APC, through its network of members and partners, has documented how digital technologies that are so often framed as universal enablers of expression and participation have become a terrain where women human rights defenders (WHRDs), activists and marginalised communities are targeted, silenced and endangered.
From gendered disinformation campaigns and algorithmic abuse that delegitimise women’s voices, to intrusive surveillance and digital repression that mirror and amplify offline violence, APC’s work with networks across Africa, Latin America, SWANA and Asia Pacific reveals a continuum of harms that violate rights to freedom of expression, privacy and association.
Drawing on research, capacity building, submissions to UN processes and feminist holistic security strategies co-developed with grassroots WHRDs and documented through initiatives like the annual Global Information Society Watch (GISWatch) report, this submission situates protection of defenders squarely with the geopolitical and technological realities that shape their safety and participation in public life.
It addresses issues such as:
- Legislative and regulatory measures
- Digital communications
- Digital restrictions to privacy
- Corporate responses.