Access Now

Access Now defends and extends the digital rights of users at risk around the world. By combining innovative policy, global advocacy, and direct technical support, it fights for open and secure communications for all. Access Now is a supporter of APC's African School on Internet Governance (AfriSIG).

#KeepItOn: Open letter to the government of India on lifting internet restrictions in Jammu and Kashmir during COVID-19 pandemic
#KeepItOn: Open letter to the government of India on lifting internet restrictions in Jammu and Kashmir during COVID-19 pandemic 27 April 2020 Various

APC joined the #KeepItOn coalition and 41 international rights groups from around the world in an open letter urgently calling on the government of India to restore access to 4G high-speed internet access as a first step towards the containment of the COVID-19 virus and related health needs.

Open letter on COVID-19 content moderation research
Open letter on COVID-19 content moderation research 22 April 2020 Various

APC joined dozens of other organisations and researchers to call on social media companies to enable future research and analysis about the “infodemic” side of COVID-19 by preserving information about what their systems are automatically blocking and taking down.

Joint civil society open letter to the UN on public-private partnerships
Joint civil society open letter to the UN on public-private partnerships 21 April 2020 Various

The open letter, signed by APC and other civil society organisations, emphasises the fundamental importance of ensuring transparency and adequately assessing the human rights impact of any public-private partnerships that the UN may enter into, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Joint civil society statement: States' use of digital surveillance technologies to fight pandemic must respect human rights
Joint civil society statement: States' use of digital surveillance technologies to fight pandemic must respect human rights 02 April 2020 Various

Over 100 organisations from around the world signed a joint statement stressing that digital surveillance to fight COVID-19 can only be justified if it respects human rights, and setting out conditions that must be met before the use of surveillance technology to fight the pandemic.

Observing the evaluation and preparatory trial hearing of the Ola Bini case
Observing the evaluation and preparatory trial hearing of the Ola Bini case 03 March 2020 Various

Ola Bini is a computer expert and human rights defender recognised worldwide, who is facing a political-judicial process in Ecuador since April 2019. In regards to this, Ecuadorian and international civil society organisations have decided to attend, as observers, the preparatory hearing and trial evaluation of 5 March 2020.

Joint open letter to the Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism
Joint open letter to the Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism 25 February 2020 Various

In response to the Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism (GIFCT) call for expressions of interest to join its Independent Advisory Committee (IAC), APC and other NGOs expressed their concerns about the IAC specifically, and the growing role of GIFCT more broadly in regulating content online.

#KeepIton: Joint letter on keeping the internet open and secure during the elections in Togo
#KeepIton: Joint letter on keeping the internet open and secure during the elections in Togo 21 February 2020 Various

APC joined this call on the government of Togo to ensure that the internet, including social media and other communication channels, remains open, secure and accessible before, during and after the upcoming presidential elections.

APC statement at the UN Open-ended Working Group on International Cybersecurity
APC statement at the UN Open-ended Working Group on International Cybersecurity 13 February 2020 APC and others

APC welcomes this opportunity to address the United Nations Open-ended Working Group and to participate in this informal dialogue with stakeholders. We urge a rights-based and inclusive approach to understanding threats in cyberspace.

Open letter to Brazilian authorities on the charges against journalist Glenn Greenwald
Open letter to Brazilian authorities on the charges against journalist Glenn Greenwald 24 January 2020 Various

The undersigned press freedom and civil liberties organizations emphatically condemn the Brazilian authorities’ criminal charges against the award-winning investigative journalist Glenn Greenwald.

Joint letter: Ban security and surveillance facial recognition
Joint letter: Ban security and surveillance facial recognition 19 December 2019 Various

The Observatoire des Libertés Numériques and 80 organisations, including APC, signed this joint letter calling on the French government and parliament to ban any present and future use of facial recognition for security and surveillance purposes.

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