human rights

Safeguarding freedom of religion or belief and gender equality at HRC43
Safeguarding freedom of religion or belief and gender equality at HRC43 06 March 2020 APCNews

The Association for Progressive Communications (APC) participated in a side event at the 43rd session of the Human Rights Council (HRC43) to look at how to move forward on safeguarding the intersection of freedom of religion or belief and gender equality.

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.

Joint statement calls for allocation of sufficient resources for UN’s principal human rights body
Joint statement calls for allocation of sufficient resources for UN’s principal human rights body 23 January 2020 Various

Joint statement by organisations urging United Nations Secretary-General to ensure the allocation of sufficient resources for the UN’s principal human rights body to be able to function effectively, so that it can continue to promote and protect human rights across the globe.

Human Rights in the Age of Platforms: "The call for alternatives is growing"
Human Rights in the Age of Platforms: "The call for alternatives is growing" 21 January 2020 APCNews

“Human Rights in the Age of Platforms”, published by the MIT Press, examines the human rights implications of today's platform society. APCNews interviewed Rikke Frank Jørgensen, editor of the publication, who provided insight on the reflections and recommendations captured in this book.

GISWatch launch at the Internet Governance Forum: Artificial intelligence and human rights at the forefront
GISWatch launch at the Internet Governance Forum: Artificial intelligence and human rights at the forefront 19 December 2019 APCNews

The answers, where they exist, on how to build people-centred AI that puts human rights first are certainly complex and often raise further questions. The launch of GISWatch at IGF touched on some of these key issues and it was a special opportunity to gather so many researchers and activists to explore paths for moving forward.

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.

Are we any better at judging right from wrong? Automation in content moderation
Are we any better at judging right from wrong? Automation in content moderation 01 October 2019 Namita

Content moderation online is currently done by most social media companies through a mix of automation (or what is sometimes referred to as artificial intelligence or AI) and human moderators. Automation deals effectively with certain kinds of content – but it is not a foolproof system.

Civil society organisations present joint end-of-session statement at 42nd Human Rights Council
Civil society organisations present joint end-of-session statement at 42nd Human Rights Council 30 September 2019 Various

Civil society organisations presented a joint statement at the 42nd Human Rights Council, noting significant outcomes and sharing recommendations for further consideration.

APC statement against communications shutdown in Jammu and Kashmir
APC statement against communications shutdown in Jammu and Kashmir 14 August 2019 APC

APC condemns the prolonged and intentional disruption of communications services in Jammu and Kashmir by the government of India. Communications blackouts often precede other violations of human rights, and given the history of widespread abuse of rights in Kashmir, this is particularly worrying.

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