The Brazilian civil society society organisations and public defenders who filed the suit stressed that the facial recognition system currently in use violates the legal requirements established in Brazilian legislation and international treaties.
Welcome to the 44th monthly round-up of developments impacting your local access networks and community-based initiatives. Meet the first ever community network national school in South Africa, Indonesia, Nigeria, Kenya and Brazil.
We invite you to submit a proposal for research on critical and emerging issues related to internet policy discussions and decision making, specifically in Africa and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, with a focus on online gender-based violence. Deadline for applications: 4 March.
Oral statement
HRC 49: Oral statement on online hate speech targeting religious minoritiesAPC welcomes the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief's focus on the use of hateful rhetoric in digital spaces to incite violence against religious minorities, which is of particular concern in India, where women especially are subjected to hate speech and threats online and offline.
Oral statement
HRC 49: Joint oral statement on privacy and data protectionThis joint statement to the Special Rapporteur on privacy during the 49th session of the Human Rights Council expresses the concerns of APC, Derechos Digitales and Intervozes around three aspects related to data protection regulation, with a particular focus on Latin America.
Statement
BlueLink: Solidarity with the victims of aggression and the values of a united EuropeThis statement of solidarity with the Ukrainian people from APC member BlueLink was delivered by Pavel Antonov, managing editor of the organisation, live from a civic demonstration in front of the Embassy of Ukraine in Bulgaria.
Research
"Hated Speech" and the Costs of Freedom in IndiaThis research report seeks to draw out the analytical category of "hated speech" by looking at experiences and observations of what it means to speak truth to power and receive hate as it is manifested through varying degrees of violence, across a variety of instances.
Joint open letter
International organisations call for withdrawal and reconsideration of the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission Regulation for Digital, Social Media and OTT PlatformsAPC and other organisations believe the draft regulations are inconsistent with the international human rights framework, imperil people’s freedom of expression and right to privacy, and could put journalists, dissidents, activists and vulnerable communities, in particular, at greater risk.
Open letter
HRC49: Open letter to states on the draft resolution on human rights defendersThe UN Human Rights Council will be discussing a draft resolution on human rights defenders operating in conflict and post-conflict situations. Our organisations call on the Council to ensure that the resolution clearly reflects the gravity and the reality of the situation defenders face daily.
Open letter
APC member 7amleh and 100 other organisations send open letter to Deutsche WelleThis letter is a response to Deutsche Welle's report on its internal investigation into accusations of antisemitism in its Arabic-language news department. The report also investigated DW Akademie partners and includes a number of defamatory accusations against Palestinian partner organisations.
Submission
Internet shutdowns and human rightsThis submission was produced in response to the call by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights for input to a report on internet shutdowns and human rights that will be presented to the 50th session of the Human Rights Council in June 2022.
I’ve thought long and hard about what it’s possible to write as war rains down on the heart of Europe. I’ve decided to revisit three fundamental questions about the internet and digital development, and ask if we need to reconsider what we mean by them.
How are APC members improving their communities’ lives with the support of APC subgranting? In Central America, the intersection between digital transformation and environmental justice has been a priority for Sulá Batsú for many years.
In its 10th anniversary, the Internet Hall of Fame recently inducted APC co-founder Carlos Afonso. We interviewed Afonso about this honour, his hopes for the internet in Brazil and beyond, radical interventions needed in the word of ICTs, and more.