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Rainbow-burning: how social media companies increase risks for LGBTQ+ people in Africa
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Around the world, authoritarian leaders use attacks on LGBTQ+ people to gain power and deflect attention from their failures — a tactic called “rainbow-burning.” Big Tech is often an ally, failing to prevent the use of digital platforms for human rights violations. In our new report, we document 200+ rights-violating posts threatening LGBTQ+ people in Kenya, Uganda, Ghana, Nigeria, and Ethiopia, including doxxing that reportedly resulted in physical violence. Only 51 posts were ultimately removed. Learn why this keeps happening and how governments and companies can change course, meet their human rights obligations, and keep LGBTQ+ people safe from harm. Read more via Access Now
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Trans rights are human rights
Resisting the violence of technology-facilitated gender-based violence
Women and girls — especially from the LGBTQ+ community — are the most likely to be targeted for doxxing, surveillance, online stalking, threats of violence, public shaming, and other forms of technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV), particularly if they are journalists, politicians, or activists. Now, victims are fighting back. Check out these tips and best practices for tackling TFGBV from activists in Brazil, Ghana, Kenya, and India, and join the #16DaysOfActivism campaign against gender-based violence. Read more via APC
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Israel’s digital assault on Lebanon
In current conflicts, the weaponization of technology can deepen the impact of violence long after guns fall silent. In Lebanon, the recently brokered ceasefire is barely nine days old, but it has already been violated multiple times, and Israeli attacks have damaged fragile digital communications infrastructure. In a new op-ed for the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy (TIMEP), Access Now’s Kassem Mnejja unpacks how Israel has ushered in a new era of digital warfare — tested in Gaza, tried in Lebanon — that risks “inflicting even greater suffering on civilians and escalating the human cost of future conflicts worldwide.” Read more via TIMEP
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Defending free expression
WATCH: #20Talks interview with Eliška Pírková
Privacy is essential for safeguarding free expression in the digital age. Learn about the connection between privacy and free expression in this interview with Eliška Pírková, Access Now’s Global freedom of expression lead, one of a series of talks with experts marking the 20th anniversary of the European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS). Watch now via EDPS
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Information saves lives: How expression protects civilians in armed conflict
For people trapped or fleeing war and conflict, being able to access and share information is a lifeline. ARTICLE 19 has published a new policy explaining how international law protects people’s right to freedom of expression during armed conflict, and what governments, civil society, and companies must do to safeguard this right. Read more via ARTICLE 19
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Saving encryption = protecting freedom
Breaking end-to-end encryption would be a disaster
Strong, end-to-end encryption (EE2E) is one of the best tools we have for protecting privacy online, yet governments around the world continue to threaten it. This campaign from the Index on Censorship highlights the importance of EE2E for the safety of activists, journalists, and dissidents living under authoritarian regimes, warning democratic governments against setting a dangerous precedent that would degrade security and undermine free expression and democracy worldwide. Read more via Index on Censorship
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Encryption FAQ: encrypted messaging, AI, content moderation, and more
There are a number of private messaging services to help keep your communications secure and protect your contacts and community. But to make the right choices, you need to understand how these services work. In case you missed it, our FAQ on encrypted messaging has answers to commonly asked questions. Read more via Access Now
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Opportunities and other highlights
IGF 2024: when digital rights collide with digital oppression
In just over a week, the annual Internet Governance Forum (IGF) kicks off in Saudi Arabia, a country with an appalling human rights record and an escalating pattern of digital authoritarianism and repression. We can’t let Saudi authorities use IGF to whitewash their human rights abuses. Join us next Friday, December 13, from 16h-17h30 CET for a live-streamed discussion on the ethical issues at stake and how to respond, featuring Saudi activists, human rights organizations, and digital rights advocates. The session is co-hosted by ALQST for Human Rights, the Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR), and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). Read more via Access Now
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APPLY: 2025 Pulse Research Fellowship and Mentorship
The Internet Society has a six-month program that supports researchers in conducting data-driven analysis or developing tools that contribute to an open, globally connected, secure, and trustworthy internet. You can also apply to be a mentor. Learn more and submit your application by December 23. Read more via the Internet Society
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