War profiteers: online ads, propaganda for war, and a call to reprioritize human rights

The use of propaganda to influence wartime narratives is a tale as old as time. But as we explore in our latest report, War profiteers: online ads and the machinery of propaganda for war, targeted social media ads that use personal data and algorithmic profiling to influence what people see, think, and feel are making war-related content more dangerous than ever; normalizing violence, justifying human rights abuses, and further fueling conflict. “Social media platforms should not profit from propaganda for war,” warns Access Now’s Aymen Zaghdoudi. “Instead of generating advertising revenue at the expense of people affected by conflict, they must take every possible step to uphold human rights.” Read more via Access Now

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A dangerous new direction for the EU

One year on, the new European Commission is abandoning human rights

A year ago, as the new European Commission took office for a five-year mandate, we asked the incoming cohort of EU leaders to prioritize respect for human rights. Instead, they have chosen to do the opposite; pushing ahead with harmful deregulation under the guise of “simplification,” bowing to industry pressure to water down rights-respecting legislation, and expanding mass surveillance as part of a digital war on migrants. Read our latest post urging the Commission to reverse course, and recommit to putting human rights at the center of the European project. Read more via Access Now

Get off the Omnibus

In a recent op-ed for Tech Policy Press, Access Now’s Daniel Leufer broke down exactly what the EU’s recently released Digital Omnibus package entails; notably rolling back human rights protections embedded in the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and AI Act. As he explains, what the Commission is proposing is “prioritizing innovation at any cost over people’s rights,” which will lead to a “bonfire of [human rights] safeguards.” Read more via Tech Policy Press

WATCH: “Deregulate all the things (except policing)?”

Even as the Commission pushes ahead with “simplifying” digital rights regulation, it is doubling down in its efforts to expand legislation in the area of security, policing, and migration. Moderating a session at European Digital Rights’ (EDRi) recent #PrivacyCamp25 event, Access Now’s Caterina Rodelli noted how these are two sides of the same coin, both of which are based on a false underlying premise of needing to prioritize competitiveness above all else. Read more via EDRi

A slippery slide into authoritarianism

Kenya: Authorities weaponized social media and digital tools to suppress Gen Z protests

Analysis by Amnesty International shows how, between June 2024 and July 2025, young activists in Kenya participating in protests were systematically targeted by tech-facilitated violence; part of a pattern of digital repression that has also encompassed internet shutdowns and platform blocks. Revealing how Kenyan authorities targeted protesters with online intimidation, threats, incitement to hatred, and surveillance, Amnesty has launched a petition calling for accountability from Kenya’s government, as well as private companies such as telecom provider Safaricom, which has enabled the surveillance and intimidation of activists. Read more via Amnesty International

READ: “Harmful online speech threatens Kenya's democracy, safety, and civic rights”

A new report by Internet Sans Frontières / Internet Without Borders (ISF) examines how the proliferation of online hate speech, disinformation, and other dangerous content is eroding Kenya’s civic space, notably targeting people on the basis of ethnicity or religion, or specifically inciting violence against women, especially female politicians. As ISF Executive Director Julie Owono notes, Kenya is just one example of how “reducing moderation does not strengthen free speech, it accelerates its erosion.” Read more via ISF

Predatory spyware proliferates

To catch a Predator: Leak exposes the internal operations of Intellexa’s mercenary spyware

An international investigation led by Amnesty International’s Security Lab has revealed exactly how spyware maker Intellexa’s flagship product, Predator, enables “targeted surveillance attacks on human rights defenders, journalists, and members of civil society,” with Intellexa maintaining direct remote access to Predator systems even when being used by foreign governments. The research shows how Predator continues to be used to unlawfully surveil activists around the world, despite the company, and several of its executives, being subject to U.S. sanctions. Meanwhile, separate research suggests that Predator is still being used in a number of countries, including Iraq and Pakistan. Read more via Amnesty International

The digital iron curtain closes further

Russia limits WhatsApp use, claiming it enables terrorism, crime, espionage

Russian authorities have reportedly restricted access to WhatsApp in the country, claiming that it enables terrorism, fraud, and other crimes, and calling for people in Russia to switch to domestic alternatives. This follows the mandatory installation of the state-backed Max’s messenger platform on all devices sold in the country; part of an ever-deepening pattern of digital authoritarianism. Read more via The Record

WATCH: “The MAX app: Russia’s pocket-sized approach to mass surveillance”

This week, Access Now’s Anastasiya Zhyrmont briefed the U.S. Helsinki Commission on the dangers of the Max messenger tool, which exposes people “to state surveillance, undermines their privacy, and limits their access to independent information” by embedding deep tracking analytics, including precise geolocation functionalities, into people’s devices, in order to compile wide digital dossiers on every user. Despite this, she noted, use of the app is becoming alarmingly widespread, as access to essential services is increasingly funnelled through Max, and as circumvention tools, such as VPNs, are banned. Watch Now via Helsinki Commission

Opportunities and other highlights

Register for RightsCon 2026!

The 14th edition of RightsCon will take place in Zambia and online, from Tuesday, May 5 to Friday, May 8, 2026, bringing together an estimated 5,000+ participants to tackle the most pressing issues at the intersection of human rights and technology. Early-bird tickets are available until February 20, 2026, and our travel support applications are also open. Read more via Access Now

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