Since the outbreak of the Arab Spring in 2011, government has shown much desire to regulate the internet. The uprising in the Guba district in March 2012 has shown the pivotal role that social media can play in Azerbaijani political life, Vugar Gojayev told APCNews, in an interview for the forthcoming Global Information Society Watch report.

Bytes for All, Pakistan, strongly condemns hate speech on the Internet, however banning channels of communication, limiting access to information platforms, and steps to curtail free expression only serve to pave the way for politics-based control systems that curb the voices of individuals.

Five years back, I took the highway to Grahamstown, South Africa. I had landed in Port Elizabeth before being picked up by a Rhodes University shuttle bus. This year, Highway Africa is taking place at Rhodes in Grahamstown for the 16th time and looking at the media’s coverage of Africa’s rising.

Human rights play out differently on the streets than on the internet. This has been true for years, but today in age, not only are ‘internet rights’ are being promoted — they are also being violated at an astounding speed. David Souter has investigated the internet’s impacts on human rights. Also check out our infographic of his comprehensive research.

Skopje is not exactly a landmark for free thinkers, social critics and other kinds of independent folks. However, that does not mean that discordant voices do not make themselves heard. A chronicle of media resistance in Macedonia.

APCNews has interviewed Rebecca Vincent, a human rights consultant who is currently working with ARTICLE 19 to coordinate the International Partnership Group for Azerbaijan, a coalition of international organisations working to promote and protect freedom of expression in Azerbaijan. Here’s her take on the human rights situation on Azerbaijan’s net.

In May 2012, APC supported participation in the 13th session of the UPR by members and networks from Ecuador, India, Brazil, South Africa and the Philippines, following stakeholder report submissions made in late 2011. Several governments expressed interest in internet-related issues, including the right to information, freedom of expression, and cybersecurity.