Internet rights are human rights - Blog
Policing expression online: hate speech, internet culture and online security
What are the consequences of blocking access to hateful content? What role do individual internet users play in perpetuating discrimination online?
Although online hate speech has been a growing concern for many years, recent cases have demonstrated the complexity of this issue, and its impact on cultural, political, social, and economic well-being.
UPR 14: Freedom of expression, online censorship and the review of Pakistan
On Monday, October 22nd, the United Nations Universal Periodic Review (UPR) began the 14th session of its Working Group, reviewing the human rights situation in 14 countries, and reporting on the implementation of recommendations and pledges made in the fir
APC consults on guidance to protect human rights in the ICT sector
As part of its work with the Institute for Human Rights and Business (IHRB), APC’s Connect Your Rights! project participated in the consultation process for the development of EU ICT sector guidance on protecting fundamental rights and freedoms.
Internet rights, open spectrum and online security at the 2012 Allied Media Conference
Open Spectrum at AMC 2012
As governments and non-state actors find ways to restrict access to internet content and wireless connections to serve their own purposes, there is growing support for a human rights based approach to information and communication technology, and particularly the internet.
A rights-based approach to alternative media
The need to move towards a rights-based approach to local and alternative media was a major theme at the second World Forum of Free Media, which took place June 16th and 17th, in parallel to the Rio+20 UN summit on sustainable development.
The Internet and Human Rights: a new frontier?
The Internet can strengthen human rights through the enhancement of the realization of freedom of expression, allowing people to receive information and seek to impart it as required in article 19 of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights.
Surveilling CISPA
Surveilling CISPA: CC licence DonkeyHoteyI wrote a story about surveillance efforts by the UK authorities lately. It seems that snooping communications (emails, text messaging, etc) is in vogue.
UK: Radical phone and Internet monitoring proposal to be put to parliament
Press release
2 April 2012
Reporters Without Borders strongly condemns a bill allowing monitoring of all phone calls, text messages, emails and other electronic communications that the British government plans to submit to parliament in the coming weeks.
“We are shocked to hear more and more supposedly democratic countries such as India, France, Australia and now the United Kingdom express
Hungarians fight back
Green Spider Foundation
Boom! Everything goes black. Hungary goes black.
Do you remember ‘Blackout 4 Hungary’? A little more than a year ago, Hungarian net activists initiated a “movement calling on all Hungarians to turn their websites black starting with 5 January 2011,” as a protest against internet censorship.
Scarlet vs SABA, groundbreaking internet rights case, but does it reach far enough?
The recent judgement from the European Court of Justice (ECJ) on filtering and copyright enforcement has been hailed as a success for the free internet.
Why SOPA might pass -- and why it shouldn't
The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) is being debated in the US House of Representatives today. Wildly unpopular, this bill is the latest in a series of extreme and reactionary legislation that seek a heavy-handed approach to dealing with copyright infringement online. If passed, SOPA would grant broad powers to censor and restrict content on the Internet.
Notes from the Sida conference on Internet Activism
The recent conference on internet activism, put on by the Swedish International Development Agency, was particularly enlightening.
APC member May First/People Link sets new standard for transparency
The cooperatively-owned internet service provider May First/People Link has set a new standard for transparency. It has set up a wiki space which includes details on the Digital Millennium Copyright Act and the threats it poses to activists:
“The impact of this law is devastating for activists.
AWID launches FRIDA Young Feminist Fund
Recently, the FRIDA Young Feminist Fund launched its website with the goal of helping young feminists gain access to the resources that are critical to their work.
The fund was born out of an initiative of the Association for Women’s Rights in Development (AWID) and subsequently the Central American Women’s Fund, with the belief that “Supporting young
Egypt's Supreme Council goes "old school" on Egyptian blogger
The retrial of jailed Egyptian blogger Maikel Nabil Sanad was postponed this week, sparking anger and protest.
Maikel has been imprisoned since 28 March for his criticism of the military government, however, his original sentencing was overturned on appeal.
Google+ to allow pseudonyms
Recently, Google exec Vic Gundotra hinted that Google+ would soon be abandoning its strict ‘common names’ policy and would start supporting pseudonyms.
This has been a controversial issue, with both Google+ and Facebook banning users registered under nicknames.
France to disconnect citizens for file-sharing
France has started to disconnect its first users under its new three strikes system.
That is, if you are caught file-sharing, you are sent an angry letter telling you to stop. If you persist, you get an angrier letter. Three strikes, and you lose your internet connection for six months.
APC is going to be busy at the IGF
APC is organising a series of events in the context of the next IGF in Nairobi.
Does free speech apply to the internet?
Guy Berger, head of the school of Journalism and Media Studies at Rhodes University, comments on UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression Frank La Rue’s latest report on the New Media Lab blog.
Armenian women's rights group hosts flash mob
The women’s rights NGO, “Society Without Violence”, will be hosting a flash mob on July 27th in the Armenian capital, Yerevan.
You know, in case you’re passing through.
Society Without Violence is part of a network of NGOs in the caucasus advocating greater aw
