Our reports cover a country’s human rights obligations, developments since the last review, and pressing examples with evidence to show how rights are being violated or put at risk. …
10 October 2018
The 26th session of the Human Rights Council (HRC26) will take place in Geneva from 10 to 27 June. A wide range of internet-related human rights issues will be discussed at this HRC26 session, including racism and the internet, online freedom of expression during elections processes, and technology-related violence against women. These discussions signal a continuing trend at the HRC of a focus on the internet and human rights.…
18 December 2015
Access, together with the Association for Progressive Communications (APC), Reporters Without Borders (RWB), the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), and Privacy International have submitted a written statement to the UN Human Rights Council’s 24th session. The statement highlights the need to bring surveillance practices in line with international human rights norms, in a manner consistent with the International Principles on the Application of Human Rights to Communications Surveillance, and makes specific recommendations to the HRC. …
18 December 2015
Access and the Association for Progressive Communications (APC) have prepared a short briefing on the internet related human rights items that will be addressed at Human Rights Council 24, as well as some background on the Council’s work on the internet and human rights.…
18 December 2015
The 27th session of the Human Rights Council (HRC27) will take place in Geneva from 8-26 September 2014. Internet rights and freedoms will feature prominently with the highlight being the Council’s consideration of the landmark report of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights on the Right to Privacy in the Digital Age and related panel discussion on September 12th and a discussion on violence against children online. Learn more in this briefing note prepared by APC and Access. …
15 December 2015
Today countries around the world urged the small island state of Nauru to restore access to social media and support free expression. Delivered in a session at the United Nations Human Rights Council, the recommendations — presented by official delegations from the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, and Timor Leste, among others — represent a sharp rebuke after Nauru clamped down on free expression over the past year, including blocking Facebook. In a separate action, Access Now delivered a petition to the government of Nauru signed by more than 5,000 people calling on the government to restore full access to the internet.…
3 November 2015
The 28th session of the Human Rights Council (HRC28) is taking place right now through March 27 in Geneva. Access developed a policy brief with our partners at APC highlighting 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.…
17 March 2015
Access joined 62 other non-governmental organizations in calling for the UN Human Rights Council to appoint a new, independent expert on the right to privacy on Monday. The letter recommends a mandate of exploring the scope and content of the right to privacy and also that the expert should provide guidance to ensure that states, companies, and implement and enforce the right. …
2 March 2015
The UN Human Rights Council will review the human rights record of the government of Spain on Wednesday as part of its Universal Periodic Review. Access calls on UN member states to recommend that Spain halt the criminalization of encryption, and to protect the rights of all users in the country. …
20 January 2015