Security and privacy

Statement to the OEWG on civil society contributions to ICT security and capacity building
Statement to the OEWG on civil society contributions to ICT security and capacity building 31 March 2022 APC

Civil society organisations have an important role in making sure that cyber capacity building is informed by human rights, following one of the capacity-building guiding principles in the previous OEWG final report.

APC engages with Chair of Open-ended Working Group around the gendered implications of cyber threats
APC engages with Chair of Open-ended Working Group around the gendered implications of cyber threats 24 March 2022 APC

Women and girls as well as people of diverse sexualities and gender expressions are more often the targets of online violence, and are increasingly targeted by disinformation campaigns, which can have a more severe impact on these groups because of historical and structural inequalities.

White paper on feminist internet research
White paper on feminist internet research 24 March 2022 Sachini Perera

APC has been working towards imagining and making a feminist internet by building and strengthening networks of researchers, activists and others. This paper aims to assess feminist internet research on internet governance and policy, with a particular focus on scholarship in the global South.

Cybernorms: Do They Matter IRL (In Real Life)?
Cybernorms: Do They Matter IRL (In Real Life)? 21 March 2022 Veronica Ferrari (Association for Progressive Communications), Sheetal Kumar (Global Partners Digital), Enrico Calandro (Research ICT Africa) and Arindrajit Basu (the Centre for Internet and Society)

Although multilateral forums including the United Nations have made some progress in identifying norms, rules and principles to guide responsible state behaviour in cyberspace, applying agreed norms to "real life" throws up challenges of interpretation and enforcement.

Seeding change: Open Culture Foundation campaign blocks digital ID cards in Taiwan until privacy safeguards exist
Seeding change: Open Culture Foundation campaign blocks digital ID cards in Taiwan until privacy safeguards exist 16 March 2022 APCNews

Open Culture Foundation worked with civil society groups to push the Taiwanese government to reject digital ID cards until legislation is implemented to safeguard the privacy and information of the public.

HRC 49: Joint oral statement on privacy and data protection
HRC 49: Joint oral statement on privacy and data protection 09 March 2022 APC, Derechos Digitales and Intervozes

This joint statement to the Special Rapporteur on privacy during the 49th session of the Human Rights Council expresses the concerns of APC, Derechos Digitales and Intervozes around three aspects related to data protection regulation, with a particular focus on Latin America. 

Lawsuit calls for ban on use of facial recognition technologies by São Paulo subway system
Lawsuit calls for ban on use of facial recognition technologies by São Paulo subway system 08 March 2022 Intervozes

The Brazilian civil society organisations and public defenders who filed the suit stressed that the facial recognition system currently in use violates the legal requirements established in Brazilian legislation and international treaties.

"Hated Speech" and the Costs of Freedom in India
"Hated Speech" and the Costs of Freedom in India 07 March 2022 Preeti Raghunath

This research report seeks to draw out the analytical category of "hated speech" by looking at experiences and observations of what it means to speak truth to power and receive hate as it is manifested through varying degrees of violence, across a variety of instances.

International organisations call for withdrawal and reconsideration of the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission Regulation for Digital, Social Media and OTT Platforms
International organisations call for withdrawal and reconsideration of the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission Regulation for Digital, Social Media and OTT Platforms 07 March 2022 Various

APC and other organisations believe the draft regulations are inconsistent with the international human rights framework, imperil people’s freedom of expression and right to privacy, and could put journalists, dissidents, activists and vulnerable communities, in particular, at greater risk.

HRC49: Open letter to states on the draft resolution on human rights defenders
HRC49: Open letter to states on the draft resolution on human rights defenders 01 March 2022 Various

The UN Human Rights Council will be discussing a draft resolution on human rights defenders operating in conflict and post-conflict situations. Our organisations call on the Council to ensure that the resolution clearly reflects the gravity and the reality of the situation defenders face daily.

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