APC

Despite pushback from around the world, Uganda has passed the Anti-Homosexuality Bill, which puts the safety of LGBTQIA+ folks at risk by institutionalising discrimination against them. This piece reflects on the impact of this draconian law on those already living on the margins.

We are delighted to announce the launch of the Routing for Communities podcast, with the first two of 12 episodes now out! These first two episodes take us to discover the work of innovative community networks in South Africa and Kenya.

This piece recounts the joint discussions and learning shared among three community networks in the state of São Paulo in Brazil, revolving around the installation and use of the Pirania captive portal, an open source application that works as an internet access control tool.

In part two of this special series, we spoke with Florencia Roveri at our Argentina-based member Nodo TAU. From supporting youth with future e-waste projects to exploring the challenges to electronic waste treatment, Nodo TAU has been advocating for better ICT recycling practices in the community.

APC believes it is imperative to place human rights, social justice and sustainable development at the centre at all stages of AI systems, including their creation, development, implementation and governance, and that potential risks should be continually assessed and managed.

In this joint letter to the co-facilitators of the Global Digital Compact process, namely Sweden and Rwanda's Permanent Representatives to the UN, APC and over 30 other civil society organisations urge them to ensure meaningful participation of civil society in the discussions.

A war broke out in April between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces, exposing the civilian population to death and displacement. This is an update on what we need to know and how limited internet access is not allowing the Sudanese people to exercise their freedom of expression.

The 12th edition of RightsCon will be taking place this year from 5 to 8 June in Costa Rica and online. APC and its network will be actively participating, co-organising and speaking at the event.

This year's RightsCon will be held from 5-8 June in Costa Rica and online, where APC will focus on the themes of gender and sexuality, climate and environmental justice and gender-responsive cybersecurity. Here is our resource kit of knowledge, research and recommended readings to help us all prepare to engage with each other at this event.

We are happy to announce the launch of the Routing for Communities podcast on 1 June. With 12 episodes, this podcast will be a journey to listen to the life stories of those connecting themselves while defending the fundamental rights and well-being of their communities.

Many governments have established funds dedicated to expanding connectivity to underserved communities, so-called Universal Service Funds (USFs) or Universal Service and Access Funds (USAFs).  The purpose of the paper is to examine advocacy efforts led by civil society in selected countries that have led to systemic changes in local policies and regulations, with a specific focus on the use of USFs for funding community networks.

In this new series, we reconnect with members who contributed to our guide on the circular economy of digital devices, this time about their vision for the future of these economies. In part one, we speak with CITAD about what is needed in the right to repair movement, emerging trends and lessons learned and missed.

APC will award one subgrant for a research project that focuses on the criminalisation of online expression in Sri Lanka, in continuation of research which to date has covered nine countries across South and Southeast Asia. The deadline to apply is 15 June.

Google has been giving access to users' personal information to the US government under its PRISM programme. Six activists in South Korea took the tech giant to court demanding they be given access to the information that Google holds on them, and won.

Speaking on behalf of the Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio and Communication and Bangladesh Internet Governance Forum, APC associate AHM Bazlur Rahman stated that this is an opportune time to reinforce universal access to the internet as a basic human right, not just a privilege.

APC believes that human rights crosscut all the priority themes highlighted for the Global Digital Compact (GDC) and therefore, a human rights framework, standards and principles should be at the centre of the GDC.

APC and its members gave statements at the Global Digital Compact (GDC) thematic deep dive session on the theme of human rights online.

Drawing on the lessons and experiences from the Mamaila Community Network, traditional leaders, local entrepreneurs, community members and academics discussed the role of community networks as complementary solutions to commercial internet service providers in bridging the digital divide in underserved areas such as Sekgosese (South Africa). 

Capacity building is critical to the sustainability of a community network for several reasons. Discover some of them in this piece written by Josephine Miliza for APC member organisation KICTANet.

APC is looking for a finance and administration coordinator for our “Safety for Voices” project to join our virtual office and team and support our exciting work. The deadline for applications is 21 May.