How we fight back

Digital authoritarianism is rising, but so are we. Read on to learn more, forward this newsletter to a friend, or consider making a donation to support our work defending and extending the digital rights of at-risk people and communities worldwide.

#KeepItOn: Iran plunged into digital darkness, concealing human rights abuses

In Iran, what began as protests about economic injustice has become a country-wide outcry against decades of repression. The regime has responded with a brutal crackdown resulting in the reported killing of more than 2,500 protesters, as well as 18,000 arrests and counting. Ongoing internet blackouts are putting people in even greater danger, and preventing journalists and activists from verifying and reporting human rights abuses. Join Access Now and the #KeepItOn coalition in urging Iranian authorities to end the crackdown, restore internet access, and uphold human rights. Read more via Access Now

LISTEN: “The communications blackout in Iran”

Iran has a long history of hitting the internet kill switch to suppress dissent. But this time is different. Access Now’s Felicia Anthonio, our #KeepItOn campaign manager, talks to Somewhere on Earth about the scope and scale of the shutdown, which is impacting mobile networks and satellite connectivity. Even once connectivity is restored, the internet in Iran “may never go back to the internet people knew before the shutdown,” she warns. Tune in via Somewhere on Earth

Denying democracy: Uganda fails to #KeepItOn during elections

Internet shutdowns are not only an attack on human rights. They also undermine democracy. In Uganda, where President Yoweri Museveni is attempting to extend his 40-year tenure, the government blacked out internet access two days before the general election. Authorities also ordered several civil rights groups to stop work. The growing use of internet shutdowns to undermine democratic participation is unacceptable. Join our call to Ugandan authorities to lift the blackout immediately and #KeepItOn. Read more via Access Now

You’re next: Myanmar’s new era of digital oppression

Failing to counter digital authoritarianism is a grave mistake. Nearly five years after the military coup in Myanmar, the junta has near-total control of communications networks and is currently holding sham elections that outside experts have determined are neither free nor fair. In an op-ed for Context, Access Now’s Wai Phyo Mint explains what happens when governments harness digital infrastructure as a weapon, and the dire cost of looking away. Read more via Context

How governments turn the internet into a weapon

Every year Access Now publishes the #KeepItOn report tracking internet shutdowns around the world, and last year we documented the highest number ever. In a recent op-ed for Gizmodo, Zach Rosson, our #KeepItOn global data and research lead, and technologist Bruce Schneier, an Access Now board member, examine the history of the more than 1,700 internet shutdowns we’ve recorded since 2016, and what it will take to reverse the horrifying upward trend. Read more via Gizmodo

READ: “Gaza’s digital economy in collapse amid blockade and telecom destruction”

More than two years of repeated internet shutdowns and the systemic destruction of telecommunications infrastructure have decimated Gaza’s fragile digital economy, leaving those who depend on it struggling to survive. A new report from digital rights group 7amleh - The Arab Center for Social Media Advancement unpacks the details. (In case you missed it, economic damage is one of five kinds of harms we mapped in our recent report on internet shutdowns in armed conflict, which features examples from Gaza and Sudan.) Read more via 7amleh

Meet the team that investigates when journalists and activists get hacked with government spyware

Spyware is yet another tool in the digital authoritarian toolset, and around the world, attackers are targeting journalists, activists, and human rights defenders. Our Digital Security Helpline is a resource, standing ready to support civil society 24/7. In a new piece from TechCrunch, the Helpline’s Hassen Selmi talks about the challenges civil society is facing and the importance of providing digital security assistance that is sensitive to context, since digital threats vary “from person to person, from culture to culture.” TechCrunch also provides helpful guidance for those who are notified that they may have been targeted. Read more via TechCrunch

Register for RightsCon 2026

Connecting with one another is vitally important for building power and resilience. If you’re still stuck on your new year’s resolutions, here’s an easy one for you: register for RightsCon 2026 (May 5-8, Zambia and online), the world’s leading summit on human rights in the digital age. If you register before February 20, you’ll benefit from early bird pricing. Need help planning your trip? Find more information on our Plan Your Travel page. Read more via Access Now