Security and privacy

Can social media platforms tackle online violence without structural change?
Can social media platforms tackle online violence without structural change? 17 August 2021 Marwa Azelmat for GenderIT.org

We welcome the commitments made by Facebook, Google, TikTok and Twitter to tackle online abuse on their platforms. However, without ensuring that the systems they create do not reproduce and amplify existing inequalities, built-in safety tools will only mitigate harms on the surface.

Fun and games and online safety: An innovative approach to digital security training for African women
Fun and games and online safety: An innovative approach to digital security training for African women 03 August 2021 APCNews

Digital security is obviously a serious concern, especially since people are spending more time than ever online. So you wouldn’t expect digital security training to be fun and games – but it can be, as Pollicy and Paradigm Initiative prove with their new joint initiative, Digital SafeTea.

#PegasusProject: States should implement an immediate moratorium on the sale, transfer and use of surveillance technology
#PegasusProject: States should implement an immediate moratorium on the sale, transfer and use of surveillance technology 27 July 2021 APCNews

APC has joined with over 150 other civil society organisations and independent experts to call for the moratorium following media revelations that NSO Group’s Pegasus spyware has been used to facilitate human rights violations around the world on a massive scale.

Joint open letter by civil society organisations and independent experts calling on states to implement an immediate moratorium on the sale, transfer and use of surveillance technology
Joint open letter by civil society organisations and independent experts calling on states to implement an immediate moratorium on the sale, transfer and use of surveillance technology 26 July 2021 Various

Dozens of civil society organisations and independent experts joined forces to express their alarm at the media revelations that NSO Group’s spyware has been used to facilitate human rights violations around the world on a massive scale and to call on states to take immediate measures.

EXPOSÉ: Data rights in the time of COVID-19
EXPOSÉ: Data rights in the time of COVID-19 23 July 2021 APCNews

EXPOSÉ is a new online publication from the Foundation for Media Alternatives that shines a light on the themes of privacy and data protection in the Philippine context. Its first issue focuses on privacy and data protection concerns surfaced or highlighted by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Mapping and Analysis of Privacy Laws and Policies in Africa: Summary Report
Mapping and Analysis of Privacy Laws and Policies in Africa: Summary Report 22 July 2021 Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA)

While privacy has become ever more crucial in a world where digital technologies are key to livelihoods and the promotion of other rights, there are insufficient protections for the right to privacy in many African countries, and some have steadily taken measures to undermine this right.

Personal Information Dispute Mediation Committee initiates collective mediation between Facebook and its users in South Korea
Personal Information Dispute Mediation Committee initiates collective mediation between Facebook and its users in South Korea 20 July 2021 Korean Progressive Network Jinbonet

APC member organisation Korean Progressive Network Jinbonet, in cooperation with the law firm Jihyang, responded to the abuse of personal information by Facebook by bringing this case to the Personal Information Dispute Mediation Committee.

Digital rights in Zimbabwe: Joint submission to the third cycle of the Universal Periodic Review of Zimbabwe
Digital rights in Zimbabwe: Joint submission to the third cycle of the Universal Periodic Review of Zimbabwe 20 July 2021 Various

This UPR submission was co-authored by the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) Zimbabwe Chapter, Small Media and Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA), and supported by APC and numerous other global and regional organisations.

Seeding change: Point of View on rights and freedoms for all genders and sexualities
Seeding change: Point of View on rights and freedoms for all genders and sexualities 14 July 2021 APCNews

How are APC members improving their communities’ lives? Point of View's reports, research and campaigns have made meaningful contributions toward building and amplifying the voices of women and other marginalised genders and removing barriers to voice, speech and expression across India.

Point of View awarded with grant by Omidyar Network India to help women navigate the internet safely
Point of View awarded with grant by Omidyar Network India to help women navigate the internet safely 08 July 2021 APCNews

APC member in India Point of View has been awarded an Omidyar Network Digital Society Challenge grant to create a platform that will provide low-income women access to digital safety information, as well as a helpline to assist women facing issues such as harassment and fraud online.

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