What does it take for communities to make change happen? In this newsletter, discover the elements that make it possible for community networks to emerge and enable rural development in Zimbabwe. Welcome to the 46th monthly round-up of developments impacting your community-based initiatives.
As part of World Press Freedom Day, APC will co-host a session on 3 May with the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression focused on the key issue of gendered disinformation, as well as participate in a session on digital authoritarianism.
How can we use digital technologies to better protect the environment? This was the focus of a Twitter chat hosted by APC during Earth Day and joined by members of our network and other organisations and individuals.
Statement
Digital Services Act Human Rights Alliance: Don’t compromise on the protection of fundamental rights in the ongoing negotiationsAs the final stage of the trialogue negotiations on the Digital Services Act (DSA) is approaching, ECNL, as part of the DSA Human Rights Alliance, is calling for the Act to truly comply with international human rights standards.
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.
Recognising the need for a rapid and effective response to the pressing issue of access to online education, Bytesforall Bangladesh saw an opportunity to advocate for equitable access to the internet as a public good, affirming access to education as a fundamental human right.
What is the weight of a byte? Who breathes in fumes so that I can stream a film? Who mines for tin while we zoom in? For too long, internet policy makers and tech companies punted their responsibilities towards people and the planet.
Digital cooperation will be crucial if we want ICTs to focus on the public good, and this column outlines some opportunities, threats, and paths forward for this.
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.
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