Tag: Free Expression

On the tenth anniversary of Tunisia’s revolution, hundreds of Tunisians took to the streets in protest. The ensuing police crackdown on Tunisia’s protests was brutal, revealing the fragility of Tunisians’ democratic freedoms. We call on lawmakers to strengthen and protect their rights, online and off.

Access Now calls for the immediate release of arbitrarily detained protesters, activists, and internet users in Tunisia, and for authorities to urgently halt its escalation on freedom of expression, both online and offline.

Update: February 4, 2021 — As the #FarmersProtest across India continues to grow, the wave of online censorship has accelerated across the country.

The EU is launching the Digital Services Act and the Digital Markets Act. These two key pieces of legislation will impact the future of digital policies and rights online, specifically in relation to online platforms and competition, including the regulation of online advertising.

“We’re at a human rights tipping point.” On Human Rights Day of 2020, Access Now’s Brett Solomon maps out a pathway to take us to a full implementation and vindication of these rights, not just in principle, but in policy and practice.

On Human Rights Day of 2020, we highlight the mandate of E. Tendayi Achiume, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance to fight systematic racism.

Iran has made it easier to cut Iranians off from the global network without disrupting key services, and increased the government’s capacity to spy on and target protesters.

Access Now, Article 19, Fortify Rights, and seven others are calling on authorities in Myanmar to immediately end criminal proceedings against, and release from detention, all those charged in relation to recent protests shining a spotlight on human rights violations and internet shutdowns in Rakhine and Chin states.

Numerous reports have emerged that Telegram and VPNs have been blocked in Cuba. Access Now and the #KeepItOn coalition are calling for transparency, and to ensure internet and digital communications channels are secure, accessible, and open at all times.

If we don’t reach U.N. targets for internet access — providing everyone, everywhere with affordable, open, secure, and high-quality connectivity — we won’t meet the sustainable development goals by 2030.