Internet rights
The 36th session of the Human Rights Council is taking place from 11 to 29 September 2017 in Geneva. This session will consider a number of thematic reports from Special Rapporteurs Independent Experts, and the Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights, some of which will touch on internet-related rights issues, including a report focused on assistive and robotics technology, artificial intelligence and automation with respect to the enjoyment of human rights by older persons. Concerns ...
At APC, we are concerned at the increasing undermining of democracy and due process in Brazil, in particular through the implication of media conglomerates in the unfolding events. APC believes that the media should serve the public interest, both online and offline, and that the internet is a critical platform for alternative media voices, and in this regard we encourage policy and regulation that support an open internet and media diversity. After the...
APC will be at RightsCon Tunis, the first RightsCon summit hosted in the Middle East and North Africa, where more than 2,500 expert practitioners will come together across over 400 sessions to shape, contribute to, and drive forward the global agenda for the future of human rights in the digital age. APC will join RightsCon to promote conversations on a range of issues, including...
Access to the internet is becoming subject to increasing restrictions worldwide, including numerous African countries, as we reported a few months ago in “It’s like being cut off from the world”. This is particularly so in the case of Uganda, where the newest member of the APC network, Unwanted Witness, is based. We talked to Dorothy Mukasa, executive director of the organisation, about c...
The Stockholm Internet Forum (SIF) is conceived as “a platform for advancing a free, open and secure internet as a driver of development.” Organised by the Swedish International Development Agency (Sida) every two years, it gathers together hundreds of participants from around the world and a wide range of stakeholder groups for the exchange of ideas, knowledge and collaboration. At this ye...
As an internet rights activist based in the global South, I often find myself musing over whether, within the African context in particular, access to a safe, free and open internet is possible. I also wonder whether governance and democracy can ever intersect in the scheme of things. Policy making remains central in these reflections. Ultimately, policy should be transformative – meaning tha...
Amid growing concern about digital surveillance and the restriction of rights online, APC and its network have continued to fight for a free and open internet that protects and enables human rights for all. This focus has been crucial to our mandate and mission since the outset, and it remains one of our key strategic priorities today. In 2018, APC and its network made strides to address the ch...
The African Declaration on Internet Rights and Freedoms Secretariat and several members of the African Declaration Coalition met in Entebbe, Uganda to brainstorm on the building blocks of a 36-month strategic plan for cultivating an environment that respects human rights online in the region. The new strategic plan will be developed as part of the “Securing human rights online in Africa throu...
Recognising the fundamental right to express our views, free from repression, we the undersigned civil society organisations call on the international community, including the United Nations, multilateral and regional institutions as well as democratic governments committed to the freedom of expression, to take immediate steps to hold Saudi Arabia accountable for grave human rights violations. ...
The 39th session of the Human Rights Council (HRC) is taking place on 10-28 September 2018 in Geneva. Relevant issues on the agenda this session for internet rights advocates include new reports from the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) on the right to privacy in the digital age and on mechanisms concerned with ensuring the safety of journalists (as well as a resolution ...
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