The impact of the RightsCon that wasn’t

LISTEN: “RightsCon organizers take stock of what's next after Zambia”

To learn more about what transpired, the impact on local and regional civil society, and what comes next for RightsCon, tune in to the latest episode of the Tech Policy Press podcast to hear from Access Now’s Co-executive Director, Alejandro Mayoral Baños, and RightsCon Director, Nikki Gladstone. Read more via Tech Policy Press

HAVE YOUR SAY: RightsCon community survey

As we plan the way forward, we want to understand the impact this has had on our community, and to hear from you about what should happen next. We have already compiled some initial guidance for participants who planned to join us, while our participant survey remains open for contributions until May 18. Read more via Access Now

What follows is a small, non-exhaustive selection of partner, participant, and grantee work that would have been showcased at RightsCon 2026. We will continue to feature more of this work in upcoming issues of the newsletter, so please get in touch with [email protected] if you have something to share.

How Common Cause Zambia resists internet shutdowns

A key local partner for RightsCon 2026 was Common Cause Zambia (CCZ), which works to promote good governance in Zambia. They planned to drive discussion on a range of issues at the summit, including digital ID, internet shutdowns, and the wider state of digital rights. To learn more, check out their contribution to the recently published book Internet shutdowns in Africa: technology, rights, and power (co-edited by Access Now’s own Felicia Anthonio), where they unpacked the weaponization of the internet during Zambia’s 2021 election. Download the book for free. Read more via ADRN

Uganda’s architecture of surveillance

Defenders Protection Initiative (DPI) is a Uganda-based organization supporting human rights defenders to integrate security and safety into their work. Their recent report, The architecture of surveillance: digital rights, civic space, and Uganda's 2026 elections, analyzes current methods and means of surveillance deployed in African countries, the legal frameworks that allow surveillance to go unchecked in Uganda, and the impact on Ugandan civil society, drawing on testimonies gathered in the lead-up to the country’s January 2026 elections. Read more via DPI

Mapping the way to a rights-respecting digital ecosystem in ASEAN

Together with Access Now, EngageMedia, FORUM‑ASIA, and the Wikimedia Foundation, Oxfam has launched the first comprehensive mapping of digital rights in member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Their report highlights major gaps between the region’s digital ambitions and national commitments to human rights, and offers practical recommendations for building a more inclusive digital ecosystem. Read more via Oxfam

How EECA governments use AI for censorship and surveillance

RKS Global recently conducted a comparative study of AI legislation in nine Eastern European and Central Asian (EECA) countries: Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Russia (a separate study focusing specifically on Russia’s disturbing new AI laws is also available). This research maps how different countries are approaching AI regulation and highlights how the large-scale deployment of AI is transforming these technologies into powerful tools for suppression. Read more via RKS Global

The use of surveillance technologies for political control in Venezuela

The VE sin Filtro program, created by Conexión Segura y Libre, monitors and documents digital threats to human rights in Venezuela. Their latest report, Watch the watchers: surveillance technologies for political control in Venezuela (available in both English and Spanish) examines how, even after Venezuela’s enforced change in leadership, the country’s extensive surveillance infrastructure remains fully operational, facilitating systematic political repression. Read more via Conexión Segura y Libre

Brazil says “no” to being a backyard for data centers

The backlash to AI data centers, which consume vast amounts of water, energy, and land, is growing worldwide. The Brazilian Institute for Consumer Defense (IDEC) has analyzed the harms of such facilities across Chile, Mexico, Uruguay, and Brazil, where low water and energy costs, limited environmental protections, and little oversight open the door to abuse. Check out their new animated video breaking down the hidden costs of the AI boom and calling for a new digital model built on transparency, community rights, and climate justice. Via IDEC

How CIGI is supporting safer digital spaces

Supporting Safer Digital Spaces, led by the Center for International Governance Innovation (CIGI), is a project exploring the prevalence and human impact of technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV). At RightsCon, CIGI planned to preview highlights from the project’s latest research covering 18 Global Majority countries, including findings that demonstrate the deeply gendered impact of online violence, the links between online harm and offline violence, and the disproportionate risks faced by LGBTQ+ and gender-diverse people. Via CIGI

IDAHOBIT 2026: speaking up for LGBTQ+ digital rights

May 17 marks the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT) — a moment to stand in solidarity with LGBTQ+ communities increasingly under attack, online and offline. As discriminatory laws shrink civic space worldwide, and technology is used to surveil, harass, and persecute LGBTQ+ people, Access Now is committed to defending LGBTQ+ rights in the digital age. Check out our tips for staying safer on dating apps and our digital safety guide for LGBTQ+ activists in Africa, as well as related resources from civil society partners PEN America and the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF). Via Access Now

REGISTER: “Digital security in war and conflict” webinar

As the digital-related harms of armed conflicts and crises continue to expand, humanitarian actors are having to reorient their work to focus on supporting impacted communities to stay safer online. On May 19 (9am EST / 3pm CET / 9pm Philippines and Western Indonesia), join Access Now’s Digital Security Helpline’s next “Safe and Strong” digital security webinar to discuss the specific threats and challenges this topic poses for civil society. Read more via Access Now