Access Now - Latest News [Page 1]
Internet Shutdowns Threaten Elections In Uganda
Tuesday, 12 January 2021, 6:06 am | Access Now
Amidst a growing crackdown on media , human rights defenders, and opposition politicians, the Republic of Uganda will hold general elections on Thursday, January 14. With a dark history of internet and social media blocking during national events , and ... More >>
Dsa: European Commission Delivers On The First Step Toward Systemic Rules For Online Platforms
Wednesday, 16 December 2020, 8:42 am | Access Now
Today, December 15, the European Commission launched a legislative reform that holds the promise of systemic regulation of large online platforms, and consists of the Digital Services Act (DSA) and the Digital Markets Act . Access Now’s initial assessment ... More >>
Tanzania Government Censoring Mobile Networks Ahead Of Presidential Election
Sunday, 25 October 2020, 7:49 am | Access Now
With only four days to go before Tanzania’s hotly contested presidential election on October 28, the Tanzania Communication Regulatory Authority (TCRA) has ordered telco service providers to suspend access to bulk short messaging services (SMS) ... More >>
Fair Elections In Guinea? Keep The Internet Open
Friday, 16 October 2020, 8:34 am | Access Now
For the Republic of Guinea’s presidential elections to be fair and democratic, President Alpha Condé must ensure a stable and open internet before, during, and after polling day — scheduled for October 18, 2020. “The internet plays a crucial ... More >>
Shutdowns In Belarus: Austrian Telco Must Denounce Actions And Commit To Accountability
Friday, 2 October 2020, 9:14 am | Access Now
Austrian-owned A1 Telekom Austria Group must acknowledge its role in election-related internet shutdowns in Belarus, maintain free and open internet, and resist and denounce any and all future orders by the Alyaksandr Lukashenka government to interfere with ... More >>
Civil Society To South Korea: Protect Online Freedom Of Speech
Thursday, 17 September 2020, 6:49 am | Access Now
South Korea's network infrastructure may be state of the art, but the country’s "pay to play" regime for delivering traffic is an unprecedented threat to free and open internet. Access Now, along with 13 other NGOs — including Open ... More >>
Snatching Away A Lifeline: Australia Cannot Deny Asylum Seekers Mobile Phone Access
Wednesday, 2 September 2020, 7:20 am | Access Now
Australian federal lawmakers must reject a problematic new bill that will award the Australian Border Force the right to confiscate mobile phones — and with them the lifeline of information, communication, and documentation they grant — from ... More >>
Trump Executive Orders Targeting China-linked Apps Fail To Protect Privacy, Harm Human Rights
Saturday, 8 August 2020, 3:20 pm | Access Now
Unilateral decrees by the Trump Administration banning transactions between U.S. persons and businesses and the firms running WeChat and TikTok would deprive millions of people of information and communication tools during a global pandemic, restrict ... More >>
"Slow To No Internet" In Kashmir
Saturday, 8 August 2020, 5:31 am | Access Now
On Wednesday, human rights advocates marked a grim anniversary: it has now been a full year since government authorities ordered an internet blackout in Jammu and Kashmir, and residents continue to suffer . Students struggle to learn. Journalists ... More >>
Human Rights Groups Appeal To President Lukashenko Of Belarus To #KeepItOn During Elections
Friday, 7 August 2020, 7:24 am | Access Now
Access Now, together with 39 international rights groups, including members of the #KeepItOn coalition — a global network of human rights organizations that work to end internet shutdowns — and partners in Belarus, is urgently calling on President ... More >>
U.N. Special Rapporteurs Warn Of Closing Digital Space Amid COVID-19 At RightsCon Online
Friday, 31 July 2020, 7:51 am | Access Now
Access Now welcomes a new statement from U.N. Special Rapporteurs warning of increased closing of digital spaces amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and embraces their commitment to continue to document the intersection of technology within their mandates. The ... More >>
U.N. Special Rapporteurs Warn Of Closing Digital Space Amid Covid-19 At RightsCon Online
Friday, 31 July 2020, 7:47 am | Access Now
Access Now welcomes a new statement from U.N. Special Rapporteurs warning of increased closing of digital spaces amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and embraces their commitment to continue to document the intersection of technology within their mandates. The ... More >>
#WhyID: Digital Health Certificates Are Not Immune From Violating Users' Rights
Thursday, 23 July 2020, 7:24 am | Access Now
As the world scrambles to respond to COVID-19, governments and international organizations are exploring various forms of digital health certificates to allow people greater access to spaces and services based on their health status and other private information. ... More >>
In A Victory For Privacy, EU Court Of Justice Bins EU-US Privacy Shield
Friday, 17 July 2020, 6:16 am | Access Now
In a landmark decision, the Court of Justice of the European Union struck down the EU-US Privacy Shield as it fails to protect people’s rights to privacy, data protection and access to remedy. The decision comes as part of the ruling on the “Schrems ... More >>
New Police Powers In Hong Kong Threaten Human Rights Online
Tuesday, 7 July 2020, 1:45 pm | Access Now
Today marked the first meeting of the Committee for Safeguarding National Security of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), chaired by the HKSAR Chief Executive and established by the controversial law on ‘Safeguarding National Security’ ... More >>
Transparency Talks: Video Conferencing And VoIP Platforms Must Put Users' Privacy First
Thursday, 2 July 2020, 7:16 am | Access Now
After pressing Zoom to issue regular transparency reports revealing government requests for user data, today, Access Now calls on other video conferencing platforms to release or update similar reports clarifying exactly how they protect personal user data ... More >>
Save The Date: Rightscon Online 2020, July 27 – 31
Tuesday, 23 June 2020, 7:00 am | Access Now
Access Now is excited to announce that, for the first time, RightsCon will take place entirely online. From Monday, July 27 to Friday, July 31, 2020, we invite you to sign up, log in, and join us for the ninth edition of the world’s leading summit ... More >>
Amazon Halts Police Use Of Recognition
Friday, 12 June 2020, 7:00 am | Access Now
Amazon announced Wednesday that it would place a one-year moratorium on police use of its facial recognition software, Rekognition. The brief statement comes just two days after IBM announced in a letter to Congress that it would no longer offer general ... More >>
Civil Society To WHO: Let’s End Government-ordered Internet Shutdowns
Wednesday, 27 May 2020, 7:40 am | Access Now
Last week, the World Health Assembly, the World Health Organization’s (WHO) decision-making body, convened its 73rd annual meeting online due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic has cast the global spotlight on the WHO, the United Nations specialized ... More >>
Privacy And Public Health: The Dos And Don'ts For COVID-19 Contact Tracing Apps
Saturday, 9 May 2020, 7:24 am | Access Now
Since late 2019, the world has been fighting the coronavirus disease (COVID-19). In response to the pandemic, governments around the world have been using data and technology in their efforts to contain the spread of the virus. In March, Access More >>