freedom of expression

Affordable connectivity and privacy violations plague Zimbabwe
Affordable connectivity and privacy violations plague Zimbabwe 08 November 2022 Otto Saki and Nompilo Simanje

There are several factors, some legal, some political and some economic, that continue to impact the exercise of rights online in Zimbabwe, particularly free expression, the right to privacy and access to information.

 Tackling online hate speech in Africa and beyond: “We can't trust Big Tech to abide by its own rules”
Tackling online hate speech in Africa and beyond: “We can't trust Big Tech to abide by its own rules” 05 October 2022 Fungai Machirori

Online hate speech has become a fixture of our lives, especially across Africa. We talked to experts in our network and beyond about this crisis, its tricky challenges and ways to counter it, including APC’s recent campaign on International Day for Countering Hate Speech.

Iranian women’s fight for right to life and freedom faces surveillance, internet shutdowns, violence and murders
Iranian women’s fight for right to life and freedom faces surveillance, internet shutdowns, violence and murders 03 October 2022 Hija Kamran for GenderIT.org

In Iran, women are protesting to demand bodily autonomy and their right to live, in the wake of the state-backed murder of a 22-year-old Mahsa Amini by the morality police. The government is responding by killing more women, attacking protestors and censoring the internet to contain the information.

New surveillance regulations lurk threateningly in Namibia
New surveillance regulations lurk threateningly in Namibia 26 September 2022 Frederico Links

Namibia has become the latest African country to introduce mandatory SIM card registration and data retention regulations that will have a far-reaching impact on online privacy and data protection in the country.

Too much freaky sex: Online platforms as ways to talk about sex positivity
Too much freaky sex: Online platforms as ways to talk about sex positivity 22 September 2022 Tiffany Kagure Mugo for GenderIT.org

Sex positivity is being rejected by many now given how it is portrayed as something that requires hypersexualised expressions rather than understanding the nuances of what it actually entails. Tiffany Mugo discusses how podcasts are revisiting sex positivity through storytelling.

Joint Stakeholder Report Universal Periodic Review 41st Session – India
Joint Stakeholder Report Universal Periodic Review 41st Session – India 30 August 2022 Access Now, APC, Internet Freedom Foundation

This joint stakeholder report focuses on key issues relating to human rights online in India, including internet shutdowns, digital exclusion, freedom of speech and expression online, online harassment and hate speech, privacy, surveillance and data protection.

Universal Periodic Review 41st session – Indonesia: Freedom of expression, freedom of religion and belief, and digital rights
Universal Periodic Review 41st session – Indonesia: Freedom of expression, freedom of religion and belief, and digital rights 11 July 2022 APC, EngageMedia and SAFEnet

This joint civil society submission focuses particularly on digital rights including freedom of expression, the protection of human rights defenders (HRDs), including women human rights defenders, violence against women and misinformation.

Hold the Line Coalition demands immediate decriminalisation of libel in the Philippines as Maria Ressa faces extended jail sentence
Hold the Line Coalition demands immediate decriminalisation of libel in the Philippines as Maria Ressa faces extended jail sentence 08 July 2022 Hold the Line Coalition

APC and other members of the Hold the Line Coalition condemn the Philippine Court of Appeals decision to uphold the conviction of Nobel Laureate Maria Ressa and former Rappler researcher Rey Santos Jr. on trumped-up charges of cyber libel.

HRC 50: APC calls for greater focus on community-based responses to disinformation
HRC 50: APC calls for greater focus on community-based responses to disinformation 07 July 2022 APC

During the high-level discussion on countering the negative impact of disinformation on the enjoyment of human rights, APC called for efforts to collect and study community-based responses to disinformation and improve the exercise of communication rights and tools by marginalised communities.

HRC 50: Online gender-based violence poses serious threat to media freedom
HRC 50: Online gender-based violence poses serious threat to media freedom 07 July 2022 APC

In its submission to the UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression, APC stresses that online attacks against women and gender-non-conforming people are one of the most serious contemporary threats to their safety, to media freedom and to gender equality more broadly.

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