Association for Progressive Communications

Internet for social justice and sustainable development

Search

For those of us who have access to it, the internet has become an essential part of our daily information and communication needs. However millions of people still do not have affordable, reliable or sufficient connectivity. APC believes the internet is a global public good. Founded in 1990, we are an international network and non-profit organisation that wants everyone to have access to a free and open internet to improve our lives and create a more just world.

What people say about APC / What the media says about APC

Freenet? film project launched in Brazil examines internet rights

MONTREAL 3 May 2013 (MK for APCNews)

“Who controls the web? On whose behalf? How free are we really to access content?” These are questions that are being asked and answered by a global, crowd-sourced film project. Instituto Nupef, APC member in Brazil, has launched a collaborative documentary film project.

Average:

Your rating: None

APC trains participants in internet rights policy at the Hivos workshop “IG in the MENA Region”

2 May 2013 (Mawaki Chango for APCNews)

At a workshop on internet governance in the MENA region, held from 16 to 19 March 2013 in Tunis, APC presented “IG and Policy: Anchoring and Safeguarding internet Openness in the Middle East and North Africa,” a workshop on civil society engagement in IG and public policy.

Average:

Your rating: None

UN member states must hold Azerbaijan to account for deteriorating human rights situation

GENEVA 30 April 2013 (ARTICLE 19)

The International Partnership Group on Azerbaijan, of which APC is a member organisation, urges the UN to hold Azerbaijan to account during its Universal Periodic Review (UPR) for its failure to protect basic human rights.

Average:

Your rating: None

Add new comment

CIVICUS publishes state of civil society report 2013

29 April 2013 (AG for APCNews)

CIVICUS just launched its State of Civil Society report for 2013, “Creating an enabling environment for civil society.” APC contributed a section of the report on the state of the internet from a civil society perspective.

Average:

Your rating: None

Add new comment

Bytes for All challenges censorship and surveillance in Pakistani court

24 April 2013 (KN for APCNews)

To publicly challenge increasing censorship, surveillance and internet filtering in Pakistan, APC member Bytes for All, and Media Legal Defense Imitative lodged a petition in the Lahore High Court in January 2013 claiming that the bans imposed on various websites were in blatant violation of civil and political rights.

Average:

Your rating: None

Add new comment

Internet and corruption: GISWatch 2012 print edition now available

16 April 2013 (GISWatch)

Two of the most recent print editions of Global Information Society Watch are now available for on-demand ordering. Activists, academics and policy makers are encouraged to order copies of “Internet rights and democratisation” and “The internet and corruption” through a new, online service.

Average:

Your rating: None

The Guardian hosts live debate Thursday 11 April on ICTs and social justice

10 April 2013 (The Guardian)

This Thursday at 12:00 UTC, Jennifer Radloff, Connect Your Rights! project coordinator will be joining an expert panel to discuss how social justice organisations use ICTs in their work and the digital security risks involved. The event is open to anyone registered at www.guardian.co.uk and can also be followed on Twitter at #globaldevlive.

Average:

Your rating: None

Add new comment

APC reports on eLAC outcomes from Montevideo IV Ministerial Conference

MONTREAL 10 April 2013 (MK for APCNews)

Last week, APC attended the Fourth Ministerial Conference on the Information Society in Montevideo, Uruguay, organized by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean and attended a pre-event on Open Development: Exploring the future of the information society in LAC. Download and read the Declaration and Plan of action.

Average:

Your rating: None

'Human rights and the internet' multimedia training kit released

BERLIN 8 April 2013 (APC)

APC presents a Multimedia training kit on human rights and the internet, a set of modules concerned with the relationship between human rights, information and communications technologies (ICTs) and the internet. These modules can be used freely to help those who work on human rights and ICTs to understand how the internet is affecting the protection of rights.

Average:

Your rating: None Average: 5 (2 votes)

Add new comment

Digital security training for WHRDs in Istanbul

ISTANBUL 5 April 2013 (Jennifer Radloff for APCNews)

From 19 to 22 March 2013 Women Human Rights Defenders (WHRDs) met in Istanbul for a Training of Trainers workshop on digital security. Participants were selected by the WHRD International Coalition. With increasing online threats to the freedom of expression and association and because they are women, WHRDs face many unique threats online that can hinder their activism.

Average:

Your rating: None Average: 5 (1 vote)

Add new comment

Video4change network, EngageMedia release new resources for activists

4 April 2013 (EngageMedia)

Over the past few months, EngageMedia as part of the video4change network has been developing four guides to support the work of video activists. The materials range from video security to using Android video apps. One outstanding example is “A guide on open source video editing” available here. Click for all four.

Average:

Your rating: None

Add new comment

Agreed conclusions in CSW 57th include violence against women and ICT

26 March 2013 (FF for GenderIT.org)

The 57th Commission on the Status of Women took place from 4 to 15 March 2013 at United Nations Headquarters under the theme “Elimination and prevention of all forms of violence against women and girls.” Setting a milestone for internet and women’s rights, this year’s conclusions include a paragraph on violence against women related to information and communication technologies.

Average:

Your rating: None

Add new comment

APC to attend event on Open Development in LAC region

21 March 2013 (APCNews)

APC’s Valeria Betancourt is undertaking research for the IDRC initiative “25 years of the Information Society in Latin America and the Caribbean.” As part of the research, APC will attend an event on “Open Development: Exploring the future of the information society,” in early April 2013. The ongoing project focuses on the emerging concept of open development in LAC.

Average:

Your rating: None

Training Cambodian youth to promote gender equality through ICTs

PHNOM PENH 21 March 2013 (Open Institute for APCNews)

Last month, Cambodia-based APC member Open Institute organised a training for students from several local academic institutions in Khmer, covering a wide range of tools like social networking for citizen journalists and FLOSS, or free and open source software. The training’s focus was to build capacity in using ICTs to promote gender equality.

Average:

Your rating: None

Add new comment

On the WSIS+10: Access and exclusion in review

BOGOTA 20 March 2013 (Shawna Finnegan for APCNews)

From 25 – 27 February 2013, delegates from civil society, government, industry and the technical community met at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris for the first WSIS+10 Review meeting to discuss action “Towards Knowledge Societies for Peace and Sustainable Development.”

Average:

Your rating: None

Add new comment

APC blog

Current projects

APC helps people get access to the internet where there is none or it is unaffordable, we help grassroots groups use the technology to develop their communities and further their rights, and we work to make sure that government policies related to information and communication serve the best interests of the general population, especially people living in developing countries. In all of our work we encourage people to network as a means of making other activities more sustainable. If people share their experiences and skills they have greater value over a longer period and often create a ripple effect.

Here are some of our current projects. Note: This is not a complete listing.

Communications rights ten years after WSIS : Civil society perceptions and policy advocacy

Abstract:
Ten years after the World Summit on the Information Society the promise of “a people centered, inclusive and development-oriented information society”, has not been fulfilled by the governments that committed to it. APC will bring together activists involved in the communications-rights campaign that shaped WSIS to assess the process.
End violence: Women's rights and safety online

Abstract:
Technology-related violence against women is increasing at an alarming rate – yet it expresses itself differently around the world. A new initiative by APC Women is helping women create safe and secure environments online in 7 different countries in Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America.
Internet rights are human rights

Abstract:
Everyone has rights, including online. APC is documenting trends, lobbying for freedom of expression and to info in international forums and training human rights activists to use the internet securely.
Open access to spectrum for development

Abstract:
Wireless technology could radically transform the lives of millions of people living with poor connectivity — but only if the policy makes sense. Our research critiques the situation in Africa, Asia and Latin America.
Policing the internet: Intermediary liability in Africa

Abstract:
There is an increasing trend to make internet intermediaries responsible and legally liable for policing the internet. Outside of South Africa the state of intermediary liability in Sub-Saharan Africa is not very clear and APC will conduct research in six country to assess the situation.

Latest publications

Featured publications

Global Information Society Watch 2012

GISWatch 2012 explores how the internet is being used to ensure transparency and accountability, the challenges that civil society activists face in fighting corruption, and when the internet fails as an enabler of a transparent and fair society.
Going visible: Women’s rights on the internet

Women may not have been an active part of policy-making conversations when internet governance started, but the rapid pace of change online means they need to participate now to ensure that the future of the internet is shaped taking into account women’s rights. This paper was developed by the Women´s Rights Programme as part of the global thematic consultation “Addressing inequalities – The Heart of the Post-2015 Development Agenda and the Future We Want for All”.
GISWatch 2011 Special Edition 2

This publication is a follow-up to the 2011 edition of Global Information Society Watch (GISWatch), an annual report that offers a civil society perspective on critical emerging issues in information societies worldwide. The theme for GISWatch 2011 was internet rights and democratisation, with a focus on freedom of expression and association online.
GISWatch 2011 Special Edition 1

The 2011 edition of the Global Information Society Watch, titled “Internet Rights and Democratization: focus on freedom of expression and association online” has published the first in a series of updates on six country reports. This special edition contains updates from Argentina, Azerbaijan, Indonesia, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and South Africa as well as an introduction from the Electronic Frontier Foundation’s Jillian York.
Communicating research for influence: Strategies and challenges for bringing about change

We designed this manual based on our success stories and challenges in communicating research for influence. We translated our knowledge and expertise into tips that other organisations or campaigners may find useful.
Impact 2.0: New mechanisms for linking research and policy

This publication is the result of the work done in the project Impact 2.0 between 2010 and 2011, coordinated by Fundación Comunica, supported by APC and financed by IDRC. From the participant projects, it can be concluded that the most successful uses of web 2.0 and online social networking to connect research and policy were those that involved the public in campaigns and consultations.
Freedom of peaceful assembly and freedom of association and the internet

Demonstrations in the middle-east and student protests in Chile or Quebec have shown that the internet can augment the capacity of citizens to form associations and organise protests. Campaigning through websites, microblogging and other uses of technology help increase the membership and reach of associations, provide powerful ways to organise peaceful assemblies online and on the streets. This issue paper by Alex Comninos sheds a new light on how the internet impacts the exercise of the right to freedom of association and freedom of assembly.
A practical guide to sustainable IT

This practical guide to sustainable IT offers a detailed, “hands-on” introduction to thinking about sustainable computing holistically; starting with the choices you make when buying technology, through to the software and peripherals you use, how you store and work with information, manage your security, save power, and maintain and dispose of your old hardware.
Application of ICTs for climate change adaptation in the water sector (Executive Summary)

This collection of reports looks at how ICTs can be used to help communities in developing countries facing water stress adapt to climate change by from an ICT4D perspective.
Pro-poor ICT access toolkit

A resource kit for making a universal access agenda happen. It has three modules – on policy and regulation, advocacy strategies and community-level projects.