News
Turkey abandons unpopular filtering software
Turkey abandons plans to install mandatory filtering software after months of widespread protest. The reversal of this controversial policy shows the power of determined advocacy.
London Riots: Social media does not cause social problems say APC and GreenNet
Following last week’s riots, British PM David Cameron said that his government is considering a crackdown on online communications. However he forgets that the same websites and phone networks were also used to locate friends and plan safe exits from trouble-spots. APC and GreenNet issue a statement.
APC publishes breakthrough exploratory research study on sex, rights and the internet
Over the past three years APC carried out an exploratory research in five countries from different continents on the internet’s role in accessing information about sex education, health, fighting sex discrimination and defining one’s own sexuality. The new report debunks the commonly-held view that sexuality online is just about pornography.
TV white space spectrum workshop looks at Kenya and South Africa
Unused TV white spaces could be the way to get highspeed wireless internet to millions living outside major African cities. Manufacturers are gearing up for mass production of white space devices and now is the time to act. APC and partners are coordinating an important workshop for govt officials, regulators and professionals in October.
Video: A history of APC
In the early 1980s as the Cold War intensified the internet was only open to the military and academia. Commercial email networks existed but were unconnected. Watch APC’s video produced to celebrate our 20 years networking online.
Internet governance in Latin America and the Caribbean: Remote participation
From August 9-11 APC is at this regional meeting in Trinidad and Tobago. You can also participate from wherever you are.
Internet Governance Forum 2011: Pre-event on access as a right
APC and partners are hosting a pre-event on access to the internet from a human rights perspective on Monday September 26 at the sixth Internet Governance Forum in Nairobi, Kenya.
APC at the Sixth Internet Governance Forum
APC members and staff will be participating at this year’s Internet Governance Forum in Nairobi, Kenya from 27-30 September 2011. The proposed theme is ‘Internet as a catalyst for change: access, development, freedoms and innovation’ and so APC will be hosting a number of workshops as well as a pre-event based on the themes of access, human rights, and development.
Dear Librarian in Denver: Why are you filtering the internet?
Controlling what users can and can’t see on computers using filtering software is standard in US libraries. APC questions the Denver Public Library on their filtering policy and practices in a fictional exchange that tackles very real questions of freedom of information.
APC looks back over the last year
The Take Back the Tech! fund which disbursed $240,000 to 61 grassroots groups is one of the very few forward-looking small grants that funds tech initiatives to fight violence against women. This and other initiatives covered in APC’s latest annual report.
International Software Freedom Day picks APC member in Cameroon as winner
APC member PROTEGE QV in Cameroon has been participating in local Software Freedom days for years. This year, it is the African winner of the 2010 International Software Freedom Day.
Most influential Twitterati in Pakistan include 5 working to end violence against women
The Express Tribune has named 5 Take Back the Tech! campaigners as among the most influential “Twitterati” in Pakistan. Thanks to the MDG3 funding, these women are using ICTs to raise the visibility of violence against women on and offline.
Show your support for internet rights!
In the wake of APC’s event at the Human Rights Council, over 40 countries have signed on to a joint statement in defense of freedom of expression. Check if your government is on the list and show your support.
VAW in Pakistan: finding solutions
Raahnuma.org was one of the winners of the Take Back the Tech! Fund. They provide support and resources for anyone who is suffering abuse, including where they can find medical, psychological and legal help.
Take Back the Tech! allows abused women to unburden in Pakistan: But what next?
Denouncing sexual abuse in Pakistan is a risky move. But after over six years of abuse by her biological father, a young woman who attended an APC Take Back the Tech! workshop in Peshawar could contain herself no more.
Pakistan blocks sex, drugs AND rock and roll
Pakistani authorities have blocked Rolling Stone magazine’s website for criticising the country’s level of military spending. But other banned sites are back online, APC has been informed.
Sexuality online in Lebanon and USA: Censorship is not the answer
Controlling — or filtering — what people can and can’t see online related to sex however well intentioned can have a profoundly negative impact. Censorship affects not only sexual expression but blocks access to sexual education and important movement-building tools for LGBTI activists.
EroTICs raises fascinating questions about sex and the internet, say experts
APC’s two-year research into sexuality and the internet reveals that contrary to popular opinion sexuality online is about much more than porn. As the EroTICs research is about to publish its complete findings next month, experts Clarissa Smith, Katharine Sarikakis and Pramada Menon critique.
Sexual minorities marginalised in internet policy debates in Brazil
The EroTICs research team in Brazil studied the complex relationship between sexual minorities and internet policy. Their findings show that these groups were routinely ignored in debates surrounding internet regulation.
Sex rights activists organise in secret on the net
For years sexual rights activists in repressive societies have been using the internet as a means to communicate, organise and express their sexuality without fear of persecution. Thanks to EroTICs, this vibrant ecosystem of human connections is being studied for the first time.
