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“A Free Pass to Seize and Sift”: Federal Court Upholds Terrorism Conviction in Controversial Mass Surveillance Case  (Michael James, USA Today)
A federal appeals court on Wednesday upheld the terrorism conviction of a refugee from Uzbekistan in a controversial case that has shed light on the widespread, ongoing efforts of the U.S. government to spy on international phone, email and chat communications. Jamshid Muhtorov — a legal permanent resident of the U.S. whose email communications were searched by the U.S. government under Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) — has spent almost all of the past nine years in federal custody. On Wednesday, the American Civil Liberties Union decried the ruling by the U.S. 10th Circuit Court of Appeals. The ACLU described Muhtorov, 45, as a prominent human rights defender who committed no terrorist acts, but still became a target of overzealous U.S. authorities with broad search powers. He was living in Aurora, Colorado and was employed as a truck driver at the time of his arrest in 2012. The ACLU said Wednesday that the case continues to present troubling questions for the American public. “We don’t give up bedrock Fourth Amendment protections when we communicate with family, friends, and colleagues abroad, contrary to the court’s ruling today. Under Section 702, the government for years has amassed our online messages, chats, and emails without a warrant, violating the constitutional rights of countless Americans, including Mr. Muhtorov,” said Patrick Toomey, senior staff attorney with the ACLU’s National Security Project.

Instagram (Still) Has a Big Problem with Nazis and White Supremacists  (Jessica Guynn and Will Carless, USA Today)
Despite taking significant steps to remove hateful content, hundreds of posts promoting dangerous white supremacist ideologies are still readily available on Instagram where they could radicalize unsuspecting users, new research shows. The Anti Defamation League’s Center on Extremism searched for terms on Instagram related to white supremacist and neo-Nazi movements, quickly uncovering hundreds of accounts sharing extremist propaganda. The posts included references to “accelerationism,” an extremist ideology cited in the manifestos of mass shooters whose goal is to quicken the destruction of Western governments by fomenting chaos and tension. Starting with the keyword “Atomwaffen,” ADL researchers were able to find and view five Instagram posts containing content linked to Atomwaffen Division, an accelerationist group created in 2016. Members of the group were arrested in 2020 and sentenced for threatening activists and journalists. It disbanded that same year but may be active again and spreading propaganda on social media, according to the ADL research. Only one of the five posts had been removed by Wednesday afternoon, according to the ADL. Meta Platforms, which owns Instagram and Facebook, said it was reviewing the content to see if it violates its policies.

Rohingya Refugees Sue Facebook over Myanmar Violence  (VOA News)
Rohingya refugees from Myanmar are taking legal action against Facebook’s parent company. Their lawsuit accuses the company of failing to stop hate speech that led to violence. The refugees are seeking $150 million in the class-action lawsuit. A U.S.-based legal team filed the case Monday in California. The case argues that Facebook’s parent company, Meta Platforms, should be held responsible for not doing enough to stop hateful posts on the social media service. The lawsuit states that hate speech that was permitted on Facebook incited violence against the Rohingya Muslim ethnic group by Myanmar’s military and its supporters. The case is based on the combined legal claims of Rohingya refugees. It seeks to cover anyone worldwide who survived the violence or had a family member who died from it. Lawyers in Britain say they plan to bring a similar lawsuit there. Facebook, which recently changed its corporate name to Meta Platforms, did not immediately answer requests for comment. In the past, the company has admitted that it was “too slow to prevent misinformation and hate” in Myanmar. Facebook said it has since taken steps to reduce the spread of such content. Members of the Rohingya ethnic group were forced to flee violence and persecution in Myanmar starting in 2017.”

For Europe’s Far Right, Vaccine Skepticism Is a Trap  (Michele Barbero, Foreign Policy)
Playing to the anti-vaccine base hasn’t led to electoral gains—yet.

Fewer Americans Are Trying to Buy Guns  (Economist)
The decline spans red and blue states—but sales are still higher than in 2019.

Biden’s Progress Fighting Ransomware Must Continue  (Aaron Crimmins, National Interest)
The nature of cyber threats is to evolve constantly. To effectively combat them, we must as well.