Human rights organizations file brief in Anthropic v. U.S. Department of War

Earlier this month, the U.S Department of War (DOW) designated tech company Anthropic a “supply chain risk” after it refused to allow its AI to be used for lethal autonomous weapons in warfare or domestic mass surveillance; Anthropic responded by suing DOW. But Anthropic’s “red lines” overlook the dangers that semi-autonomous AI tools pose to civilians in conflict — as demonstrated by the use of these tools in the U.S. and Israel’s war in Iran. Together with the Abolitionist Law Center, the Center for Constitutional Rights, and Tech Justice Law Project, we filed an amicus brief to make that argument in court. “Human lives cannot be reduced to algorithmic recommendations on a battlefield, and artificial intelligence cannot be used to obscure responsibility for unlawful violence,” warns Access Now’s Michael De Dora. Read more via Tech Justice Law Project

Dig deeper

LEARN: “Artificial Genocidal Intelligence: how Israel is automating human rights abuses and war crimes”

As we note in the Anthropic v. DOW amicus brief, using AI to accelerate military “kill chains” contributes to a devastating and disproportionate loss of civilian life, whether in Gaza or Iran. Our 2024 report on AI in Gaza explains how lethal autonomous weapon systems (LAWS) and semi-autonomous weapons (semi-LAWS), facial recognition systems and biometric surveillance, and automated target generation systems can be used to hide “a campaign of mass destruction and murder behind a veneer of algorithmic objectivity.” Read more via Access Now

READ: “How EU funding and exports of high-risk AI systems exacerbate severe human rights violations in Palestine and the broader region”

The EU is purportedly reining in some risky uses of AI. But as a new report from 7amleh highlights, high-risk AI systems made in Europe and/or funded by EU research programs are nevertheless being deployed across Egypt, Morocco, Lebanon, Palestine, and Tunisia, with little transparency or oversight, and a lack of sufficient safeguards to prevent human rights violations. Read more via 7amleh

Exiled, but undefeated

Fighting for fragile freedoms in the digital era

Access Now’s new Co-Executive Director, Arzu Geybella, has lived under the shadow of deepening authoritarianism in Azerbaijan, and it has shaped her life and career as a journalist and human rights activist. “I know firsthand how fragile our rights and freedoms are, and how easily they can be taken away when power goes unchecked,” she explains. Learn more about who she is and why she’s chosen to join Access Now and lead on organizational impact at this critical time for digital rights. Read more via Access Now

First, they came for the journalists

Journalists are often the last line of defense against dictatorship. But as the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) points out, more of them are being pushed into exile and seeking support. Coda Story talks to four reporters exiled from Venezuela, Russia, Cuba, and Afghanistan, who share how they “report in real time from thousands of miles away” — investigating war crimes, debunking disinformation, and circumventing internet shutdowns to tell the stories of the people left behind. Read more via Coda Story

No moving on for Myanmar

Five years after coup, Myanmar’s digital authoritarianism enters new phase

We have now passed the five-year mark since the military junta seized power in Myanmar, and people are still experiencing brutal violence and repression, mass surveillance, censorship, and state control of almost all internet infrastructure. In a new op-ed for Tech Policy Press, Access Now’s Wai Phyo Mint and Darika Bamrungchok expose how foreign governments have supported the junta’s weaponization of technology and explain what the international community can and must do to support the people of Myanmar. Read more via Tech Policy Press

Freedom of expression during Myanmar’s revolution: the gap between legal provisions and practice

A new study by the Myanmar rights group Athan, an Access Now grantee, highlights how the political arrangements and legal frameworks enacted since the 2021 coup either restrict the right to freedom of expression on vague grounds, or allow authorities to disregard it in practice. The group also reports that people in Myanmar are self censoring, due to fear for their safety — yet another threat to free expression. Read more via Athan

READ: “IFRC World Disasters Report 2026”

This year’s International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) report on world disasters focuses on how misinformation, disinformation, malinformation, hate speech, and other damaging narratives hamper humanitarian action. In a case study we contributed, Access Now’s Wai Phyo Mint, Faiz Naeem, and Giulio Coppi reflect on the impact of the 2025 Myanmar earthquake and the junta’s continued internet restrictions, which slowed rescue efforts and the distribution of much-needed aid. Read more via IFRC

Stop the surveillance sequel

Reform, rather than reauthorize, Section 702 of the U.S. Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act

Section 702 of the U.S. Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) is a highly controversial provision of U.S. law that authorizes warrantless surveillance of non-U.S. persons abroad, but has been abused to allow federal agencies “backdoor” access to data on people in the U.S. — and it’s up for reauthorization next month. Access Now joined more than 90 other civil society organizations calling on Democratic lawmakers to reject the push for renewal, and instead champion the reforms necessary to curb abuse. Read more via Demand Progress

Opportunities and other highlights

Your organization belongs in the RightsCon 2026 Community Village!

With just over six weeks to go until RightsCon 2026 (May 5-8, Lusaka, Zambia, and online), don’t miss your chance to showcase your organization’s work on-site; apply by March 31 to host a Community Village booth. Read more via Access Now

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