The Human Rights Council (HRC) held its 49th session in Geneva from 28 February to 1 April. During a long session that covered five weeks, the Council discussed important country situations and thematic issues on the intersections between human rights and technology.
In a life-changing global pandemic, community-rooted initiatives became their own powerhouse of resistance against the risks and inequalities exacerbated by COVID-19. Welcome to the 45th monthly round-up of developments impacting your local access networks and community-based initiatives.
APC's executive director, Chat Garcia Ramilo, highlighted the importance of community networks in building innovative and community-centred models to overcome access inequalities and foster meaningful connectivity during the launch of the Partner2Connect Digital Coalition Pledging Portal.
Report
Feminist Internet Research Network: Meta-research project reportThe meta-research project formed part of the broader Feminist Internet Research Network (FIRN) project led by APC and created a feminist space for dialogue to explore the complexities of doing internet research.
Journal
Feminist by Design: Ways of knowing and epistemic approaches about feminist internet researchFeminist By Design is ambitious in its title and aims. The journal showcases research journeys, findings and feminist intentions, bringing together a diverse group of researchers from around the world who were part of the Feminist Internet Research Network (FIRN).
Statement
APC engages with Chair of Open-ended Working Group around the gendered implications of cyber threatsWomen and girls as well as people of diverse sexualities and gender expressions are more often the targets of online violence, and are increasingly targeted by disinformation campaigns, which can have a more severe impact on these groups because of historical and structural inequalities.
White paper
White paper on feminist internet researchAPC has been working towards imagining and making a feminist internet by building and strengthening networks of researchers, activists and others. This paper aims to assess feminist internet research on internet governance and policy, with a particular focus on scholarship in the global South.
Event report
Cybernorms: Do They Matter IRL (In Real Life)?Although multilateral forums including the United Nations have made some progress in identifying norms, rules and principles to guide responsible state behaviour in cyberspace, applying agreed norms to "real life" throws up challenges of interpretation and enforcement.
Research
Encounters, coffees and conflicts: Reflections from action-research on a feminist autonomous networkA group of women set up a community network in an area without internet connectivity in Brazil – the Terra Seca quilombo community. These are their reflections while conducting a participatory research process on community networks through an intersectional feminist...
Joint statement
International coalition to support filing of a suit to stop South Korea’s shutdown of womenonweb.krIn December 2020, the Korea Communication Standards Commission issued a ruling to block access to womenonweb.kr, a website that provides information on women’s sexual and reproductive health and rights. The undersigned organisations support Open Net’s filing of a suit to cancel this ruling.
Research
Not My AI: A feminist framework to challenge algorithmic decision-making systems deployed by the public sectorTaking Latin America as a point of departure, this research seeks to contribute to the development of an anti-colonial feminist framework to question artificial intelligence systems that are being deployed by the public sector, particularly focused on social welfare programmes.
Uganda's new digital ID system has increased exclusion among the most vulnerable. To better understand what this entails and how to address it, we talked to Unwanted Witness on human rights online in Uganda, the region and beyond.
In this photo essay we will discover the experiences and learnings from two communities in Mexico – Cherán and Xocoyolo. The women in these communities get together to redefine technologies and develop their networks locally.
A poor understanding of digital inequality continues to lead to inadequate and counterproductive policies. This column discusses six themes that could improve policymakers’ understanding of the nuances behind this persistent inequality and disconnect.
Columns
In this weekly column, longstanding associate of APC David Souter looks at different aspects of the digital society. Issues covered include internet governance and sustainable development, human rights and the environment, policy, practice and the use of ICTs.
How are APC members improving their communities' lives? In this section we're highlighting stories of impact and change by our members, supported by APC sub-granting.
Other APC sites
