The game is up: how MENA’s social media regulations silence and control

Imagine a basketball game where one team writes the rules, owns the court, and controls the referee. That’s not a fair game; it’s a performance of control. The new wave of social media regulations in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region threatens to work just like that — giving the appearance of legitimacy while consolidating state power. Access Now’s Aymen Zaghdoudi explains what’s being proposed and what regulators and social media companies can do to protect people’s rights to speak freely. Read more via Access Now

AI’s age of innocence is over

WATCH: “Not AI for Good” webinar

Speaking of control, on Wednesday we hosted “Not AI for Good,” a civil society-led counter-event to the UN’s AI for Good Global Summit. Our goal: to challenge the dominant tech-solutionist narratives shaping humanitarian uses of AI, and to scrutinize the role tech companies play as defense contractors and their part in exacerbating the very crises the humanitarian sector seeks to address. If you missed it, check out the details and watch the recording. Watch now via Access Now

Robot dogs, Teslas, and rescue helicopters: the UN AI Summit was a lot

WIRED dives deep into the debate at the AI for Good Global Summit, where participants interrogated what AI for “good” means, and who is really benefiting from it. “We should be out of the age of innocence,” warned Access Now’s Giulio Coppi, arguing that humanitarian organizations in particular should be wary of relying on technology companies without understanding how their systems are built. “You can’t even explain what’s inside your tech stack, because it has kept changing,” he said. Read more via WIRED

READ: “Feminist guiding principles and commitments for global AI governance”

How tools are developed matters for ensuring they benefit people and communities at risk. The global feminist group Gender in Digital Coalition (GiDC) has a new advocacy paper that outlines key principles for embedding gender equality into AI governance from the very start, to ensure AI development protects women, girls, gender-diverse people, and marginalized communities. Read more via GenderIT

DuckDuckGo’s AI feature is telling users that Trump died of rabies — here’s why that matters

We already know large language models (LLMs) have a tendency to get their facts wrong, undermining information integrity. Now, some anti-AI activists are doing their best to “poison” the data that AI tools depend on, tricking these systems into repeating a range of absurd claims — in one instance succeeding in getting DuckDuckGo’s AI search feature to systematically regurgitate false claims about U.S. President Donald Trump. Read more via Futurism

Protect the messenger

India’s crackdown on a new WhatsApp feature risks setting a global precedent

Weakening privacy protections in one country can undermine security everywhere. In India, the government is attacking encrypted messaging platform WhatsApp’s new username feature allowing people to connect without sharing phone numbers, citing concerns about scams and impersonation. Access Now’s Namrata Maheshwari warns that if WhatsApp fails to defend its capacity to innovate privacy features, the concession could be a “slippery slope” — encouraging governments elsewhere to force companies to make their products less secure. Read more via Rest of World

“A critical tool for fighting against an Orwellian future” — why users of this encrypted messaging app are helping keep the project alive

Even though we need encryption to safeguard free expression and other human rights, governments around the world continue to undermine it. After privacy-focused messaging app Session suffered a funding crisis, it turned to its community for support. Access Now’s Mohammed Al-Maskati talks to TechRadar about the challenges of building and maintaining tools that enable everyone to communicate securely. Read more via TechRadar

Digital Security Toolkit: staying secure online

Messaging apps shape how we organize, collaborate, and stay connected with our communities. But behind every message, photo, and file shared is a question worth asking: how well is the app protecting your privacy? Our latest Digital Security Toolkit offers tips to help you make safer choices about the tools you use every day and keep your conversations more secure. Check it out and share it with someone who might find it useful. Read more via Access Now

Fighting to #KeepItOn in Venezuela

ReconectaVenezuela provides lifeline connectivity after Venezuela’s earthquake

When communications collapse, so does access to emergency support, healthcare, and vital information. As the recovery continues in Venezuela following the June 24 earthquakes, local organization Redes Ayuda has been leading ReconectaVenezuela, an effort to deploy satellite connectivity points to communities affected by outages. Beyond connectivity, Redes Ayuda’s response has supported telemedicine services, journalists, humanitarian workers, rescue teams, and local coordination efforts — underscoring how vital access to information is during a crisis. Read more via Redes Ayuda

Opportunities and other highlights

APPLY: Grants for cross-border collaborative investigations on the impact of AI

Are you an EU journalist covering the human impact of AI? Free Press Unlimited is offering four grants of 5,000 euros to support collaborative investigations into AI’s impact on society — from corporate accountability and political influence to human rights, environmental harms, and disinformation. The program is open to teams of journalists working across at least two eligible European countries, and it includes mentorship, networking opportunities, and a spot in the final AI and Journalism Lab. Learn more and apply by July 22. Read more via Free Press Unlimited

Help shape Bread&Net 2026

Good news: you still have time to submit a proposal for this year's Bread&Net summit, taking place October 14-16 in Beirut and online. Bread&Net is first and biggest annual unconference in the West Asia and North Africa (WANA) region, bringing together advocates to discuss digital rights, social justice, and the future of these dynamics. Learn more and submit your proposal by July 30. Read more via Bread&Net