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Online Advocacy Summer University
Follow this intensive summer course designed to help both researchers and activists gain new insights into the role which civil society can play in advocating for free expression online and communication policy change.
Pakistan internet censorship - citizens must remain vigilent
When the Government of Pakistan announced that it would be filtering the internet, Bytes for All initiated a major campaign against what it called an unconstitutional decision. Supported by multiple national and international human rights organisations, news has been released that the plans to filter Pakistani internet have been cancelled.
Call for proposals to host the fifth regional IGF in Latin America and the Caribbean
Together with its partners, APC is pleased to announce the fifth regional preparatory meeting in LAC for the Internet Governance Forum (IGF), to be held in late 2012. As with the four previous IGF events, the purpose of the meeting is to provide a space for multi-stakeholder political dialogue.
Voices from digital spaces: Technology-related violence against women - executive summary
Drawing on findings from APC’s MDG3: Take Back the Tech! project with women’s rights organisations in twelve countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America, this paper explores the links between the internet, cell phones and violence against women and illustrates that technology-related violence impacts women as seriously as other forms of violence.
APC member awarded UNESCO prize for rural communication
APC member Arid Lands Information Network (ALIN) in Kenya was one of two winners of the 2012 UNESCO-IPDC prize for rural communication, along with the Nepal Forum of environmental journalists, for its innovative effots to improve communication for rural communities in developing countries.
No Pain No Gain, for SANGONeT's David Barnard
SANGONeT turns 25 in 2012. To celebrate this achievement, SANGONeT’s CEO, David Barnard, will run 750km across three deserts on three continents as part of the annual SANGONeT “No Pain No Gain” campaign. Now in its third year, the 2012 campaign will be bigger and more challenging than ever before.
Baluchistan: Bytes for All condemns communications siege
This year, Pakistan Day, held on 23 March 2012, was marred with oppression against the people of Baluchistan in the South of the country through province-wide communications blockages. All cellular phone networks were shut down throughout the day of celebration in the name of national security. Bytes for All strongly condemns the ban.
ICTs, climate change and water: Need for local adaptation strategies
Climate change is increasingly affecting the availabily and quality of water world wide, and the poorest are, as usual, the hardest hit. In April APC and the IDRC will release a series of research reports that explore how ICTs can help individuals and communities adapt to water issues related to climate change.
Feminist tech exchange teaches Afghani women more than skills
While some women were being showered with flowers to celebrate international women’s day, Afghani women activists were diligently learning new tech skills at a four-day Feminist Tech Exchange held in Kabul by the APC women’s programme. The experience has left them with much more than just technology skills.
Mapping internet rights and freedom of expression
The intersection between the internet and human rights is increasingly important as the internet starts to affect more aspects of society, economy, politics and culture. This report maps this intersection and raises a number of questions to be considered by those concerned with internet, rights and wider public policy.
Debate over spectrum in Argentina: “A defining push is needed to get past the debate stage”
Although in Argentina a debate does exist on the spectrum, it prioritises aspects related to broadcasting and obscures those related to telecommunications. Florencia Roveri and Flavia Fascendini of Nodo Tau clarify this issue in this interview conducted as part of the “Open spectrum for development” project.
Open spectrum in Peru: Capitalising on an opportunity to democratise access to the internet
In an interview with APC, Maicu Alvarado and Gabriela Perona of CEPES share experiences of using the spectrum with a positive social impact and offer guidelines for thinking collectively about policies for managing the spectrum that aim for more than simply economic growth.
Spectrum management in Venezuela lacks clear policy objectives
In Venezuela, community uses of the spectrum are privileged at the cost of generating uncertainty in the private sector. This discourages major investments in telecommunications and a wider discussion of the subject, according to Sandra Benítez and Ermanno Pietrosemoli of EsLaRed in this interview with APC.
Open spectrum in Ecuador: The debate must extend beyond the circle of experts
Lack of knowledge about the ways that policies relating to the spectrum affect people’s lives is one of the primary obstacles for the participation of civil society in the regulatory debate. Marco Navas Alvear promotes solutions for this problem in this interview by APC as part of the “Open spectrum for development” project.
Colombia redefines its spectrum management plan
Management of the spectrum in Colombia is migrating towards a more flexible and participatory model. Nevertheless there is still a need for greater involvement of community media and social organisations as a counterweight to the voice of the commercial operators in discussions on the management of the spectrum, according to Lilian Chamorro of Colnodo, in this interview with APC.
APC featured in Digital Rights Watch's inaugural "In focus" edition
From access-centred work to rights-based work, APC’s mission has been continually evolving in the past 21 years. In this premier edition of Digital Rights Watch’s “In Focus” series, Mark Boudreau interviews APC to find out more about the intersection of human rights, censorship and surveillance and APC’s ever-changing work.
APC submission to the special rapporteur on freedom of association and peaceful assembly
APC welcomes the report of the UN Special Rapporteur on the rights to peaceful assembly and association and makes recommendations for how these rights can be promoted and protected online.
The 5 activist functions of technology and #Riots
Mary C Joyce of the Meta-Activism project summarizes in a recent blog post the key functions of technology for activist purposes: to shape public opinion, plan an action, protect activists, share a call to action and take action digitally.
Iran's new "clean" national internet will push many to exile, says Iranian activist
Surprising as it may be, the internet in Iran started out as comparatively open in the region. However, censorship and internet clampdowns noticeably increased when conservative president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad came to power in 2005. The internet had until then given activists, journalists and political dissidents a way to get around Iran’s restrictive media laws and communicate with the outside world.
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