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Berhan Taye

Africa Policy Manager, Global Internet Shutdowns Lead

Berhan Taye leads Access Now’s work on digital rights in Africa as the Africa Policy Manager. As the Global Internet Shutdowns Lead, Berhan advises Access Now’s #KeepItOn Coalition on policy and advocacy engagements against internet shutdowns. Berhan is also a visiting researcher at the Center for Intellectual Property and Information Technology (CIPIT) at Strathmore University in Nairobi, Kenya. She previously led the #KeepItOn campaign, a global campaign that fights against internet shutdown with a coalition of more than 220 member organizations worldwide. Before joining Access Now, she was a researcher on the Technology for Social Justice Field Scan project, where she researched the tech and social justice space in the US. Before that, she was a Ford-Mozilla Open Web Fellow (2016-2017) with Research Action Design and Open Technology Institute. Berhan previously worked with the Alliance for Affordable Internet researching the gender digital divide in Kenya and at the IGAD’s Conflict Early Warning and Early Response Center mitigating violent conflict in East Africa. Berhan holds an MA in Peace Studies and Public Policy from the University of Notre Dame and a BA in International Relations from Malmö University.
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U.N. refugee agency: internet access key to COVID-19 response

18 May 2020

Access Now is engaging with the UNHCR to support refugees deliberately disconnected from the internet as COVID-19 continues to spread.

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U.N. refugee agency: internet access key to COVID-19 response
18 May 2020
U.N. refugee agency: internet access key to COVID-19 response
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Supreme Court of India fails to restore high-speed internet in Jammu and Kashmir during COVID-19

14 May 2020

The Supreme Court of India this week rendered a judgment in a case challenging the restriction on high-speed mobile connectivity in Jammu and Kashmir.

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Supreme Court of India fails to restore high-speed internet in Jammu and Kashmir during COVID-19
14 May 2020
Supreme Court of India fails to restore high-speed internet in Jammu and Kashmir during COVID-19
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Indonesians seek justice after internet shutdown

13 May 2020

Access Now filed a “friend of the court” brief in support of a legal case challenging the 2019 internet shutdowns in the Papua and West Papua provinces of Indonesia.

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Indonesians seek justice after internet shutdown
13 May 2020
Indonesians seek justice after internet shutdown
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#KeepItOn: Global rights groups urgently demand restoration of 4G internet access in Jammu and Kashmir

24 Apr 2020

The #KeepItOn coalition is calling on India to restore access to 4G high-speed internet access as a first step towards the containment of the COVID-19 virus and related health needs.

Press Release
#KeepItOn: Global rights groups urgently demand restoration of 4G internet access in Jammu and Kashmir
24 Apr 2020
#KeepItOn: Global rights groups urgently demand restoration of 4G internet access in Jammu and Kashmir
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#KeepItOn: Open letter to the government of India on lifting internet restrictions in Jammu and Kashmir during COVID-19 pandemic

24 Apr 2020

We, the undersigned organizations, write to reiterate our call on the government of India to lift the restriction on 4G high-speed internet access in the Jammu and Kashmir region.

Press Release
#KeepItOn: Open letter to the government of India on lifting internet restrictions in Jammu and Kashmir during COVID-19 pandemic
24 Apr 2020
#KeepItOn: Open letter to the government of India on lifting internet restrictions in Jammu and Kashmir during COVID-19 pandemic
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Global civil society urges Gulf countries to unblock internet calling services

7 Apr 2020

Access Now, together with more than 25 organizations, signed a joint statement urging the UAE, Oman, and Qatar to permanently lift the ban on WhatsApp, FaceTime, Skype, and all other VoIP platforms, especially in light of the global COVID-19 pandemic.

Press Release
Global civil society urges Gulf countries to unblock internet calling services
7 Apr 2020
Global civil society urges Gulf countries to unblock internet calling services
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COVID-19: Gulf governments must unblock all VoIP technologies

7 Apr 2020

More than 25 civil society organizations from around the world are calling on the UAE, Oman, and Qatar to immediately and permanently restore access to services for internet voice and video calls.

Press Release
COVID-19: Gulf governments must unblock all VoIP technologies
7 Apr 2020
COVID-19: Gulf governments must unblock all VoIP technologies
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اكسس ناو تطالب دول منطقة الخليج برفع الحظر عن تقنيات VoIP بشكل دائم:

7 Apr 2020
Press Release
اكسس ناو تطالب دول منطقة الخليج برفع الحظر عن تقنيات VoIP بشكل دائم:
7 Apr 2020
اكسس ناو تطالب دول منطقة الخليج برفع الحظر عن تقنيات VoIP بشكل دائم:
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في ظل جائحة كوفيد-19: على الحكومات الخليجية رفع الحظر عن جميع تقنيات الـ VoIP

7 Apr 2020
Press Release
في ظل جائحة كوفيد-19: على الحكومات الخليجية رفع الحظر عن جميع تقنيات الـ VoIP
7 Apr 2020
في ظل جائحة كوفيد-19: على الحكومات الخليجية رفع الحظر عن جميع تقنيات الـ VoIP
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Une promesse non tenue de #KeepItOn: la Guinée coupe l’accès à Internet et bloque les médias sociaux le jour du référendum

30 Mar 2020

Cet arrêt délibéré a porté atteinte aux droits de l’homme, a mis la santé et la sécurité des personnes en danger lors de l’épidémie de COVID-19 et a perturbé le discours démocratique libre et ouvert.

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Une promesse non tenue de #KeepItOn: la Guinée coupe l’accès à Internet et bloque les médias sociaux le jour du référendum
30 Mar 2020
Une promesse non tenue de #KeepItOn: la Guinée coupe l’accès à Internet et bloque les médias sociaux le jour du référendum