, meaning she faces arrest and up to two years in prison if she returns to Russia.
» Cameroon Opposition Leaders Arrested Amid Mass Protests Over Election Results
Anicet Ekane and Djeukam Tchameni, two top figures in the Union for Change opposition group, have been arrested as protests swept the country over the presidential election results.
Details:
As Cameroon’s top court prepared to announce the final election results, expected on October 27, protests broke out, warning of a rigged vote.
The Union for Change is a political platform that endorsed candidate Issa Tchiroma Bakary, who claims to have won the election based on results collected by his party. However, President Paul Biya accused him of disrupting the election.
Protesters clashed with security forces in cities across Cameroon, and a primary school teacher was killed despite not being a part of the protests.
Cameroon’s Minister of Territorial Administration said that the government has arrested several people during the week on suspicion of plotting violent attacks under the guise of protests.
» Tunisian Court Suspends Prominent Human Rights Groups Amid Civil Society Crackdown
Tunisian courts have ordered several human rights organizations to halt all activities, as part of a border crackdown on civil society under President Kais Saied’s tenure.
Details:
A nongovernmental anti-racism organization, Mnemty, was the latest group to receive a one-month suspension order on October 28.
Saadia Mosbah, who heads the organization, has been detained since May 2024 alongside several other migrant rights activists.
On October 27, the Tunisian Forum for Economic Rights, known by its French acronym FTDES, received a similar suspension.
The Tunisian Association for Democratic Women, a prominent feminist organization, received its own days earlier.
FTDES spokesperson Romdhan Ben Amor said he believed the group was targeted for its stances on the migration crisis, and politicians and opposition figures were tried in Tunisia’s “conspiracy against state security” cases.
President Saied has frequently cited foreign funding as a danger to Tunisia, accusing his political opponents and social justice activists of being foreign agents and stirring unrest at home.
» Report Finds that Punjab Journalists Face Overlapping Threats
Two reports by the Freedom Network reveal the various threats journalists in Pakistan’s North and Central Punjab are facing, resulting in lawsuits, economic exploitation, and censorship.
Economic Pressure:
Politicized advertising, unpaid or token paid district correspondents, abrupt story kills, and byline removals are used as mechanisms of ‘soft censorship.’
The decline of district-level print media and the rise of low-monetized digital outlets leave reporters’ employment vulnerable and susceptible to pressure from officials, agencies, local power brokers, and criminal groups.
Female journalists face additional barriers, including exclusion from press clubs, harassment, and delegation of only “soft beats.”
Legal Battles:
The findings document the weaponization of cybercrime and defamation laws against reporters, resulting in 31 probes under Pakistan’s Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act in 2025.
Journalists in Central Punjab reported at least 32 PECA cases, including prosecutions over years-old social media posts.
Ashley Haek is a communications coordinator and research assistant at The Future of Free Speech.
Ava Sjursen is a communications intern at The Future of Free Speech and a student at Boston College studying communications and political science.