If we don’t consider the recent actions —particularly by the US government— against people connected to WikiLeaks as human rights violations, then a dangerous precedent is set says APC in a statement.

Input provided by APC following the Structure of the Report on Improvements to the Internet Governance Forum, 14 March 2011.

The World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) was a major UN conference on information and communication technologies (ICTs) that took place in Geneva in 2003 and Tunis in 2005. This is APC’s contribution to an invitation from UN CSTD to the different stakeholders to submit inputs concerning the implementation and follow-up of WSIS outcomes. Our response includes a reflection on the process and issues.

APC has issued a statement to express our deep concern about recent attempts by governments and businesses to close down the whistleblower website WikiLeaks. We call on all governments and the internet community to explicitly reject any form of online content control that limits freedom of expression and information, particularly information that contributes to making governments more transparent, and that empowers citizens to hold their governments accountable.

On September 17 the fifth Internet Governance Forum (IGF) came to an end in Vilnius, Lithuania. The five-year UN-run annual event is a uniquely experimental and influential space on the road to guaranteeing open, universal and affordable internet and ICT access to all. However the continuity of the IGF is uncertain. Download and read our analysis of the most recent forum.

In preparation for the 2010 IGF, this briefing document highlights key issues on internet regulation that are relevant for gender equality and sexuality. It also brings to the debate findings from various research initiatives undertaken by APC and key partners, including a cross-country research initiative – EROTICS – that is being conducted in five countries: Brazil, India, Lebanon, South Africa and the United States.

The Internet Governance Forum’s Multistakeholder Advisory Group (MAG) is a group of governments, private sector and civil society representatives, among which there are APC staff and members. This is APC’s submission to a questionnaire that the MAG distributed as a follow up to its May meeting.

The Intellectual Property Laws Amendment Bill seeks to address an important issue. However the way it does so threatens to hinder the preservation of traditional knowledge, severely diminish the South African public domain and limit access to knowledge.