Human rights

Democracy is dying in digital darkness
Democracy is dying in digital darkness 03 April 2023 Vasundhara Sirnate and Gaurav Jain

Last year saw the highest number of internet shutdowns ever recorded. Such enforced digital darkness is a slippery slope of easy authoritarianism that we see spreading globally, one that countries like India, with the world's highest number of shutdowns, are using to gain undemocratic compliance from their citizens.

Violence against sex workers surges in South Africa as they move to the internet for work
Violence against sex workers surges in South Africa as they move to the internet for work 31 March 2023 Colleta Dewa for GenderIT.org

Sex workers in South Africa moved to the internet to seek clients as the offline opportunities dwindled due to the pandemic-induced lockdown. But they face previously unknown challenges with the prevalent online gender-based violence in the country.

An architecture for destruction? What 8 January in Brazil tells us about the use of social media platforms against democracy
An architecture for destruction? What 8 January in Brazil tells us about the use of social media platforms against democracy 28 March 2023 Oona Castro

On 8 January 2023, there was a shocking and violent coup attempt in Brazil that came on the heels of years of accelerating mass disinformation and fake news, reinforced through social networks and messaging apps. Our member and board director analyses this urgent test case of how a democracy can fight such information corruption and hold digital platforms accountable for mod...

APC submission to the OHCHR thematic report on the relationship between technical standard-setting processes and human rights
APC submission to the OHCHR thematic report on the relationship between technical standard-setting processes and human rights 22 March 2023 APC

This submission was produced in response to the call for contributions to the thematic report of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and comprises inputs collated from the experiences of APC staff and members, organised according to the guiding questions proposed in the call.

The language of power: How your trendy chatbot is leaving marginalised communities behind
The language of power: How your trendy chatbot is leaving marginalised communities behind 20 March 2023 Claudia Pozo, Aldo Berríos and Ana Alonso

The design and development of digital language technologies, and especially the technologies relying on large language models like ChatGPT, call for a deep power analysis on who is building this technology, who will benefit from it and who will decide its future.

APC statement at the OEWG 2021-2025 informal dedicated stakeholder segment
APC statement at the OEWG 2021-2025 informal dedicated stakeholder segment 10 March 2023 APC

In this statement during the March 2023 session of the Open-ended Working Group on developments in the field of information and telecommunications in the context of international security 2021–2025, APC focuses on gender-sensitive cybersecurity capacity building. 

APC and Coding Rights intervention at the GDC Americas Multistakeholder Consultation
APC and Coding Rights intervention at the GDC Americas Multistakeholder Consultation 08 March 2023 APC and Coding Rights

This presentation was jointly delivered by Joana Varon (Coding Rights) and Valeria Betancourt (APC) at the Global Digital Compact Americas Multistakeholder Consultation held in Mexico City on 15-16 February 2023 to discuss the challenges, opportunities and priorities of the region.

APC Reading List: Preparing for the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) 67th session
APC Reading List: Preparing for the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) 67th session 07 March 2023 Hija Kamran

This year's Commission on the Status of Women is the first ever to focus on gender equality and digital technologies. Here is APC's recommended reading list to help us all prepare for the discussions at CSW67.

APC at the Commission on the Status of Women 67th session
APC at the Commission on the Status of Women 67th session 03 March 2023

The 67th session of the Commission on the Status of Women is the first in its history to have a specific focus on gender equality and digital technologies. APC will be bringing forward key issues around online gender-based violence, freedom of speech and more.

APC statement at the Open-ended Working Group on developments in the field of information and telecommunications in the context of international security 2021-2025
APC statement at the Open-ended Working Group on developments in the field of information and telecommunications in the context of international security 2021-2025 02 March 2023 APC

This statement, delivered during the informal dialogue open to all interested stakeholders on 1 March 2023, reiterates APC's call for a human rights-based and gender approach to existing and emerging threats, so that cybersecurity can improve the security of people in all their diversity.

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