

Ending internet shutdowns to #KeepItOn
Internet shutdowns pose a threat to human rights around the world. They harm everyone: businesses, emergency services, journalism, human rights defenders, and demonstrators. Access Now and the #KeepItOn coalition work with stakeholders across sectors to end internet shutdowns worldwide.
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Blog
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
WSIS+10: Taking stock and driving the global internet policy agenda forward
Last week, a review marking ten years since the UN World Summit on Information Society (WSIS) kicked off in Paris at UNESCO. WSIS was a pair of UN-sponsored conferences held in 2003 in Geneva and 2005 in Tunis, aimed at bridging the digital divide and generally advancing the global discussion about the internet and ICTs. …
4 March 2013

Blog
Russia blacklists site hosting blogs of prominent journalists
The Russian government has blocked access to a blog-hosting site that publishes reports from at least two prominent independent journalists often critical of the Kremlin. The site has been added to the country’s recently established official “internet blacklist.”…
8 February 2013

Blog
Telco Hall of Shame: ZTE
Inductee: ZTE Corp Headquarters: China Board Chairman Hou Weigui and the ZTE Board CORPORATE INFO Countries of Operation: Australia, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Argentina, Algeria, Angola, Bangladesh, Bulgaria, Belarus, Bolivia, Brasil Brasilia, Brasil Sao Paulo, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Czech, Cyprus, Canada,…
8 February 2013


Blog
Telcos called to account for inaction on anniversary of Egypt blackout
Yesterday marked the two-year anniversary of the internet and mobile network blackout designed to undermine the anti-government protests in Egypt. This event catapulted the issue of telecoms and human rights onto the international stage. To mark this anniversary, Access has sent a letter to the telecommunication sector’s Industry Dialogue on Freedom of Expression and Privacy, an industry working group that arose in the aftermath of the incident. The letter addresses the failure of the major telecoms involved to provide principled guidance to the industry and issues a statement of expectations to governments that would request restrictions on user rights.…
28 January 2013

Blog
Two years from Tahrir, no progress on telcos and rights
Two years ago, amidst the protests in Tahrir Square, telcos in Egypt shut down their networks, cutting of citizens from the global internet. Since then, the telecom industry has made promises to develop rights-respecting guidelines and principles, but has failed to deliver.…
25 January 2013

Blog
Broken promises: Pakistan announces plans to launch censorship firewall, possibly with Chinese tech
New mechanisms to censor websites and filter mobile communications could come online in Pakistan, possibly within 60 days, according to government officials in the country and activists on the ground. News that the censorship system is being built directly conflicts with promises made by Pakistani government officials a little less than a year ago to not pursue massive online censorship.…
25 January 2013