Access to information

African advocacy for robust, open and free internet in 2020
African advocacy for robust, open and free internet in 2020 16 January 2020 Koliwe Majama

The African Declaration on Internet Rights and Freedoms (AfDec) Coalition has set 2020 as the year for robust advocacy for an open and free internet as well as strategic promotion of online human rights in Africa.

A step closer to realising internet freedoms in India: Supreme Court rules indefinite internet shutdowns are unconstitutional
A step closer to realising internet freedoms in India: Supreme Court rules indefinite internet shutdowns are unconstitutional 14 January 2020 APC

APC welcomes the judgment of the Supreme Court of India, which held that the indefinite imposition of internet shutdowns is unconstitutional, and calls on the government of India to recognise and realise access to the internet as a human and fundamental right.

Joint statement for the protection of digital rights defenders
Joint statement for the protection of digital rights defenders 17 December 2019 Various

The undersigning civil society organisations express concern over the global trend of persecuting digital rights defenders, including security researchers and trainers who act to protect and promote human rights, and demand protection of their work and their recognition as human rights defenders.

A call to action to defy internet shutdowns and suppression of political opinion online
A call to action to defy internet shutdowns and suppression of political opinion online 05 December 2019 GreenNet

GreenNet, the ethical internet service provider that has been connecting people and groups since 1986, suffered a DDoS attack on 22 and 23 November 2019. Forensic examinations revealed that the attack was targeted at an organisation publishing new research that weekend.

Why cybersecurity is a human rights issue, and it is time to start treating it like one
Why cybersecurity is a human rights issue, and it is time to start treating it like one 28 November 2019 Deborah Brown and Anriette Esterhuysen

Efforts to bolster cybersecurity often ignore the human rights dimension, or worse, view human rights as an impediment to cybersecurity. This is a dangerous and misguided assumption. Cybersecurity is a human rights issue, and it is time to start treating it like one.

Global Information Society Watch 2019 - Artificial intelligence: Human rights, social justice and development
Global Information Society Watch 2019 - Artificial intelligence: Human rights, social justice and development 28 November 2019 Various

While pointing to the positive use of AI to enable rights in ways that were not easily possible before, this edition of GISWatch highlights the real threats that we need to pay attention to if we are going to build an AI-embedded future that enables human dignity.

New law holds promise for improved data governance in Kenya
New law holds promise for improved data governance in Kenya 27 November 2019 CIPESA

Following a seven-year, windy journey, on 8 November 2019, Kenya got a data protection law. The Data Protection Act, 2019 has various positive elements and can go a long way in addressing the live issues in protecting the privacy of data in Kenya.

Digital rights in the context of protests and social mobilisation in Ecuador in October 2019
Digital rights in the context of protests and social mobilisation in Ecuador in October 2019 29 October 2019 APC, Digital Defenders Partnership (DDP), LaLibre.net Tecnologías Comunitarias, Taller de Comunicación Mujer

This report aims to outline the interruptions and their effects on certain social networks, mobile communications, websites and internet connections in the context of the recent national political crisis and social mobilisation in Ecuador in October 2019 against the austerity measures adopted as part of the agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Extreme poverty and digital welfare: New report from UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty raises alarm about the rise of a digital welfare dystopia
Extreme poverty and digital welfare: New report from UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty raises alarm about the rise of a digital welfare dystopia 25 October 2019

A damning new report from the United Nations Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, Philip Alston, raises alarm about the rise of the digital welfare state, which uses data and technologies to automate, predict, identify, surveil, detect, target and punish the poor.

A look into one year of APC's impact: About roots, flowers and moving tiles
A look into one year of APC's impact: About roots, flowers and moving tiles 19 October 2019 Flavia Fascendini

APC's 2018 Annual Report is a deep dive into one year of our network's life. It is a compendium of stories about how APC collectively strives for change, from a year when so many deeply rooted initiatives blossomed.

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