In a series of articles exploring the implications of 5G roll-out, Peter Bloom of Rhizomatica concludes that "the imperative to ensure everyone has the right to communicate and access information is being supplanted by this new drive to connect the already connected even further.”
With the aim of exploring internet shutdowns in the African region, the event brought to light stories of the shutdowns’ effects on human rights at individual, national and regional levels, and shared strategies and techniques to avert or lift them, including tech demos, pol...
Worldwide, women are significantly less likely than men to access the internet, and once online, they face greater risks of violence, censorship and surveillance. This is why APC works to create a more feminist internet – one that is built for and with women, girls and gender-diffuse people.
![Connecting the unconnected: Supporting community networks and other community-based connectivity initiatives](http://web.archive.org./web/20190624023425im_/https://www.apc.org/sites/default/files/styles/350x350/public/Zenzeleni_Networks_Mankosi_Ltd.jpg?itok=spe3VW-e)
This project will contribute to an enabling ecosystem for the emergence and growth of community networks and other community-based connectivity initiatives in developing countries. It is part of a multi-year, multi-donor strategy envisaged to address the human capacity and sustainability challenges, along with the policy and regulatory obstacles, that limit the growth of community-based connectivity initiatives.
![Challenging hate narratives and violations of freedom of religion and expression online in Asia](http://web.archive.org./web/20190624023425im_/https://www.apc.org/sites/default/files/styles/350x350/public/challenge_0.png?itok=Qq4wm5ui)
This project seeks to protect and promote respect for freedom of religion and expression on the internet, particularly by countering hate speech online on the basis of religion, and generating narratives and discourse that defend secular and diverse opinions touching upon religion. The three-year project focuses on five countries in South and Southeast Asia: Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Myanmar and Pakistan.
![FIRN: Feminist Internet Research Network](http://web.archive.org./web/20190624023425im_/https://www.apc.org/sites/default/files/styles/350x350/public/IDRC-twitter_0.png?itok=b_x9d8nL)
The Feminist Internet Research Network is a three-and-a-half-year collaborative and multidisciplinary research project led by APC, funded by the International Development Research Centre. The project draws on the study “Mapping research in gender and digital technology”, and the Feminist Principles of the Internet collectively crafted by feminists and activists, primarily located in the global South.
This project aims to address the following questions: Are local access infrastructure models a viable alternative to connecting the unconnected, and if so, what are the circumstances that make them successful? What are the benefits to the local community in terms of well-being, gender equity and social or economic development where connectivity infrastructure is locally owned?
Amin, an Iranian queer feminist and writer, became the victim of an online defamation campaign that left her with no recourse. In an interview with GenderIT, Amin spoke about the consequences of this defamation on her life, and the cost of ignoring this all too prevalent form of online violence.
What does it mean to rise to attention briefly because of violence, harassment, dispossession and precarity, only to be replaced the next day by the next trending hashtag? This article explores the limits of straight discourse online and the convenient elision of queer accounts and issues.
In this last week there has been an uproar in support of lesbian, gay, bisexual and queer people in Ethiopia, and also a backlash of online threats, harassment and violence.
Columns
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Inside the Information Society
David Souter writes a column for APC twice a month, looking at different aspects of the information society, development and rights. David’s pieces take a fresh look at many of the issues that concern APC and its members, with the aim of provoking discussion and debate. Issues covered include internet governance and sustainable development, human rights and the environment, policy, practice and the use of ICTs by individuals and communities.
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The internet of memory: Stories from the APC community
What were information and communication technologies like in the 1980s and 1990s? What are the stories of the genesis and evolution of non-profit computer networks working for social change? Twice a month, this section will take a historical look at the APC community's journey of internet activism and make links to where we are now. Join Jennifer Radloff in this retrospective trip exploring the connections between the past and the present.
The Feminist Internet Research Domains of Change diagram created and explored through the FIRN inception meeting is designed to provide a framework for research project planning that can identify and prioritise specific fields where impact can be made; identify strategies towards that impact by s...
This practices document builds on feminist politics and values, and existing or conventional ethical requirements and frameworks for researchers. It draws from decades of feminist work in relation to ethics, care, intersectionality, positionality and standpoint, and also more recently on work in ...
The Association for Progressive Communications and ARTICLE 19 strongly support the statement issued by the different United Nations bodies against the unwarranted punishment of Ola and join the manifested expressions of deep concern at the gaps in the legal process.
In 2018, the First Committee established two parallel processes to discuss responsible state behaviour in cyberspace: the UN Group of Governmental Experts and the Open Ended Working Group. This explainer offers human rights defenders the information they need to engage with these processes.
The undersigned organisations have expressed their very explicit concerns about the fundamental and human rights questions that will appear in the implementation of the obligations laid down on online content-sharing service providers by Article 17 of the new EU Copyright Directive.
7amleh – The Arab Center for the Advancement of Social Media launched its annual report on Palestinian digital rights. The report details violations by governments, authorities, international technology companies and Palestinian society.
The report touches upon various issues including violent and regulatory actions against the media, online censorship, the right to information regime, disinformation, internet disconnections, data protection, and legislative developments related to cyberspace.
APC joined African Freedom of Expression Exchange (AFEX) members and other organisations that work to promote freedom of expression offline and online across the globe to express deep concern about the shutdown of social media platforms by the government of Chad over the past 11 months.