Across the MENA region, governments are imposing internet shutdowns during student exams. Read our exam shutdown report card and join the call for governments to keep this academic year free of internet shutdowns.

This blog post unpacks concrete initiatives that show how openness in AI development can increase people’s agency over AI and advance the development of public interest technology.

Indefinite internet shutdowns are increasing each year as perpetrators seek to keep entire populations permanently disconnected.

On September 28, 2026, Access Now wrote to four pension funds regarding their investment in AE Industrial Partners (AEI). AEI purchased spyware technology vendor Paragon Solutions in 2024 and merged the company with its holding company REDLattice.

For years, Access Now and civil society have raised the alarm over Telenor’s hasty and irresponsible departure from Myanmar and the potential human rights abuses should Telenor sell its Myanmar enterprise to the military-linked M1 Group.

Access Now, alongside several European civil society organisations, are urging Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, European Union commissioners, and members of the European Parliament to push for changes to Canada’s Bill-C22, the Lawful Access Act.

We, the undersigned organisations and experts, write to urge you to act before Canada’s Senate completes its consideration of Bill C-22, the Lawful Access Act, and to press Canada to remove the bill’s surveillance capability mandates and its blanket data retention regime.

Access Now’s Digital Security Helpline and Vita Activa offer holistic digital safety and mental health support for activists.

Internet shutdowns have to stop. As Access Now marks the 10th anniversary of the #KeepItOn campaign in 2026, we’re reflecting on the path travelled so far — and the journey still to come as we continue to fight to #KeepItOn around the world.

Access Now and the #KeepItOn coalition  — a global network of over 370 organizations from 106 countries working to end internet shutdowns, through an open letter, are urging Zambian authorities to ensure unfettered access to the internet throughout the upcoming election. 

We, the undersigned organizations and members of the #KeepItOn coalition — a global network of over 370 organizations from 106 countries working to end internet shutdowns —  appeal to you, President Hakainde Hichilema, to ensure that people in Zambia have unfettered access to the internet, digital platforms, and all other communication channels throughout the upcoming elections on August 13, 2026. 

MENA’s social media regulations give the appearance of legitimacy but threaten to increase state censorship and control.