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.
Access Now urges the Ninth Circuit to protect encryption from NSO’s spyware
Yesterday, Access Now and ten other civil society organizations filed an amicus brief in the U.S.’ Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals calling to protect encryption from NSO Group’s Pegasus spyware and to keep the lower court’s permanent injunction forbidding NSO from ever targeting WhatsApp or its customers’ devices ever again.
Meta blocks human rights accounts from reaching audiences in Saudi Arabia and the UAE
Criminalizing truth: Gulf governments must end the crackdown on information
Microsoft: it’s time to come clean about your ties to the Israeli military
Through a new joint letter, we’re calling on Microsoft to publish the findings of its review into the Israeli military’s use of the company services.
Joint letter to Microsoft regarding Israeli military use of Azure cloud and AI services
A follow up to our open letter regarding Microsoft’s formal review of recent allegations about Israel’s usage of Azure cloud for the surveillance and targeting of Palestinians.
Submission on amendments to the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 (“IT Rules, 2021”)
Stay informed: Get Access Now updates
Here’s where you can subscribe to the Access Now Express newsletter and action alerts.
Mi Privacidad es mi Voto: Fortaleciendo la integridad informativa en América Latina
Join us for RightsCon 2026 in Lusaka, Zambia!
التجسس لقمع المعارضة: هجمة تصيّد إلكتروني مأجورة تستهدف المجتمع المدني في منطقة الشرق الأوسط وشمال أفريقيا
كشف تحقيق جديد أجراه فريق خط المساعدة للأمن الرقمي التابع لمنظمة أكسس ناو عن هجمة تصيّد إلكتروني مأجورة، استهدفت اثنين من الصحفيين المصريين البارزين والمعارضين .للحكومة
Amicus Brief to the European Court of Human Rights on spyware and surveillance in Azerbaijan
Stop political scapegoating: Ghanaian MPs must reject dangerous anti-LGBTQ+ bill
Access Now and Rightify Ghana have urged the government of Ghana to put human rights first and reject the repressive Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, 2025.
Espionage for repression: hack-for-hire phishing campaign targets civil society in MENA
A new investigation by Access Now’s Digital Security Helpline has exposed a hack-for-hire campaign targeting two prominent Egyptian journalists and government critics, Mostafa Al-A’sar and Ahmed Eltantawy, through a series of spear-phishing attacks.
Espionage for repression: hack-for-hire phishing campaign targets civil society in MENA
A new investigation by Access Now’s Digital Security Helpline has exposed a hack-for-hire campaign targeting two prominent Egyptian journalists and government critics.
Hack-for-hire: new report investigates hacking campaign against Egyptian journalists
A new report by Access Now’s Digital Security Helpline, Espionage for repression: forensic analysis of a cross-border hack-for-hire campaign targeting civil society in MENA, exposes a hack-for-hire campaign targeting two prominent Egyptian journalists and government critics, Mostafa Al-A’sar and Ahmed Eltantawy, through a series of spear-phishing attacks.
Breaking records, breaking connections: internet shutdowns in EECA in 2025
Launching today, March 31, 2026, Access Now and the #KeepItOn coalition’s new report, Rising repression meets global resistance: Internet shutdowns in 2025, reveals that at least 313 shutdowns were implemented in 52 countries. In Eastern Europe and Central Asia the internet was shut down 29 times in seven countries.
Resistiendo en la oscuridad: apagones de internet en 2025
Hoy, 31 de marzo de 2026, publicamos el nuevo reporte de Access Now y la coalición #KeepItOn, (Rising repression meets global resistance: Internet shutdowns in 2025). El mismo revela al menos 313 apagones en 52 países. En América Latina y el Caribe, el servicio de internet fue interrumpido en cinco ocasiones en dos países: Venezuela y Panamá.
Blocking millions in MENA: internet shutdowns in 2025
Launching today, March 31, 2026, Access Now and the #KeepItOn coalition’s new report, Rising repression meets global resistance: Internet shutdowns in 2025, reveals that at least 313 shutdowns were implemented in 52 countries. Across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), authorities and other actors imposed at least 52 internet shutdowns across 15 countries in 2025, highlighting the continued rise of digital repression across the region.
One region, half the world’s shutdowns: internet shutdowns in the Asia Pacific in 2025
Resilience and resistance: internet shutdowns in Africa in 2025
Launching today, March 31, 2026, Access Now and the #KeepItOn coalition’s new report, Rising repression meets global resistance: Internet shutdowns in 2025, reveals that at least 313 shutdowns were implemented in 52 countries. In Africa, the internet was shut down 30 times in 15 countries.
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.
A statement to our community on why RightsCon 2026 is not taking place in Zambia
The Guardian view on the splinternet: where China led, Iran and others are eagerly following
Hackers are trying to steal Signal users’ backups in new wave of phishing attacks
Palestinians risked their lives to document Gaza, then came the algorithm
What we know about how the U.S. government uses spyware (and what we don’t)
هل يصبح قطع الإنترنت جريمة ضد الإنسانية؟
‘Blatant disregard for rights’: concern grows over Gabon’s social media clampdown
Google le da la mano a Bukele para experimentar con el sistema de salud salvadoreño
The clandestine network smuggling Starlink tech into Iran to beat internet blackout
Paragon non ha ancora dato risposte sull’uso dei suoi spyware alla giustizia italiana, a un anno dallo scandalo sullo spionaggio di giornalisti e attivisti
L’UE, pionnière pour encadrer l’IA, a-t-elle jeté l’éponge ?
Reporting when the internet goes dark
2025 was the worst year on record for internet shutdowns as censors move to more targeted blocks
AI beyond business: digital rights, NGOs, and the fight against food waste
The dark side of the kill switch: inside 2025’s record-breaking internet shutdowns
Hack-for-hire spyware campaign targets journalists in Middle East, North Africa
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.
Digital security in war and conflict: challenges for civil society and tools for resilience
May 19 @ 9:00 am – 10:00 am EDT
Join the next webinar organized by the Digital Security Helpline, to discuss key trends and strategies to keep at-risk actors safe online.
Advancing Rights-Centered reporting on Nigeria’s Cybercrimes Act
April 21 @ 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm WAT
Access Now at India AI Impact Summit 2026
February 16 – February 20 UTC+5.5