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Digital rights are everyone’s business
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Making internet policy make sense — your multilingual guide to the internet
From “age verification” to “zero-rating,” internet policy discussions are littered with terminology and concepts that can feel removed from our daily lives — even though they can shape how critically important decisions are made. To help everyone understand discussions that matter for the future of the internet and a healthy digital ecosystem, the Internet Society has published a new glossary of 75 key internet policy terms designed for general audiences. It’s available in English, French, and Spanish. Read more via The Internet Society
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READ: “An uncertain future for the global internet”
In the latest “Freedom on the Net” report, published this week, Freedom House digs into alarming trends for digital rights — from the continued global decline of internet freedom, to ever-increasing government efforts to manipulate online narratives. As countries rush to embrace the next wave of technological innovation, the organization is calling for “freedom of expression, access to information, and privacy [to] be among the values that guide both regulation and innovation.” Read more via Freedom House
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Online threats, real-world harms: Protecting human rights defenders
Around the world, human rights defenders face digital threats that jeopardize their safety, but digital platforms are failing to protect those most at risk. In a new op-ed for Open Global Rights, Access Now’s Agneris Sampieri and co-author Patricia Cruz Marín identify key lessons from Facebook’s refusal to remove a post threatening a Peruvian human rights defender, a decision that Facebook’s Oversight Board later overturned. They argue that “context matters, inaction is not neutral, and independent oversight backed by civil society can drive change.” Read the op-ed in English or Spanish. Read more via Open Global Rights
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Alongside human rights defenders, journalists are facing increased threats, both online and off, as governments fail to protect them, or even incite violence against them. In Angola, a draft law on the “dissemination of false information on the internet” threatens to entrench the country’s already repressive media environment. Access Now joined the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) in urging the government to reverse course. Read in English or Portuguese. Read more via CPJ
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Despite companies like Paragon Solutions or NSO Group claiming that their spyware is only used against criminals, it’s now well documented that governments are using it to spy on journalists, activists, and political opponents. Just this week, an Italian political advisor spoke out about being targeted with Paragon’s Graphite. You don’t have to be “public enemy number one” to be targeted, says EFF’s Eva Galperin. “In reality, because targeting is so easy (...) governments use surveillance malware to spy on a broad range of people.” Read more via TechCrunch
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Opportunities and other highlights
Register for RightsCon 2026!
Great news: registration for RightsCon 2026 (May 5–8, Lusaka, Zambia and online) is now open! To join an estimated 5,000 participants for the 14th edition of the world’s leading summit on human rights in the digital age, get your early bird ticket today. We’re pleased to share that the first 50 Express readers who use the code RCEXPRESS25 when booking a “Standard” online or in-person ticket will receive an exclusive additional 25% off. And remember: we believe the price of a ticket should never be a barrier to participation. Please contact [email protected] if the cost of a Community Ticket is out of reach. Read more via Access Now
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