Access Now is thrilled to announce the official dates for next year’s RightsCon, the world’s leading summit on human rights in the digital age. RightsCon Tunis will officially take place from Tuesday, June 11, to Friday, June 14, 2019.
We’re proud to share that alongside our team in Tunis we have found the perfect venue for hosting the growing RightsCon community. RightsCon Tunis will be a bustling hub, located at the Laico Hotel and the Palais des Congrès, right next to the city’s Human Rights Square, and just a few minutes’ walk from the heart of downtown Tunis. Check out our interactive map of the venue here.
Since 2011, RightsCon has rotated to power centers around the world — from San Francisco to Rio de Janeiro, Manila, Brussels, and last year, Toronto. RightsCon Toronto was a historic gathering. With over 2,500 participants and 450 unique sessions, it was the largest — and most ambitious — event in the RightsCon summit series to date (you can see what our community achieved in our recap video and our official outcomes report).
The summit was an inspiring testament to the growing relevance of our community’s work and the importance of our collective efforts toward protecting and defending human rights around the world.
Building on the success of RightsCon Toronto, RightsCon Tunis will continue to be a space for civil society, technologists, businesses, startups, public servants, and lawyers to connect, collaborate, build strategies, draft declarations, and move forward real-world change. Whether in provocative plenaries, intimate roundtables, informal meetings, or the lively Community Village, RightsCon Tunis will help shape the future of human rights in the digital age.
RightsCon Tunis will be the summit’s eighth iteration, the first hosted in Africa and the Middle East. As an emerging tech center and growing democracy, Tunisia has been a beacon of hope for others across the region and the world — yet there is still so much work to do.
Next year’s program will tackle current pressing issues and those on the horizon, including:
- Election integrity and the erosion of democratic values;
- Artificial intelligence and algorithmic accountability;
- Our identities online, biometrics, and facial recognition technology;
- The convergence of emerging technologies;
- Data trust, protection, and user control — locally, regionally, and globally;
- Misinformation and the future of journalism;
- Preventing net discrimination and promoting Net Neutrality;
- Privacy, surveillance, and societal control;
- Digital inclusion and accessibility;
- Technology as a tool for the Sustainable Development Goals;
- Strengthening digital security and encryption;
- Cybersecurity policy;
- Conflict and humanitarian response in the digital age;
- And much, much more.
It is more important than ever to bring the RightsCon community together. These topics are just a glimpse of what’s to come.
Soon we’ll share with you important updates on RightsCon Tunis, including information on our new RightsCon community platform, which will host our call for proposals (launching in early October!). This platform will make it easier to manage your overall RightsCon experience. You can also expect details on attending the summit, including ticket sales, hotel accommodations, travel visas, and much more. Stay up to date and learn more about how to join and build the RightsCon community together by subscribing to the RightsCon Rundown.
Join us! Mark your calendar, save the date, and get ready for the official RightsCon Call for Proposals.
For more information or questions about RightsCon, getting involved, or becoming a sponsor, send us a note at [email protected].