BelarusGeorgiaLithuania Features 28 February 2023 The tech workers exiled from Europe’s last dictatorship Ruthless political repression has decimated Belarus’ once-thriving tech scene. By Clément Girardot
Ukraine Ideas 24 February 2023 How Ukraine is beating Russia’s disinformation campaigns A new report details how Ukrainian civil society is pushing back on Russian narratives. By Galyna Petrenko
ChinaRussia E-commerce 6 February 2023 As Western brands leave Russia, Chinese companies are cashing in Ozon, one of Russia’s most popular e-commerce sites, has welcomed more Chinese sellers onto the platform to fill the supply gap of consumer goods. By Viola Zhou
BrazilChinaEl SalvadorIndiaIndonesiaNigeriaSouth AfricaUkraine Lists 28 December 2022 The stats, facts, and figures that defined tech in 2022 From Bukele’s bitcoins to the number of accounts banned by Twitter in India, the best stats of the year. By Meaghan Tobin
AfghanistanBrazilChinaHaitiIndiaIndonesiaMalaysiaMoroccoNigeriaPanamaRussiaSyriaUkraine Year In Review 26 December 2022 2022’s best stories on global tech (that we wish we’d written) Articles from around the world which we loved, obsessed over, and still can’t stop thinking about. By Rest of World Staff
Albania Reports 9 November 2022 Hackers are using a years-old Microsoft vulnerability to attack governments around the world Install those software updates! By Meaghan Tobin and Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai
ArgentinaChinaIndiaIndonesiaJapanRussiaRwandaSouth AfricaSouth KoreaUnited Arab EmiratesUnited States Lists 17 October 2022 Now streaming: Rest of World’s favorite international films and TV shows From Bollywood blockbusters to reality TV, we round up the shows and films you need to watch next. By Andrew Deck
Ukraine Features 4 October 2022 Coding in a war zone: Ukraine’s tech industry adapts to a new normal Displacement, attacks, and air raid alerts are daily life for Ukraine’s disrupted tech workforce. By John Beck and Brendan Hoffman
Russia News 29 September 2022 $620 for an HIV diagnosis: Russians buy their way out of military service on Telegram The platform has given rise to a robust cottage industry helping Russian men avoid mobilization. By Masha Borak
Bosnia and Herzegovina Reports 28 September 2022 In war-scarred Bosnia, tech startups fight massive brain drain The industry represents a rare bright spot in the country's struggling economy. By Ben Weiss, Anna Miller and Liza Schmidt
Russia Reports 20 September 2022 The Zenly implosion: Inside 6 months of tension, culture clash, and conflict Fearing competition, Snap decided to shut down Zenly rather than sell it. By Andrew Deck
Russia Reports 5 September 2022 Doxxed, threatened, and arrested: Russia’s war on Wikipedia editors Russia's ongoing campaign against Wikipedia threatens volunteer editors By Masha Borak
Armenia In Frame 20 July 2022 Fleeing Putin, Russian tech workers find a home in Armenia “If Russia wins, everything in Russia will be bad. If Russia loses, everything will still be bad. I see no sense in returning there.” By Masha Borak and Anush Babajanyan
Ukraine Reports 15 July 2022 How internet sleuths exposed a celebrity “volunteer soldier” in Ukraine as a fraud The strange case of a Twitter grifter demonstrated the growing influence — and risks — of the amateur open-source intelligence community. By Leo Schwartz
Russia Features 24 May 2022 Nothing could slow inDriver’s rise from Siberian startup to global Uber competitor. Then Russia invaded Ukraine InDriver's unique haggling feature has seen it expand from its roots in Yakutia to markets around the world. By Leonid Ragozin
RussiaUkraine News 3 May 2022 ‘We just wanted to play chess’: Russia blocks access to Chess.com A government agency limited access after the chess platform condemned the Ukraine war. By Masha Borak
RussiaUkraine News 2 May 2022 As grisly images spread from Ukraine, open-source researchers ask what’s too gory to share With the rise of Telegram, graphic imagery has proliferated in the world of open-source intelligence. Does it serve a purpose? By Leo Schwartz
Russia Reports 29 April 2022 As Western social media apps leave Russia, Snap’s Zenly hangs on The app saw 51 million downloads in Russia in 2021. By Andrew Deck
Ukraine Reports 11 April 2022 Ukrainians are scrubbing open-source maps to keep intel from Russia’s army OpenStreetMap is widely used by the world's biggest tech companies. It’s also revealing potentially sensitive wartime intelligence. By Vittoria Elliott
TongaUkraine Reports 11 April 2022 In Ukraine, Elon Musk’s Starlink finally found its right place, right time For years, the much-hyped satellite internet venture has struggled with delays and doubts. By Meaghan Tobin and Masha Borak
Russia Reports 30 March 2022 Russian influencers desperately scramble to maintain their followers — and livelihoods Increasingly isolated, creators are moving to Russian platform alternatives like VK, Yandex Zen, and RuTube. By Andrew Deck and Masha Borak
RussiaUkraine Reports 14 March 2022 In Ukraine’s cyber-war with Russia, who is a civilian and what is a war crime? Volunteer cyber-warriors might be crossing a line that opens them up to retaliation — and even physical attacks. By Vittoria Elliott
RussiaUkraine News 11 March 2022 “I bought a one-way ticket”: Inside Russia’s sudden tech exodus Facing sanctions, conscription, and internet restrictions, Russian tech workers are fleeing the country. By Masha Borak
Ukraine Reports 9 March 2022 Ukraine’s thriving tech sector tries to hang on even as Russia’s attacks intensify “If Ukraine becomes unavailable, there will be visible effects on the global IT industry.” By Masha Borak
Ukraine Reports 7 March 2022 Amateur open-source researchers went viral unpacking the war in Ukraine From college sophomores to 9-to-5 IT workers, hobbyist OSINT accounts are reconstructing events on the ground. By Leo Schwartz
RussiaUkraine News 2 March 2022 Here’s a list of all the tech companies taking action against Russia Ukraine has led a public campaign, mostly through social media, appealing powerful tech institutions to end relationships with Russia. By Sophie Foggin and Helen Li
Ukraine News 28 February 2022 Ukraine’s tech community rallies to support refugees and battle misinformation From an Airbnb for displaced people to a volunteer cyber army, Ukrainian technologists have joined the war effort. By Masha Borak
Ukraine News 28 February 2022 As war rages, tech companies scramble to help their employees in Ukraine Ukraine’s massive pool of tech talent and its proximity to European and Asian capitals made it an attraction for startups and established tech companies. By Antoaneta Roussi
Ukraine News 27 February 2022 “Ukraine has been a giant test lab”: Russia’s cyberwar risks more death and collateral damage Cybersecurity experts fear that the conflict could hit critical infrastructure in the country and spill over into other countries. By Vittoria Elliott
Ukraine Reports 3 February 2022 Poderosos limpian su pasado digital mediante compañías de lavado de reputación Documentación revela cómo empresas de lavado de reputación, como Eliminalia, usan amenazas legales y avisos de derechos para eliminar contenido en todo el mundo. By Peter Guest
Ukraine Reports 3 February 2022 Exposed documents reveal how the powerful clean up their digital past using a reputation laundering firm Reputation firms like Eliminalia use legal threats and copyright notices to have material taken down around the world. By Peter Guest
RussiaSudan The Destabilization Experiment 24 November 2021 Why Russia is using Facebook to launch disinformation campaigns in Sudan The government has taken no action, and with elections approaching, Russia stands to directly influence the country’s political direction for its own benefit. By Mohamed Suliman
IndiaNigeriaSouth AfricaUkraine The Global Gig Workers 21 September 2021 “We’re all fighting the giant”: Gig workers around the world are finally organizing Faced with fragility and uncertainty, gig workers are connecting across borders to challenge platforms’ power and policies. By Peter Guest
MaltaRomaniaSouth Africa Ideas 14 July 2021 It’s time to forget everything Silicon Valley taught about tech investing The most successful global tech bets aren’t flashy unicorns; they’re efficient and practical startups. By Joanne Yuan
Ukraine Reports 22 June 2021 State in a smartphone: Inside Ukraine’s effort to replace bureaucracy with an app After winning power with an unorthodox social media campaign, President Volodymyr Zelensky wants to transform the state’s relationship with citizens through technology. By Ian Bateson
Belarus News 26 May 2021 YouTube said it took down ads featuring Belarus hostage videos The advertisements promoted confession tapes released by government authorities of detained activist Roman Protasevich and his girlfriend Sofia Sapega. By Louise Matsakis