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When governments shut down spaces for dialogue, dissent, and collective organizing, the damage extends far beyond a single event. The abrupt cancellation of RightsCon 2026—the world’s largest annual global digital rights conference—is not just a logistical disruption for thousands of researchers, journalists, technologists, and activists—it is part of a growing global pattern of shrinking civic space and increasing hostility toward free expression and independent civil society.

Just days before the conference was set to begin and as participants had begun to arrive in Lusaka, organizers announced that RightsCon would no longer proceed in Zambia or online after mounting political pressure and demands that would have excluded vulnerable communities and constrained discussion. The U.N.’s World Press Freedom Day, which was set to take place just prior to the conference, was scaled down in light of the events, and its press freedom prize ceremony postponed to a later date.

RightsCon has long served as one of the few truly global convenings where civil society groups, grassroots organizers, technologists, and policymakers can meet on equal footing to confront some of the most urgent human rights challenges of the digital age—from censorship and surveillance to internet shutdowns, platform accountability, and the safety of marginalized communities online. EFF has had a presence at RightsCon since its inception in 2011, and had planned to meet with and learn from international partners and present our work during several sessions in Lusaka.

The cancellation is especially devastating because of what RightsCon represents. For many advocates—particularly those from the global majority—it is not merely another conference. It is a rare opportunity to build solidarity across borders, form lasting partnerships, learn from other regions’ experiences, secure funding and support for local work, and ensure that the people most impacted by digital repression have a seat at the table. Holding the event in southern Africa carried particular significance, promising to elevate regional voices and strengthen local digital rights networks.

What happened in Zambia sends a chilling message. According to organizers and multiple reports, the pressure surrounding the event included Chinese government demands to exclude Taiwanese participants and moderate discussions around politically sensitive topics. At a moment when governments around the world are increasingly restricting protest, targeting journalists, cutting funds for human rights work, banning young people from online communities, censoring speech, and criminalizing civil society activity, the cancellation of RightsCon reflects the broader erosion of democratic space online and offline.

Organizations from the digital rights community have spoken out forcefully against the government’s cancellation of the conference, making clear that these attacks on civic participation will not pass unnoticed. Access Now described the decision as evidence of “the far reach of transnational repression targeting civil society.” Index on Censorship’s response warned that the move represents a dangerous escalation in attempts to suppress open dialogue, while IFEX rightly described the cancellation as a blow not just to one conference, but to freedom of expression and assembly everywhere.

We are also heartened to see statements from members of the international community—including Tabani Moyo, who spoke about the impact on the southern African community, and Taiwanese participant Shin Yang, who emphasized the importance of preserving spaces where marginalized communities can safely organize and speak—underscoring that attempts to silence civil society only reinforce the importance of defending open, global spaces for organizing and debate.

Even as this cancellation represents a serious setback, it is important to remember that the digital rights community has always adapted under pressure. Around the world, advocates continue to organize in increasingly difficult environments, finding new ways to connect, collaborate, and resist censorship and repression. Upcoming events like the Global Gathering and FIFAfrica—both of which EFF plans to attend—will bring together members of the community to tackle tough issues. And in the meantime, groups from all over the world are working together to incorporate global perspectives into platform regulations, oppose age verification laws, protect against surveillance, and fight internet shutdowns, among many other efforts.

RightsCon itself emerged from a recognition that defending human rights in the digital age requires international solidarity—and that need has not disappeared.

The conversations that were supposed to happen in Lusaka will continue elsewhere: in community spaces, online gatherings, encrypted chats, and future convenings yet to come. Governments may close venues, restrict participation, or attempt to narrow the boundaries of acceptable speech, but they cannot erase the global movement working to defend a free and open internet.

RightsCon will not go on in Zambia, but we remain heartened and inspired by the strength of the global digital rights community, stand with them in solidarity, and look forward to seeing our allies at the next RightsCon and other upcoming events.

　高市政権の誕生以降、憲法改悪（改憲）や「国旗法」、「スパイ防止法」などの危険な諸法律制定の動きなど、懸念される事態が次々と、しかも露骨に推し進められようとする中、私たちＪＣＪ東海支部も全国と連携し「平和」を訴える活動に取り組んでいます。そんな中、真っ先にお伝えしたいのは、新入会員を１人お迎えすることができたことです。しかも、ご自身から「入りたい」と嬉しい申し出をいただきました。心強いかぎりです。共に頑張って行きたいと思っています。　３月25日には、国会前での「平和憲法を守る..

キヤノン製のプロダクションプリンター、オフィス/スモールオフィス向け複合機には、機微な情報を取得可能な脆弱性が存在します。

株式会社EPGが提供するスマートフォンアプリ「くら寿司 公式アプリ」には、証明書検証不備の脆弱性が存在します。

X.Org Foundationが提供するlibXpmには、境界外読み取りの脆弱性が存在します。

ちとらソフトが提供するLhazおよびLhaz+には、パストラバーサルの脆弱性が存在します。

情報通信行政・郵政行政審議会　電気通信事業部会　市場検証委員会（第9回）

デジタル空間における情報流通の諸課題への対処に関する検討会（第9回）配付資料

第141回産業統計部会

第759回　入札監理小委員会（開催案内）

特定実験試験局として使用可能な周波数の範囲等を定める告示案に係る意見募集の結果

令和8年度地方財政審議会（4月24日）議事要旨

一般職技術系（情報通信行政）の情報を更新しました

　ＪＣＪの会員有志でつくる沖縄ジャンプナイト（ＯＪＮ）は３月29日、先の衆院選で県内全４選挙区で敗れた「オール沖縄」の敗因分析と、これまでの歩みを学ぶ勉強会をオンラインで開いた。ＯＪＮのメンバーでもある沖縄タイムスの黒島美奈子さんと琉球新報の米倉外昭さんが、取材経験を踏まえて解説。オール沖縄は翁長雄志知事（当時）死去後、企業と保守陣営の離脱や新興政党の台頭によって分裂し、時代の変化に対応できなかったと分析した。　黒島さんはオール沖縄の誕生以来の動向などを説明し、米倉さんがオー..

中東のメディア「MiddleEastMonitor」がイスラエルによるレバノン攻撃で多くの女性が危険にさらされ、多数の死傷者が出ていると報じた。それによると、国連女性機関の高官は金曜日、4月17日に停戦が発効してからの3週間で、レバノンでは少なくとも25人の女性が死亡、109人が負傷しており、停戦にもかかわらず民間人が依然として危険にさらされていることが浮き彫りになったと述べたという。(大野和興）

　『調査報道の戦後史 １９４５―２０２５』（昨年１２月刊、旬報社）は「社会を変えた調査報道」という独自のモノサシでリストアップした１５０（巻末に掲載）のうち５０の事例を詳述・検証した本だ。著者の専修大学文学部ジャーナリズム学科特任教授・高田昌幸氏＝写真＝は４月５日のJCJオンライン講演で調査報道の軌跡と成果、展望などを話した。　〝高田目線〟による調査報道とは①その時に報じなければ永遠に埋もれてしまうかもしれない事象を報道の責任において世に送り出す、②不条理やアンフェアな出来事..

Congress is moving quickly on the revised GUARD Act, S. 3062. While lawmakers narrowed the bill after widespread criticism, it still requires intrusive age-verification systems for AI companions and imposes steep penalties on developers offering conversational AI tools.

Following criticism, lawmakers have narrowed the GUARD Act, a bill aimed at restricting minors’ access to certain AI systems. The earlier version could have applied broadly to nearly every AI-powered chatbot or search tool. The amended bill focuses more narrowly on so-called “AI companions”—conversational systems designed to simulate emotional or interpersonal interactions with users. 

That change does address some of the broadest concerns raised about the original proposal, though some questions about the bill’s reach remain. Bottom line: the revised bill still creates serious problems for privacy, online speech, and parental choice.

TAKE ACTION

Tell Congress: oppose the guard act

The new GUARD Act still requires companies offering AI companions to implement burdensome age-verification systems tied to users’ real-world identities. Even parents who specifically want their teenagers to use these systems would still face significant hurdles. A family might decide that a conversational AI tool helps an isolated teenager practice social interaction, or engage in harmless creative roleplay. A parent deployed in the military might set up a persistent AI storyteller for a younger child. Under the revised bill, those users could still face mandatory age checks tied to sensitive personal or financial information before they or their children can use these services.

The revised bill also leaves important definitions unclear while sharply increasing penalties for developers and companies that get those judgments wrong. Congress narrowed the GUARD Act. But it is still trying to solve a complicated social problem with vague legal standards, heavy liability, and privacy-invasive verification systems.

Intrusive Age-Verification Remains In The Bill

The revised GUARD Act still requires companies offering AI companions to verify that users are adults through a “reasonable age verification” system. The bill allows a broader set of verification methods than the earlier version, but they are still tied to a user’s real-world identity—such as financial records, or age-verified accounts for a mobile operating system or app store. 

That approach still raises serious privacy and access concerns. Millions of Americans do not have current government ID, accounts at major banks, or stable access to the kinds of digital identity systems the bill contemplates. Even for those who do, requiring identity-linked verification to access online speech tools creates real risks for privacy, anonymity, and data security. Many people are rightly creeped out by age-verification systems, and may simply forgo using these services rather than compromise their privacy and security.

The revised definition of “AI companion” is also narrower than before, but it’s unclear at the margins. The bill now focuses on systems that “engage in interactions involving emotional disclosures” from the user, or present a “persistent identity, persona or character.” 

EFF appreciates that the authors recognized that the prior definition could reach a variety of AI systems that are not chatbots, including internet search engines. But the narrowed definition could be read to also apply to a variety of chat tools that are not AI companions. For example, many modern online conversational systems increasingly recognize and respond to users’ emotions. Customer service systems, including completely human-powered ones that existed long before AI chatbots, have long been designed to recognize frustration and respond empathetically. As conversational AI becomes more emotionally responsive, a customer service chatbot’s efforts to empathize may sweep it within the bill’s definition. 

Bigger Penalties, Bigger Incentives To Restrict Access

The revised bill also sharply increases penalties. Instead of $100,000 per violation, companies—including small developers—can face fines of up to $250,000 per violation, enforced by both federal and state officials.

That kind of liability creates incentives to over-restrict access, especially for minors. Smaller developers, in particular, may decide it is safer to block younger users entirely, disable conversational features, or avoid developing certain tools at all, rather than risk severe penalties under vague standards.

The concerns driving this bill are real. Some AI systems have engaged in troubling interactions with vulnerable users, including minors. But the right answer to that is targeted enforcement against bad actors, and privacy laws that protect us all. The revised GUARD Act instead responds with a privacy-invasive system that burdens the right to speak, read, and interact online.

Congress did improve this bill, but EFF’s core speech, privacy, and security issues remain.

TAKE ACTION

Tell Congress: oppose the guard act