Accessibility

On 30 August, Lebanese internet users reported an internet disruption that made it almost impossible to access platforms like Twitter. This outage affected many websites and services globally, but not all internet service providers nor all internet services in Lebanon were affected the same.

The fifth session of the African Internet Resilience webinar series took place on 30 July. The focus of the session was to foster a deeper understanding of complementary networks and address the need for internet services in rural and underserved areas across the continent.

On 28-30 September 2020, the seventh edition of the annual Forum on Internet Freedom in Africa will be co-hosted by the Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa and Paradigm Initiative, with a hybrid approach that blends online and physical interactions.

As a part of the ITU's pandemic response, the platform REG4COVID was launched, providing a space for regulators and civil society to share their own initiatives. APC asked their community network partners to contribute to the platform, given the general absence of civil society input.

HRC44 wrapped up on 14 July. The internet and new technologies were in focus to a significant degree, with a number of resolutions, panels and reports touching on the online dimension of human rights. Here are some highlights of outcomes relating to human rights online at this past session.

Because of the pandemic, India has been under lockdown since March. What does this mean for rural communities, only 20% of whom have access to the internet? Community networks established by organisations like Digital Empowerment Foundation are bringing critical services to 100 villages of India.

This joint statement by 20 non-governmental organisations, including APC, outlines the barriers to participation experienced by civil society during the 44th session of the Human Rights Council, and calls for measures to remedy these obstacles.

Students are facing infrastructural challenges in attending online classes, which are mandatory. The unavailability of quality access to the internet is causing massive challenges for students who are solely dependent on online platforms for education during COVID-19.