
News & updates
Stay up to date with Access Now’s latest news, analysis, reports, events, community resources, and more. For a weekly digest in your inbox, subscribe to the Access Now Express, or scroll down to see the latest.

Where to find Access Now at FIFAfrica 2023

Jordan passes flawed data protection law
Jordan has finally passed a data protection law. However, the text still ignores major shortcomings.

EU policymakers: regulate police technology!
Civil society calls on EU policymakers to regulate policy technology.

Fundamental rights impact assessments are key for effective DSA enforcement
Under the EU DSA, companies designated as VLOPs or VLOSEs must assess fundamental rights risks stemming from their services. Access Now and ECNL have published a new policy paper to support enforcement of this requirement.

Towards meaningful fundamental rights impact assessments under the DSA

شركة إكس لإيلون ماسك يجب أن تضمن السلامة لمستخدميها، مع إصدار السلطات السعودية أول عقوبة إعدام لمجرد النشاط على وسائل التواصل الاجتماعي
أكساس ناو تنضم إلى الشركاء في دعوة شركة إكس لإيلون ماسك للأولوية في حماية مستخدميها، عقب إدانة فرد بالإعدام من قبل السلطات السعودية استنادًا فقط إلى نشاطهم على وسائل التواصل الاجتماعي.

Elon Musk’s X must ensure safety of users, as Saudi authorities issue first death sentence solely for social media activity
Access Now joins partners in urging Elon Musk’s X to prioritize the protection of its users, following the sentencing of an individual to death by Saudi Arabian authorities solely based on their social media activity.

COP28: UAE authorities must stop greenwashing human rights abuses

The world must not forget Mahsa Amini
It has been a year since Mahsa Amini died while in the custody of Iran’s “morality police,” leading to waves of protests across the country – and a subsequent crackdown by the country’s rulers against dissent, both offline and online. We’ve mapped some of the troubling trends in Iran’s digital authoritarian playbook.

Open letter: Governments must address UAE human rights abuses ahead of COP28
Access Now and over 200 organizations call on governments to address the UAE’s human rights abuses ahead of COP28.

Exiled media under attack: Access Now documents first-time use of Pegasus against Russian journalist
A new investigation by Access Now and Citizen Lab reveals first-time use of Pegasus spyware against exiled Russian media.

Hacking Meduza: Pegasus spyware used to target Putin’s critic
The publisher of Russian independent media org Meduza was hacked with NSO’s Pegasus spyware. As both Russia and Latvia are potential culprits, Access Now demands accountability and sanctions.

Authorities in Ethiopia must restore internet access in Amhara

Preserving freedom in crisis: Ethiopia’s internet shutdowns must not become the norm
Authorities in Ethiopia must stop the trend of internet shutdowns and restore access to the internet in Amhara.

Joint statement: EU legislators must close dangerous loophole in AI Act
Big Tech has lobbied to introduce a major loophole to the EU AI Act’s high-risk classification process. We call on EU legislators to maintain a high level of protection in the AI Act.

An open letter to the RightsCon community about RightsCon Costa Rica and what comes next
We explain the challenges and exclusion some participants faced, apologize and take accountability for our role, and share thoughts on the road ahead.

Stop mass surveillance in India: the government must be held accountable
Access Now demands that the Indian government’s surveillance impunity ends now.

El Salvador: cómo los datos poco fiables acorralan a las personas migrantes en Estados Unidos

19 civil society organizations call on US administration to press the UAE to release Ahmed Mansoor ahead of COP 28
In a joint letter to U.S. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken, we urge him to call upon the UAE government to promptly and unconditionally release Ahmed Mansoor.

El Salvador: how dirty data entraps immigrants to the U.S.
The U.S. is using unreliable information from El Salvador for immigration processes, entrapping innocent immigrants. It’s time to stop dirty data-sharing agreements, reform the process, and protect people’s rights.
Access Now in the news
Access Now’s team members provide expert commentary to media outlets around the world. Contact [email protected] to arrange an interview with one of our staff, and subscribe to our media alerts for regular updates.

Meta releases second human rights report, activists say no concrete plan to tackle issues in India

The ramifications of spyware targeting a Russian journalist

More Russian journalists investigating possible spyware infections

Exiled Russian media co-founder targeted by Pegasus spyware

Census or spy op? Upcoming population count raises alarm

Spyware critics sound off in wake of hack of Russian journalist

Iran steps up internet crackdown one year after Mahsa Amini death

India keeps pulling the plug on its digital economy

The million-dollar reporter

In first, Russian journalist hacked with Pegasus

Exiled Russian journalist hacked using NSO Group spyware

Russia-Ukraine war updates: Kyiv says Russian targets damaged in Crimea

မြန်မာမှာ အင်တာနက်အပြင် ဒေသတချို့ ဖုန်းလိုင်းဖြတ်တောက်ခံထားရ

Control+Alt+Suppress: Jordan’s cybercrime bill and the growth of state censorship

ما خفي أعظم ــ الفضاء المغلق

India’s G20 opportunity: Internet shutdowns hamper Digital India promise – it’s time to commit to ending them
Events
Join us at an upcoming event hosted by Access Now or our partners, and reach out to connect with us in person or online.

Internet Governance Forum (IGF) Japan 2023
October 8 @ 8:00 am – October 12 @ 5:30 pm JST

Forum on Internet Freedom in Africa (FIFAfrica) 2023
September 27 @ 9:00 am – September 29 @ 5:00 pm EAT
The annual Forum on Internet Freedom in Africa (FIFAfrica) hosted by the Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA) will be held in Dar es Salam, Tanzania on September 27-29, 2023.

Media briefing: critical human rights issues at stake in the draft UN Cybercrime Treaty
August 23 @ 1:30 pm – 2:30 pm EDT
Experts from EFF, Human Rights Watch, and four internationalallies will brief reporters on critical flaws in the draft UN Cybercrime Treaty

From catalyst for freedom to tool for repression: social media and gendered disinformation in Tunisia?
July 13 @ 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm CET
On the 13th of July, join us with #ShePersisted for a one hour online event on the impact of gendered disinformation in Tunisia.