APC

The digitisation of Zimbabwe’s judiciary marks a significant stride forward in the nation’s digital transformation. However, there’s an immediate need for cross-sector collaboration to ensure that this advancement doesn’t restrict access to justice.

Stakeholders far from UN grounds benefit when states clarify their position on new and emerging technologies and how international law, including international human rights law, and sustainable development commitments apply to fields like artificial intelligence.

Community networks in Africa stand as beacons of innovation and resilience. Through a series of four webinars, Tanda Community Network along with APC and and Rhizomatica's LocNet initiative helped with capacity building and explored such networks' challenges, triumphs and how to support them in bridging the digital divide.

At the United Nations’ Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), APC co-organised an event for advocacy around women’s rights in the digital sphere and the impact of the UN's Global Digital Compact (GDC) on the lives of women.

These subgrants are designed to support the development and implementation of holistic safety strategies, including research, advocacy and capacity building, through initiatives that explore the intersections between technology and land and environmental issues.

APC and Noor co-organised a discussion with six Palestinian feminist activists, researchers, academics and content creators to discuss how Israel weaponises gendered disinformation and atrocities propaganda to continue its genocide in Palestine.

We are excited to announce the third iteration of the Feminist Internet Research Network (FIRN). Partnering with 10 new researchers from the global South, the network will engage with 18-month research projects that focus on technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV).

Meet the Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF), a New Delhi-based organisation committed to democratising the potential of technology and individual liberty, and one of the recent additions to the APC member network.

Community-centred connectivity alternatives are offering reliable services at affordable costs in areas left behind by large telecommunications companies. But their journey shows why rethinking financing for connectivity is an important step towards bridging the digital divides.

This statement was delivered by Karla Velasco Ramos, the APC Women’s Rights Programme policy advocacy coordinator, at the interactive dialogue on artificial intelligence to advance gender equality” during the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68).

Meet Sursiendo, an independent organisation based in Chiapas, Mexico, committed to activism, communications, design, free/libre software, popular education, art and culture, and an APC member since February 2024.

The use of CCTV for face recognition or tracking of motor vehicles based on their number plate registration has raised the important question about a person’s right to privacy and as such a suitable legislation is required to ensure Zambia falls within the universally accepted parameters.

The writer presents some key takeaways from the 2023 Comparative Media Law and Policy (PCMLP) programme at University of Oxford, which he attended with the help of an APC grant. 

The hybrid events guide contains a wealth of information to help organisers think strategically about what is required to effectively plan and run a hybrid event, and create a space that is inclusive and welcoming for all who engage regardless of modality.

APC Women’s Rights Programme is delighted to announce the successful applicants for the first round of its small grants programme, Exploring Feminist #TechJoy! We will distribute the next call around June 2024.

The Association for Progressive Communications (APC) is looking for an administrative coordinator for our project “Safety for Voices” (SfV), to join our virtual office and team. The deadline for applications is 10 April 2024.

By being rooted in their own communities and encouraging collective articulation, a community network can became a catalyst for rethinking digital spaces and build more inclusive practices – as the pieces collated for this issue show.

This issue of Digital Rights Southern Africa makes clear that there is no or slow commensurate roll-out of measures to ensure that biometric data collection and processing systems are secure and to the actual benefit of the societies in which they are being implemented.

Some of the areas of specific human rights concern raised about the 2022 draft were underdeveloped consent provisions, the almost complete absence of protections for data subjects, and the absence of carve-outs for journalistic, artistic and academic data collection and processing.

Learn about the Portal Sem Porteiras community network, an initiative by residents of a rural neighbourhood who are promoting community-centred connectivity, local content creation and technological innovation in Brazil.