African Declaration on Internet Rights and Freedoms
Update - 12 June 2019: APC is gravely concerned that the Sudanese authorities continue to implement internet restrictions to prevent citizens in the capital from communicating, as protesters try to reorganise after a brutal crackdown by government soldiers that left dozens of peaceful demonstrators dead. Following Sudan’s network operators Sudatel, Zain and MTN switching off mobile internet access for customers, fixed line internet services for most offices and houses were also cut, plungin...
APC will be at RightsCon Tunis, the first RightsCon summit hosted in the Middle East and North Africa, where more than 2,500 expert practitioners will come together across over 400 sessions to shape, contribute to, and drive forward the global agenda for the future of human rights in the digital age. APC will join RightsCon to promote conversations on a range of issues, including: Promoting a human rights-based approach to cybersecurity. New perspectives in relation t...
Access to the internet is becoming subject to increasing restrictions worldwide, including numerous African countries, as we reported a few months ago in “It’s like being cut off from the world”. This is particularly so in the case of Uganda, where the newest member of the APC network, Unwanted Witness, is based. We talked to Dorothy Mukasa, executive director of the organisation, about c...
Do you believe that the internet is a vital platform for social, economic and political development in Africa? Are you a current or potential leader in internet governance forums and debates in Africa? Does your current work or study involve internet or ICT policy and regulation? Do you want to deepen your understanding of the “multistakeholder” approach to internet-related policy making? ...
Events in the first quarter of 2019 indicate that Africa urgently needs to agree on a homegrown strategy for the protection and promotion of online rights and freedoms on the continent. During the Digital Rights and Inclusion Forum (DRIF) held in Lagos, Nigeria on 24-25 April 2019, at a session hosted by APC on behalf of the African Declaration on Internet Rights and Freedoms Secretariat, parti...
Over 200 delegates from across Africa and the world joined the seventh edition of the Digital Rights and Inclusion Forum (DRIF) hosted by Paradigm Initiative in Lagos, Nigeria, between 23 and 25 April. The Forum, previously known as Internet Freedom Forum, featured 21 sessions focused on securing human rights in the digital age and expanding digital access to marginalised populations. Organisat...
Amid growing concern about digital surveillance and the restriction of rights online, APC and its network have continued to fight for a free and open internet that protects and enables human rights for all. This focus has been crucial to our mandate and mission since the outset, and it remains one of our key strategic priorities today. In 2018, APC and its network made strides to address the ch...
Access to the internet is growing in African countries, representing an efficient development tool, but also posing serious threats to human rights. In a bid to mitigate the risks, the African Declaration on Internet Rights and Freedoms with its 13 key principles was adopted by the African Commission on Human and People’s rights in Banjul (Gambia), on 4 November 2016. In C...
The African Declaration on Internet Rights and Freedoms Secretariat and several members of the African Declaration Coalition met in Entebbe, Uganda to brainstorm on the building blocks of a 36-month strategic plan for cultivating an environment that respects human rights online in the region. The new strategic plan will be developed as part of the “Securing human rights online in Africa throu...
The year 2019 started with five African countries – Chad, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Gabon, Sudan and Zimbabwe – facing internet disruptions, a very dangerous trend that reveals a rise in authoritarianism on the continent. This is the focus of Despots and Disruptions: Five Dimensions of Internet Shutdowns in Africa, a recently launched study by APC member Collaboration on Inte...
Association for Progressive Communications (APC) 2019
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