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Around the world, we face a tidal wave of digital threats to human rights and democracy. Dictatorships and democracies alike are using technology to surveil, terrorize, divide, and disconnect. Big Tech is often a willing partner. But the global digital rights community is not giving up. This week, thousands gathered at RightsCon 2025 in Taipei and online. Together, we are building solidarity, strengthening our collaborations, and forging new pathways for collective resistance. As we wrap up this year’s summit, this is our message for you: Thank you for all you do. We’re in this fight with you, for the long run.
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Lives on hold: internet shutdowns in 2024
“This isolation disrupts everything. I can only plan and organize when the internet returns, leaving our lives at the mercy of these shutdowns.” Those are the words of just one victim of internet shutdowns in 2024, a year in which the #KeepItOn coalition documented more connectivity disruptions and platform blocking, in more countries, implemented by more offenders, across more borders than ever before. Launched at RightsCon, our new report, Emboldened offenders, endangered communities: internet shutdowns in 2024, tells the human stories behind the staggering numbers, and offers a rallying call: no single stakeholder can end internet shutdowns alone — and the time to act is now. Learn more in English, Mandarin Chinese, Burmese, or Hindi. Read more via Access Now
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LAUNCH: #ReconnectGaza
During RightsCon’s opening ceremony, Palestinian journalist and human rights defender Maha Hussaini spoke movingly about the impact of shutdowns during the war on Gaza: “When all of this was unleashed, I was unsure that if I managed to survive, I would actually be able to continue reporting, or connect with the outside world.” On Wednesday, 7amleh, the Palestinian Digital Rights Coalition and dozens of international organizations launched #ReconnectGaza, a new global campaign to “demand rebuilding Gaza’s telecommunications network and safeguard the right to communication as a fundamental human right.” Read more via 7amleh
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A message from Laila, for Alaa
In a video message shared during the RightsCon opening ceremony, Laila Soueif, mother of imprisoned British-Egyptian activist Alaa Abd el-Fattah, thanked the digital rights community for their ongoing solidarity, and asked us not to give up until Alaa is out of prison. Later that same day, Laila was admitted to hospital in the UK, after more than 140 days on hunger strike. Since then, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has given his word to Alaa’s family that he will do everything he can to ensure Alaa’s release. But Laila cannot wait, and nor can Alaa. We urge the Prime Minister to deliver on his promise without delay. Read more via Freedom for Alaa
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A path toward digital peace
READ: “The Silencing Effect”
Allowing disinformation and hate speech to flourish online leads to self-censorship; something that The Syria Campaign calls “the silencing effect.” Find out what they learned when they surveyed social media users in the UK, France, and Germany, and interviewed human rights defenders in Palestine, Syria, and Ukraine about the real-life impact of toxic online behavior. Read more via The Syria Campaign
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Digital rights activists in Taiwan driven by memory and threat of authoritarianism
The RightsCon team works to ensure that every summit supports and amplifies the voices of local digital rights activists, with civil society from East Asia taking center stage this year. Tech Policy Press spoke with three experts on tech and human rights in Taiwan about what they want people to understand about the challenges facing the country. Read more via Tech Policy Press
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