Freedom of Expression
Last week, Malaysia’s Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) confirmed it had blocked access to the news website Sarawak Report for publishing “unverified content.” We condemn attempts to restrict fundamental rights in Malaysia. Attempts to censor publications by blocking website access or filing bogus copyright claims violate users’ rights to freedom of opinion and expression, and access to information.
…29 July 2015
Today Access is participating in informal interactive consultations on the World Summit on the Information Society “WSIS+10” review. The consultations are taking place during the UN General Assembly, and are organized by the President of the 69th session of the assembly. We assert that for the full promise of the internet to flower, we must keep human rights central to the WSIS process and ensure that states adhere to their human rights commitments, specifically by ending unlawful surveillance and protecting the right to privacy; stopping censorship and internet shutdowns; ensuring our rights are not undermined in the name of cyber security; and protecting Net Neutrality and preventing the discrimination of data, content, or platforms.
…2 July 2015
The Delfi AS v. Estonia case, which has profound implications for freedom of expression online, today reached its conclusion with a ruling by the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights. Unfortunately, this long-awaited decision was not the right one. The Grand Chamber, the highest human rights court in Europe, ruled in favor of Estonia, embracing the idea that websites should be held liable for certain types of anonymous comments posted by users. …
16 June 2015
As corruption scandals related to international soccer continue to put pressure on FIFA, world governments, and companies in the sports industry, Azerbaijan is preparing to host a major international event: the first-ever European Games. The lack of human rights protections in Azerbaijan — online and offline — poses a threat to people living there, as well to journalists and others visiting to watch the games. We take a look at the digital rights landscape in Azerbaijan, and the implications for people who may be at risk for human rights violations.…
12 June 2015
On Tuesday, the Canadian Senate voted in favor of the controversial Bill C-51 with a count of 44-28. The bill, which hundreds of thousands of Canadians have spoken out against, can criminalize political discussion even when it’s conducted in private. It centralizes data kept on citizens, empowers intelligence services to make arrests, and even allows intelligence to conduct disruptive operations such as altering a seized website or conducting a man-in-the-middle attack.…
11 June 2015
Access hails the new report by UN human rights expert David Kaye that defends the use of encryption as necessary for free expression, and that affirms digital security as essential for the broader advancement of human rights.…
28 May 2015
This year’s RightsCon, held in Manila, was a sold-out event bringing together 660 attendees from 56 different countries to explore real-world strategies for keeping the internet open and free. It was an extraordinarily productive conference. To participate, the leader of each session was asked a simple question: How would your engagement create real-world change? The newly released RightsCon Southeast Asia Outcomes Report shows how the participants — representing civil society, the private sector, government, tech, and academia — answered that question. …
27 May 2015