The shift from connecting people to connecting things: Why 5G will not reduce the digital divide 19 June 2019 By Peter Bloom for Rhizomatica

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.”

When the government shuts down the internet: Disco-tech event in Tunis Tunis 18 June 2019 By APCNews

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...

Making a feminist internet with the APC community in 2018: Raising awareness, strengthening networks and building capacity through workshops, research and advocacy 13 June 2019 By Gabrielle Willms

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 Connecting the unconnected: Supporting community networks and other community-based connectivity initiatives 11 March 2019

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 Challenging hate narratives and violations of freedom of religion and expression online in Asia 18 December 2018

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 FIRN: Feminist Internet Research Network 15 November 2018

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. 

Local Access Networks: Can the unconnected connect themselves? Local Access Networks: Can the unconnected connect themselves? 31 August 2017

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?

“It made me despise the world of technology”: Interview with Iranian queer feminist Shadi Amin 20 June 2019 Shreya Ila Anasuya for GenderIT.org

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.

“Our Constitution is strong”: Straight digital discourse and disremembered queer accounts 20 June 2019 Mumbi Kanyogo for GenderIT.org

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.

Why is it good that Ethiopians are debating homosexuality? 19 June 2019 GenderIT.org

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

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.

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.

Feminist Internet Research Domains of Change: Planning and assessment
Feminist Internet Research Domains of Change: Planning and assessment

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...

Feminist internet ethical research practices
Feminist internet ethical research practices

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 ...

Free Ola Bini: APC and ARTICLE 19 support UN petitions against serious rights violation
Free Ola Bini: APC and ARTICLE 19 support UN petitions against serious rights violation

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.

UN First Committee Processes on Responsible State Behaviour in Cyberspace: An Explainer
UN First Committee Processes on Responsible State Behaviour in Cyberspace: An Explainer

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.

Open letter to the European Commission on Article 17 of the EU Directive on Copyright in the Digital Single Market
Open letter to the European Commission on Article 17 of the EU Directive on Copyright in the Digital Single Market

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.

Hashtag Palestine 2018: An Overview of Digital Rights Abuses of Palestinians
Hashtag Palestine 2018: An Overview of Digital Rights Abuses of Palestinians

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.

State of media and digital freedoms report in Pakistan 2018
State of media and digital freedoms report in Pakistan 2018

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.

Chad must end its year-long blackout of social media
Chad must end its year-long blackout of social media

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.

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