Mongolia: RSF commends presidential veto of a dangerous social media bill

The Mongolian president’s swift veto of a controversial social media bill highlights a critical tension between state security and digital rights. By rejecting legislation that empowered the executive branch to arbitrarily censor online content, the decision prevents potential abuse against press freedom and independent discourse. This event underscores the urgent need for transparent legislative processes that allow for public scrutiny and debate. The bill’s provisions would have allowed government officials, rather than independent judicial bodies, to suspend accounts and restrict information deemed harmful to national unity. Such unchecked power threatens media pluralism and encourages self-censorship among journalists, echoing past protests against defamation laws. The veto serves as a vital safeguard, ensuring that digital regulation respects due process and avoids political motivations in content moderation. This situation is highly relevant to open data advocacy because it illustrates how opaque legislative maneuvers can undermine digital liberties. It demonstrates that open access to information and free expression are fragile without robust institutional checks. Ensuring transparency in policymaking protects the open ecosystem, preventing authorities from exploiting data controls to silence dissent or manipulate public narrative through arbitrary censorship mechanisms.

Source: rsf.org
Published on 2023-02-04

Related news

« News about open_data on 2023-02-04

Letter to the editor: Thwarted in my Freedom of Information requests | iomtoday.co.im »