What’s the definition of encryption? Why should messaging apps use it to protect our personal chats, pics and videos? We explain all the technical terms and the jargon. 

This is what an activist in Belarus told me when I asked them about the reality of living with the threat of surveillance. I had travelled there to see for myself whether the human rights situation had improved after a huge crackdown on activists in 2010, and what role surveillance played in this, for a new Amnesty International report on this subject. I was surprised at first how many of my conversations with activists started out with people telling me they had “nothing to hide,” and were doing “nothing illegal.”

Belarus authorities are using phone networks run by some of the world’s biggest telecoms companies to stifle free speech and dissent, said Amnesty International in a report published today.