Access Now

On March 30-April 1, we’ll hold RightsCon 2016, returning once again to Silicon Valley. Help shape the discussion by submitting an idea for a session.

Access Now condemns the recent attacks on our civil society partners, the Association for Progressive Communications (APC), and others who have worked for many years in this important space. Every internet user deserves the ability to fully exercise their human rights without harassment or threats of physical harm. As we have seen time and time again, online harassment affects many communities, and specifically women, communities of color, and marginalized minorities.

Today Facebook announced several changes to Internet.org in response to growing international complaints about the program. While some of the changes are positive, our core concerns remain — the program now known as Free Basics violates Net Neutrality and establishes Facebook as a global gatekeeper for internet connectivity, affecting billions of peoples’ ability to connect to the free and open internet.

Rights groups won a major victory for free expression in Malaysia as a High Court lifted a three-month ban on The Edge Media Group. The decision follows months of sustained pressure by local advocacy groups in Malaysia and international organizations including Access Now. Sarawak Report, another major media organization in Malaysia, remains blocked.

This year Access created a Diversity Working Group with the aim of proactively cultivating our policies, programs, and culture toward one that is considerate and reflective of a diverse staff and community. Here’s what we’re working on and next steps.

Access released our new report, “The Rise of Mobile Tracking Headers: How Telcos Around the World Are Threatening Your Privacy,” an in-depth investigation into the global use of so-called “supercookies” or “permacookies” to track your web browsing.

Today, Access kicked off our inaugural Crypto Summit, a multistakeholder conference devoted to emerging questions about cryptography and the future of the internet. These are edited remarks from Access’ Technology Director Jamie Tomasello and U.S. Policy Manager Amie Stepanovich from the event in Washington, DC.

There is now clear evidence that Hacking Team company sells surveillance software to countries including Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Russia, Ecuador, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, the Sudan, and the United Arab Emirates. The sale of surveillance tools to rights-abusing regimes directly impacts users at risk, including journalists, bloggers, sexual rights activists, members of the LGBTIQ community, and human rights defenders. We take a look at how people in these countries can protect themselves, and explore how companies and governments should respond.

Today Access is participating in informal interactive consultations on the World Summit on the Information Society “WSIS+10” review. The consultations are taking place during the UN General Assembly, and are organized by the President of the 69th session of the assembly. We assert that for the full promise of the internet to flower, we must keep human rights central to the WSIS process and ensure that states adhere to their human rights commitments, specifically by ending unlawful surveillance and protecting the right to privacy; stopping censorship and internet shutdowns; ensuring our rights are not undermined in the name of cyber security; and protecting Net Neutrality and preventing the discrimination of data, content, or platforms.