Internet rights are human rights
The COVID-19 pandemic spurred on existing debates and developments on privacy, government surveillance and data monetisation. But what do all these mean for the Asia-Pacific, the region where most of the world’s population lives but whose voices are often overlooked in global tech discourse?
The Indian government has taken various measures that violate free expression and privacy rights in response to growing international criticism of its handling of the farmers protests, targeting critics of the authorities and supporters of the protests.
APC welcomes the opportunity to engage in this session. We appreciate Ambassador Lauber’s openness to civil society and the OEWG’s willingness to receive and consider comments by non-state actors.
In this response to the first substantive draft of the Open-ended Working Group on ICTs (OEWG) report, APC and other civil society organisations provide general feedback, focusing on the “introductory remarks” and the “conclusions and recommendations” sections, and provide recommendations.
The African Digital Rights Network has published the first study to compare the digital rights landscapes of Zimbabwe, Zambia, Uganda, Sudan, South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Ethiopia, Egypt and Cameroon.
APC welcomes the call of the Special Rapporteur to reflect on the impacts of disinformation on the issues pertaining to her mandate and appreciates the opportunity to provide input for the annual thematic report to be presented to the Human Rights Council at its 47th session in June 2021.
The informal multistakeholder virtual dialogue session taking place 25 February will create opportunities for dialogue between states and other stakeholders on the issues addressed by the UN General Assembly’s Open-Ended Working Group on ICTs (OEWG).
APC and a coalition of over 60 other organisations are calling on Facebook and Google to provide equal and better transparency regarding political advertising on their platforms globally. Online transparency should not be a privilege of the few, but the right of all.
APC congratulates and welcomes Fabrizio Hochschild to his new role as United Nations Envoy on Technology. APC sees the Tech Envoy role as crucial to promoting improved coordination and synergy among different spaces and processes concerning internet governance and global digital cooperation.
A new resolution on privacy in the digital age adopted at the UN General Assembly reaffirms the fundamental importance of the right to privacy and renews international commitment to ending all abuses and violations of this vital right worldwide.
Association for Progressive Communications (APC) 2020
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