Access to information
Access to information and knowledge has been recognised as a key principle for achieving the WSIS vision since 2003. Information and knowledge for all are key for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals because they link to empowerment and mobility, enabling people to improve their lives. In this statement delivered at the High-Level Policy Session on Inclusiveness – Access to Information and Knowledge for All at the WSIS Forum 2017, APC considers the ways in which access to information...
The internet is changing the ways in which people interact, trade, learn and communicate. For those who have got access to it, it is becoming increasingly difficult to imagine life without it. It offers us all kinds of opportunities, including exercising our human rights both online and offline, as different United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council resolutions have established. The internet also holds the promise of being a great equaliser. On the internet, traditionally marginalised people a...
The Stockholm Internet Forum (SIF), an international forum for discussions on how a free, open and secure internet promotes human rights and development worldwide, has started in Stockholm. At APC, we have been involved in the Forum since its inception, mostly focusing on ensuring that a global South and feminist perspective is incorporated into the discussions about access, ...
The Stockholm Internet Forum (SIF), an international forum for discussions on how a free, open and secure internet promotes human rights and development worldwide, has started in Stockholm. Hosted by the the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), this space aims to bring together policy makers, civil society representatives, activists, business representatives...
Frank La Rue, Assistant Director-General for Communication and Information at UNESCO, has publicly expressed concern to the main international standards-setting body for the web, the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), on the implementation of a technical change known as encrypted media extensions (EME). EME standardises a practice called digital rights managemen...
In a context where communications are accessible but not affordable for rural communities in South Africa, Zenzeleni Networks is a locally owned and operated cooperative that is providing services in one of the most disadvantaged rural areas in the country, to contribute to reducing their communication costs. To do so, they have installed and are operating a solar-powered wireless mesh network ...
Internet freedom, according to the Forum on Internet Freedom in Africa (FIFAfrica) 2016, means access to any kind of information through the internet. Free flow of information. Nothing should hinder your access. However, the following issues must be considered: What is the authenticity of the information on the net? How was the data collected? Who did the validation of the data before processin...
The Association for Progressive Communications (APC), Korean Progressive Network Jinbonet and OpenNet Korea submit this report for the adoption of the List of Issues in order to review the Republic of Korea’s compliance with the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR). Through this document, APC, Jinbonet, and OpenNet Korea seek to provide the UN Committee on E...
A project registered as a cooperative, Zenzeleni means “do it yourselves” in isiXhosa, one of the official languages of South Africa. What led to this amazing community initiative? is the question featured on the project’s website. The short answer is prices, since compared to similar countries, South African communication costs are still very high. However, there is more to it than price...
Access to information is a fundamental right that needs to be realised in support of economic, social and cultural rights (ESCRs) – whether it’s information on life skills, social security grants, science and culture, or access to legal or educational resources. Access to information is also high on the global sustainable development agenda. As David Souter writes in an APC briefing d...
Association for Progressive Communications (APC) 2018
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