how the internet has become less free—by stealth

The power of the internet to bring like-minded people together is one of the most wonderful and frightening things about it. For over a decade, internet users have harnessed the power of mass communication online to build movements, expose wrongdoing and share important information; they have also targeted groups and individuals for harassment, circulated illicit materials and spread destructive information. And for a society that reveres artists for their bravery when they are challenging authoritarian regimes, we too often disregard the insidious creep of chilling of freedom of expression, not just in our own back yards but in our own pockets.

Increasingly, governments around the world have recognised this unwieldy power and have sought by various means to control it. According to Freemuse’s State of Artistic Freedom 2023 report, “The increasing use of social media platforms to mobilise anti-government activism and to disseminate artistic content has resulted in some governments restraining online freedom, by passing new legislation or extending existing laws.” In recent efforts to take control, political regimes have cut off all internet access or shut down social media in times of conflict, such as during protests in Iran and India, and following the Russian invasion of Ukraine; they have extended laws to criminalise online content, such as in Cuba; and have even condoned or ordered targeted online harassment of artists, such as of the Brazilian artist Órion Lalli, a political refugee in France. At a World Ethical Data Forum panel in 2022 he recounted: “All the harassment I’ve experienced, and my experience as a refugee, began as online attacks, which were orchestrated by members of the party of [President Jair] Bolsanaro.” Whether through internet blackouts, sanctioned harassment, surveillance, political pressure on companies, or even legislation intended to protect children online, artists are among the first to feel the effects of governmental interference.

Shadow bans have drowned voices that challenge the status quo; self-censorship and harassment proliferate; platforms and payment processors have terminated artists’ accounts; and our digital landscape is increasingly shaped by the interests of those who want to regulate access and communication. Artists online have long struggled against misguided content moderation policies and strict community guidelines that erase and suppress art on a daily basis. For many, the burn of online censorship means more than the loss of visibility, but also the loss of income, safe spaces and community. This is particularly true for artists from already marginalised communities, such as LGBTQ+, women, disabled artists and those living under authoritarian regimes.

New wave of threats

Over the years many artists have become inured to the black box of platform algorithms, opting to mar their artwork with self-censorship or adapting their practice in order to remain visible online—though recent developments have made it clear that even those efforts have little redeeming effect.

While the inner workings of social media platforms continue to spark frustration for at-risk artists, a new wave of threats to freedom of artistic expression online is already upon us. Often under the guise of protecting children online, a mass of laws have been introduced and implemented in Europe, the UK and the US, attempting to regulate the internet and reign in the autonomy of large platforms. While some legislation seeks to establish ethical reporting and transparency from companies, a worrisome number threaten to end online privacy and target content that lawmakers simply do not like in the name of children’s online safety. These laws have digital rights groups on alert, as rising conservatism and rushed legislation can easily result in the chilling of free expression online. Their fears are not simply speculative, and the impact of internet regulation legislation reaches beyond borders; the 2018 implementation of FOSTA-SESTA in the US, which was meant to curtail online sex trafficking, resulted in an international purge of art and creatives online, loss of income and platforms repeatedly mistaking artwork for sexual solicitation.

Those in liberal democracies who would want to restrict trans rights, sex education or contrary political ideologies have discovered that internet regulation legislation is key to censoring expression without the government explicitly doing so, and they haven’t been shy about those aims. The US Senator Marsha Blackburn, who supports the particularly controversial Kids Online Safety Act that is on its way through the US Congress, stated it would “protect minor children from the transgender [sic] in our culture.” Likewise, much of the US legislation purporting to “protect children” is backed by conservative groups such as the Heritage Foundation and the NCOSE, formerly Morality In Media.

In the face of continued suppression and a steady increase of conservative influence online, many artists have found solidarity with other marginalised groups. Despite their limitations, these groups, together, have gathered data, created campaigns and educated one another on threats to freedom of expression across the internet. Social media as a gathering place is a critical tool for many groups who face adversity, and our ability to tell our stories beyond our immediate inner circle is the essence of visibility. As such, many groups who advocate for freedom of expression are especially concerned by Meta’s recent announcement that “political” content, including “social issues”, will now be restricted on their platforms, notably in the wake of recent viral protests and political action that have originated on social media.

We are accustomed to associating censorship with government crackdowns, jailed artists and humanitarian outcry. But an increasing number of artists and rights groups want to draw our attention to the quieter chill of artistic expression that is creeping in to our society. Where art proliferates most effectively is online, but online is where artists face an increasing risk to their artistic freedom. Censorship, whether directed or pressured by governments, or through badly designed content moderation, is disturbingly effective; self-censorship, erasure, accusations of illegality and steep obstacles to visibility are all signals of an ongoing chilling of freedom of expression that has already impacted not just artists, but those who wish to connect to them.

• Emma Shapiro is the editor-at-large of the international project Don’t Delete Art