Tag: Regulation
Blog
RightsCon 2016: Forging the right path for keeping the internet open and secure
Here are the issues we’re reflecting on as we look ahead to RightsCon, our signature conference that gathers digital rights activists, companies, government officials, technologists, and academics from all over the world. …
24 November 2015
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Beyond connectivity: building an inclusive U.N. agenda for internet development
On Monday, October 19th, stakeholders in the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) process gathered in New York for an interactive summit that represents one of the last few chances for civil society to discuss the WSIS findings and help shape the future of the initiative. Access Now joined a diverse coalition of groups to submit a unified revision of the “zero draft” — the draft of language that will become the resolution for adoption by the U.N. General Assembly in December.…
20 October 2015
Press Releases
Civil society groups urge European Parliament to take final steps to real Net Neutrality
Brussels, Belgium – After lawmakers reached an unclear compromise on Net Neutrality and mobile phone roaming charges earlier this year, the proposed Telecoms Single Market regulation has been submitted to the European Parliament for a final vote. In the vote…
6 October 2015
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Shutdowns, surveillance, & discrimination on Human Rights Council agenda
The 30th Session of the U.N. Human Rights Council (“HRC30”) has begun in Geneva. Over the course of the three-week session, the 47 Member States of the Council – and a full slate of civil society representatives, observer states, and technical experts – will debate resolutions and reports on the current status of human rights worldwide. Access and the Association for Progressive Communications (APC) have compiled highlights identifying the key digital rights issues on the Council’s agenda, as well as relevant side events and countries under review in the Universal Periodic Review.…
15 September 2015
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CISA fails to pass before break, yet the fight is far from over
The U.S. Senate is heading home for summer recess without taking further action on the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act (CISA), a.k.a. the “Darth Vader” surveillance bill. This is a victory for everyone who has spoken out against CISA. So far, you’ve generated more than six million faxes, sending a strong message to Congress: We want real security, not more cybersurveillance.…
5 August 2015
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Five Eyes’ surveillance under fire by U.N. Human Rights Committee
Last week the U.N. Human Rights Committee graded the United States on its surveillance practices. It also issued “concluding observations” for seven countries on human rights, including “Five Eyes” members Canada and the United Kingdom. In the conclusions the Committee strongly condemned the use of surveillance as a violation of the right to privacy.
…4 August 2015
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Coalition calls for an end to data retention mandates in the U.S.
In the joint letter, we told the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) that requiring mass retention of phone records “exposes consumers to data breaches, stifles innovation, reduces market competition, and threatens fundamental privacy rights.”…
3 August 2015
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UK courts hacking away at surveillance powers
Last week, the UK High Court issued an opinion explaining how emergency legislation passed last summer — the Data Retention and Investigatory Powers Act of 2014 (DRIPA) — violates EU law. We analyze the ruling and consider the implications for the future of privacy and data retention in Europe.…
29 July 2015
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Encryption debate heats up on the Hill in advance of Crypto Summit
Today, senior members of the Obama Administration, including the director of the FBI, visited the U.S. Senate Judiciary and Intelligence committees to discuss encryption policy. FBI Director James Comey, along with officials from the Department of Justice and state law enforcement, requested a “dialogue” with the private sector to enable the government to obtain exceptional access to encrypted data. Yet leading security experts have made clear that such access would undermine the security of technology and the privacy of internet users around the world. …
8 July 2015
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Breaking news: “Pyrawebs” rejected for good [Espanol/English]
This afternoon, the Paraguayan Senate voted against a bill that would have mandated internet service providers (ISPs) to store internet communications metadata for one year, thus rejecting the “Pyrawebs” initiative for good. …
4 June 2015
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U.S. passes first significant surveillance reform in a generation
On Wednesday, President Obama signed into law the USA FREEDOM Act of 2015, which bans bulk collection under some U.S. surveillance powers, increases transparency, and improves accountability of surveillance agencies and oversight mechanisms. The law is far from perfect, but its passage is the first step in a long journey toward comprehensive surveillance reform that protects the human rights of all people around the world. …
4 June 2015
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Amid surveillance reform debate, U.S. faces criticism of its human rights record
The United States sat through its 2nd-ever hearing at the Human Rights Council in Geneva on Monday. The hearing is part of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) process, a fairly new mechanism through which every U.N. member state undergoes scrutiny of its human rights record. We give an overview of what was said about U.S. surveillance, provide the U.S. response in full, and offer our analysis of that response.…
12 May 2015
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U.S. Appellate Court rules against bulk phone surveillance
The 2nd Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals has ruled that bulk collection of U.S. telephone metadata is unlawful. The ruling is the most significant judicial statement to date on the overbreadth of current U.S. surveillance practices.
…8 May 2015
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Episode III: Revenge of the CISPA
Today, Dutch Ruppersberger (D-MD) re-introduced the Cyber Information Sharing and Protection Act (“CISPA”), a bill that has passed the House of Representatives twice previously, both in 2011 and 2013, and subsequently also twice faced a veto threat from the Administration. We once again urge Congress to reject CISPA. Instead, Congress should pass the Secure Data Act. Unlike CIPSA, it would actually protect user privacy and increase data security.…
9 January 2015
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Global state of surveillance: Australia’s terror laws set to erode human rights
The sweeping new powers contained in Australia’s terror laws have the potential to violate privacy and expression rights of Australians and non-Australians and to “strike at the heart of press freedom.” The terror laws create a mutually reinforcing surveillance scheme, greatly restricting the spaces in which people are free to think and to act on and offline.…
29 October 2014
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Obama administration mixes signals on user security
President Obama’s Executive Order is a great first step towards protecting user security. But it is now time to get serious about providing the level of security our personal data deserves. As National Cybersecurity Awareness month winds down, Obama should instruct administration officials to respect and support the increased use of encryption.…
23 October 2014
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Commissioners hearings: The many faces of Digital in the new European Commission
On October 22nd, twenty-seven new European Commissioners selected by President-Elect Jean-Claude Juncker are set to be confirmed by the European Parliament. In the 5 years ahead, a certain number of these incoming Commissioners will have a huge influence on digital rights and security issues that impact the lives of European citizens and, indirectly, the rest of the world. …
19 October 2014