Blog
To protect privacy in the digital age, world governments can and must do more
The latest U.N. privacy resolution does not go far enough, missing the opportunity to respond firmly to the human rights threats posed by systemic racism, artificial intelligence, facial recognition technology, and other key technological and social developments.…
25 January 2021
Press Releases
Civil society organizations call for a full integration of human rights in the deployment of digital identification systems
In August 2020, more than 60 civil society organizations from across the world come together for dialogue with the World Bank’s ID4D Initiative and other key stakeholders. The consultation was an intervention to center human rights in the field of digital ID, and today we are releasing a report summarizing the discussion.…
17 December 2020
Blog
Can human rights survive the digital age? Only if we do these things
“We’re at a human rights tipping point.” On Human Rights Day of 2020, Access Now’s Brett Solomon maps out a pathway to take us to a full implementation and vindication of these rights, not just in principle, but in policy and practice. …
10 December 2020
Blog
Fighting systemic racism in the digital age: a global challenge
On Human Rights Day of 2020, we highlight the mandate of E. Tendayi Achiume, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance to fight systematic racism.…
9 December 2020
Press Releases
The fight continues this Human Rights Day: Access Now event highlights
December 10 is World Human Rights Day 2020. Under the theme “Recover Better — Stand Up for Human Rights”, organizations and individuals across the globe are coming together to advance — and innovate — the fight for human rights in the digital era. See Access Now’s recommended events:…
9 December 2020
Blog
Digital rights are human rights: Holding Australia, Georgia, Myanmar, and Nauru to account at the U.N.
When member states fail to protect human rights — such as by cutting off internet access in the middle of a global pandemic — we leverage the UPR process to call attention to that failure and press for change. …
10 September 2020
Blog
New U.N. “Roadmap” on tech: only useful if we drive “digital cooperation” forward
What role can the United Nations play in shaping the future of digital rights? A new Roadmap for Digital Cooperation aims to galvanize efforts to “connect, respect, and protect people in the digital age.” Will it work?…
23 June 2020
Press Releases
Brazil Congress moving forward disinformation bill that brings free expression and privacy harms to new levels
Brazilian senators are expected to vote this Thursday, June 25, on a bill aiming to curb the spread of misinformation that require ID registration to access and use social media in the country, among other dangerous provisions.…
22 June 2020
Blog
Government responses to COVID-19 reinforce the need to ask — #WhyID?
The ongoing global health crisis has demonstrated with painful clarity the risks posed by digital identity systems that centralize biometric data, health records, and other sensitive personal information. It is essential that governments, development agencies, funders, and all other stakeholders first ask the question #WhyID.…
29 April 2020
Access Now in the News
Pandemic panopticon: Israeli surveillance during COVID-19
Al Jazeera
19 April 2020