
News & updates
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Open letter: Council of the E.U. risks failing human rights in the AI Act
Ahead of the next AI Act trilogue, the we urge the Council of the European Union to effectively regulate the use of AI systems by law enforcement, migration control and national security authorities throughout Europe.

Spyware in Serbia: civil society under attack
Access Now and our partners have discovered that civil society in Serbia have been targeted with invasive spyware technology. Here’s what we know.

فلسطين خارج التغطية: كيف تقطع إسرائيل الإنترنت عن غزة
يقدّم هذا التقرير دراسة لحالة الإنترنت في قطاع غزة طوال شهر أكتوبر 2023 من خلال تحليلٍ حركة الإنترنت حسب مزوّدي خدمات الإنترنت في مختلف مواقع القطاع.

#KeepItOn in conflict: the human impact of internet shutdowns in Amhara region, Ethiopia
This 11 stories from Ethiopian people tells the human impact of internet shutdowns in the Amhara region of Ethiopia in the past 100+ days.

Telegram in Kenya: keep people connected during national exams
People in Kenya have the right to access information and communicate freely online — including through messaging applications like Telegram.

Open letter: clarification on Telegram blocking in Kenya
Civil society organizations demand authorities and telcos in Kenya to explain the blocking of Telegram.

Slipping down the authoritarian hole: Nepal must lift the TikTok ban
Nepal must reverse its ban on TikTok and publish recent directives for social media platforms.

Paltel Group’s response to Access Now and Human Rights Watch’s letter
Access Now and the MENA Alliance for Digital Rights call for immediate restoration of telecoms and internet connectivity in the Gaza Strip.

Letter to Paltel: internet and telecommunications shutdowns and disruptions in Gaza
Human Rights Watch and Access Now wrote to Paltel Group in regards to the ongoing disruption of internet and telecommunications services in the Gaza Strip.

Depleting fuel and infrastructure damage: Gaza’s internet lifeline must be saved
“With an impending internet blackout in Gaza, Access Now and Human Rights Watch received a response from Paltell Group emphasizing Israeli attacks on infrastructure as key blackout contributors and citing challenges in making repairs without a ceasefire.

Coalition warns Congress: don’t use legislative tricks to reauthorize surveillance abuse

How Israel is shutting down the internet in Gaza

Palestine unplugged: how Israel disrupts Gaza’s internet
This report illustrates the state of Gaza’s internet throughout October 2023 by looking at internet traffic by ISPs and locations.

Let the courts decide: civil society takes on EU’s dangerous terrorist content regulation
The coalition filed a complaint against the French decree implementing the EU regulation on addressing the dissemination of terrorist content.

FAQ: Access Now’s Digital Security Helpline and Apple threat notifications
Access Now’s knowledge about ongoing Apple threat notifications sent to people who may have been targeted by state-sponsored spyware attacks

Submission on Bangladesh’s draft Data Protection Act, 2023
Access Now and Tech Global Institute’s submission on Bangladesh’s latest draft of the Data Protection Act, 2023.

Democracy needs privacy: ban rights-violating spyware in India now
India must implement a ban on the use of rights-abusing commercial spyware and make a commitment to reform the country’s surveillance laws.

White House Executive Order on AI: a step forward on civil rights, but Congress must pass privacy law
Access Now calls on the Biden-Harris Administration to protect human rights from bad data practices and algorithmic discrimination.

Gaza’s last link is gone: civil society urges immediate reversal of total communications blackout now shrouding human rights harms
Access Now and the MENA Alliance for Digital Rights call for immediate restoration of telecoms and internet connectivity in the Gaza Strip.

Cómo protegerse en línea en el contexto del conflicto en Gaza
La presente guía de consejos sobre resiliencia digital elaborada por Access Now y SMEX fue diseñada para brindarles apoyo contra las amenazas denunciadas.
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.

Belarus Internet Governance Forum: no civil society dialogue from behind bars

Kritičari vlasti u Srbiji navodno meta špijunskog napada

Palestinians are locked out of Google’s online economy

Critics of Serbia’s government targeted with ‘military-grade spyware’

Spyware abuses travel to Serbia for first time

الفصل العنصري الرقمي واستخدام خوارزميات التواصل الاجتماعي في الأزمات الإنسانية

Gazans Are Trying to Stay Online Under Siege. New Tech Is Struggling to Help.

Claims that NSO’s Pegasus spyware helps Israel find hostages are ‘nonsense,’ experts say

Anti-censorship tools are quietly disappearing into thin air in China

Israel unplugged Gaza: Human rights watchdog says “Internet shutdowns are fatal”

La falta de acuerdo en la Unión Europea pone en peligro la regulación de la inteligencia artificial

منظمات حقوق الإنسان تطالب بوقف فوري لإطلاق النار ميدانيًا ورقميًا في غزة

AI Act’s proposals and counterproposals, Cyber Resilience Act’s path set

AI: which rules do the top tech moguls want?

How India tamed Twitter and set a global standard for online censorship

Internet blackouts in Gaza are a new weapon in the Israel-Hamas war
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.