Business and Human Rights

We urge companies to make their practices more transparent, accountable, and rights-respecting.

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Freedom of Expression

WPFD: Recognizing an ongoing struggle

May 3 is World Press Freedom Day, a day to celebrate the fundamental principles of independent media. But WPFD is also an opportunity to pay attention to where press freedom is under attack around the world–and the increasing tendency of those attacks to occur online. Bloggers and citizen journalists are arrested, jailed, and murdered for the words they write and the images they share; citizens are cut off from each other and from the information they seek because of what governments or companies deem appropriate for society.…

3 May 2013

Blog

Net Discrimination

Tracking network interference around political content in Malaysia

On Sunday, May 5th, Malaysia will go to the polls for a highly contested general election, potentially ending 56 years of single-party rule. But ever since the elections were announced in April, the internet has become become a target: opposition websites and independent media have experienced significant network interference–and with the election days away, pressure is intensifying.…

2 May 2013

Blog

Business and Human Rights

Myanmar bid by world’s largest telcos puts user rights in play

The proposed Myanmar partnership with China Mobile is a chance for Vodafone to test and improve its policies, and train its partner in human rights best practices.…

26 April 2013

Blog

Business and Human Rights

Google pushes back against rising removal requests

Google released its semi-annual transparency report today, indicating an increase in government requests for content removal worldwide–although more than half came from a handful of countries.…

25 April 2013

Press Releases

Business and Human Rights

Access joins coalition for EU Naked Citizens campaign

Today a coalition of civil rights groups warned that citizens could be stripped of their right to privacy by dangerous EU Parliament proposals. The coalition — including Access, EDRi, Privacy International, Bits of Freedom, Panoptykon, La Quadrature du Net, Open Rights Group and Digitale Gesellschaft — released a report detailing the most dangerous amendments to the Data Protection Regulation and a website, nakedcitizens.eu where citizens can take direct action to contact Members of the European Parliament to demand that they protect their fundamental rights.…

25 April 2013

Blog

Business and Human Rights

EU Parliament says no to EU PNR system

The European Parliament took a stand for fundamental rights when the Civil Liberties Committee (LIBE) rejected a privacy-invasive European Commission proposal to allow the use of air travel Passenger Name Record (PNR) data.…

24 April 2013

Blog

Business and Human Rights

Kiobel decision leads US away from global trends on accountability

With the Kiobel decision, the Supreme Court missed an opportunity to send a coherent statement that the “law of nations” is still alive and kicking.…

24 April 2013

Blog

CISPA passes House despite Obama veto threat

The House of Representatives passed the privacy-invading Cybersecurity Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA) by a vote of 288 – 127. The bill must still pass the Senate, and overcome a veto threat from Obama, before it becomes law.…

18 April 2013

Blog

White House — and 14 year olds — reject CISPA

The White House issued a veto threat to congress, saying if CISPA doesn’t include privacy safeguards and civilian oversight, President Obama won’t sign the bill.…

17 April 2013

Blog

Business and Human Rights

Leaseweb releases first transparency report

The Dutch hosting provider Leaseweb releases first transparency report, joining growing ranks of internet companies proactively disclosing their human rights impacts. The Leaseweb report provides insight into both the type of requests faced by hosting companies and provides a model for hosting companies seeking to undertake similar disclosure efforts.…

12 April 2013

Blog

Digital Security

The World Telecommunication Policy Forum: issues to watch

From May 14-16, the World Telecommunication Policy Forum (WTPF) will bring together representatives from government, industry, and the global regulatory community to exchange views on key policy issues related to the internet. The meeting is hosted by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), the same UN agency that hosted the controversial World Conference on International Telecommunications (WCIT) last December in Dubai. We break down the key issues to watch and ways to participate.…

11 April 2013

Blog

Business and Human Rights

AGM season begins: TeliaSonera accounts for rights violations

Marie Ehrlin, newly-elected Chairman of the Board, told reporters at TeliaSonera’s annual shareholder meeting that the company would bring in outside help to review their operations “country by country, transaction by transaction, and deal by deal” after a year of bruising human rights and corruption allegations. For some, this response is not enough.…

5 April 2013

Business and Human Rights

FUNDING

FINANCIALS Financial Statements (PDFs) Federal Tax Returns (PDFs)

5 April 2013

Blog

With Google Glass, everyone can be Little Brother

It’s not just a style thing: you may have good reason to avoid the geek at the bar or in the park wearing Google’s latest invention, the wearable interface known as Glass. Despite its innocuous intent, the life-logging feature ‘Life Bits’ logs everyone who comes into direct contact with the Glass wearer, transforming them into a mobile recording device.…

3 April 2013

Blog

Business and Human Rights

What the Microsoft transparency report does–and does not–tell us about Skype

The Access team has reviewed Microsoft’s transparency report and analyzed what it does–and does not–tell us about law enforcement requests for Skype data, as well as how it measures up to the demands in the January open letter from civil society.…

3 April 2013

Access Now in the News

Business and Human Rights

Transparency report from Microsoft follows open letter from rights groups

Date: March 29, 2013 – Author: Jillian York – Publication: Al Jazeera English

29 March 2013

Blog

Business and Human Rights

Microsoft releases report on law enforcement requests

Last week Microsoft released its first-ever transparency report, detailing its approach and response to law enforcement data requests worldwide.…

25 March 2013

Blog

Access Joins Obama Administration CISPA Veto Letter

Access has joined nearly forty other privacy advocates, civil society organizations, and companies like Reddit and Mozilla in signing a letter urging the Obama administration to renew its veto threat against the resurrected cybersecurity bill CISPA.…

20 March 2013

Blog

Week of Action Opposing CISPA

This week, Access joins a coalition of Internet advocacy organizations in a week of action to express our opposition to the U.S. Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA).…

19 March 2013

Blog

Business and Human Rights

Keeping IP out of TAFTA

On the heels of the announcement of the newly kicked off EU-US Free Trade Agreement (TAFTA), also known as the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), Access joined a group of roughly 35 internet freedom organizations, public health groups, activists, and other public interest leaders to urge both the US and the EU to keep copyright, patents, trademarks and geographical indications — so-called “intellectual property” — out of the negotiations.…

18 March 2013

Blog

Business and Human Rights

Telecom Industry Dialogue to collaborate with GNI on freedom of expression, privacy rights

Access welcomes the announcement of a new collaboration between the Telecommunications Industry Dialogue on Freedom of Expression and Privacy, and the Global Network Initiative. Beginning with a two-year trial, this collaboration holds the potential for meaningful engagement that yields more rights-respecting policies and actions in the telecoms sector.…

12 March 2013

Blog

Free Cookies: Strings attached to browsing raise costs for users

The recent introduction of Do-Not-Track legislation is again bringing the issue of online privacy back to the forefront in the United States. Given its mixed history, lack of widespread agreement on how to treat Do-Not-Track requests, and what sort of behavior constitutes tracking, the effectiveness of existing Do-Not-Track systems are far from adequate.…

11 March 2013

Blog

Peru surveillance bill threatens due process

Joining a growing number of governments proposing regulations that mandate pervasive surveillance, Peru recently introduced a draconian bill that accelerates the review of evidence related to criminal investigations in a way that contravenes the due process rights of Peruvians.…

7 March 2013

Blog

Business and Human Rights

Expanding into Burma, telcos must confront ethical questions

As Burma solicits bids from telcos to build out its telecommunications infrastructure, the country is making it clear that they’re open for business.…

7 March 2013

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