The 12th edition of RightsCon will be taking place this year from 5 to 8 June in Costa Rica and online. Organised by AccessNow as a worldwide summit exploring human rights in the digital age, RightsCon is a civil society-led space that brings together stakeholders from public and private sectors alongside human rights defenders with a view to building a rights-respecting digital future.
This year, RightsCon’s first-ever hybrid format will showcase over 600 sessions, and APC and its network will be actively participating, co-organising and speaking at the event. APC’s participation at RightsCon will focus on two of the thematic priorities for 2023: gender and sexuality and climate and environmental justice, with the addition of a rights and a gender perspective to cybersecurity.
APC’s goals and advocacy objectives throughout the event are to support, connect and reconnect with our network and partners, and contribute to the central themes of the event by offering our perspective on the relationship between the environment and digital technologies; digital inclusion, and women's rights (including sexual rights and freedom from violence), examining the issues from a human rights, intersectional and gender perspective. We wish to promote an intersectional human rights approach to cybersecurity and contribute to discussions from that angle. We will also explore new issues that are relevant to our network and deepen our own knowledge and capacity.
A collection of key resources and readings to help us prepare for the event can be found here.
EVENTS AND SESSIONS WHERE YOU WILL FIND APC STAFF, MEMBERS AND PARTNERS
Monday, 5 June (RightsCon day zero)
World Environment Day Quiltathon
Organiser: APC
Help us in threading feminist digital futures for our planet by adding an image to the digital quilt!
Tuesday, 6 June
Data protection legislation in Africa: An open discussion
Co-organiser: Jokkolabs Banjul
2:15 - 3:15 AM CST | 8:15 - 9:15 AM UTC | Online | More information here
Using AI to detect online violence in the MENA region
Co-organiser: 7amleh - The Arab Center for the Advancement of Social Media
2:15 - 3:15 AM CST | 8:15 - 9:15 AM UTC | Online | More information here
From Wiki to the World Wide Web: Internet infrastructure and access to information
Organiser and co-presenter: Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet)
2:15 - 3:15 AM CST | 8:15 - 9:15 AM UTC | Online | More information here
#KeepItOn in 2022: Successes, opportunities, struggles, and lessons learned in the fight against election-related shutdowns
Organiser and co-presenter: Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet)
9:00 - 10:00 AM CST | 3:00 - 4:00 PM UTC | In-person | More information here
Weaving community solutions for communication needs through capacity-building
Co-organiser: Rhizomatica, APC and Local Networks Initiative. Co-presenter: Rhizomatica, APC and Sulá Batsú Cooperative.
9:00 - 10:00 AM CST | 3:00 - 4:00 PM UTC | In-person | More information here
Information disorder in the MENA region: The challenge of Arabic language and dialects
Co-presenter: SMEX
10:15 - 11:15 AM CST | 4:15 - 5:15 PM UTC | Online | More information here
Protect and respect: Technology-facilitated gender-based violence
Co-presenter: jac sm kee
10:15 - 11:15 AM CST | 4:15 - 5:15 PM UTC | Hybrid | More information here
Ensuring inclusive digital IDs in the Asia Pacific
Co-presenter: Body & Data
10:15 - 11:15 AM CST | 4:15 - 5:15 PM UTC | In-person | More information here
Seeking multilateralism in the platform economy: Strategies to promote workers rights in the Global South
Organiser: TEDIC
11:30 AM - 12:30 PM CST | 5:30 - 6:30 PM UTC | Online
Human rights and technology in Mesoamerica
Organiser and co-presenter: Código Sur
11:30 AM - 12:30 PM CST | 5:30 - 6:30 PM UTC | In-person | More information here
Reproductive justice and surveillance advertising: How can we hold Big Tech accountable?
Co-presenter: Body & Data
12:45 - 1:45 PM CST | 6:45 - 7:45 PM UTC | In-person | More information here
The role of free and open source software for digital resilience of civil society
Co-presenter: Derechos Digitales and CIPESA
12:45 - 1:45 PM CST | 6:45 - 7:45 PM UTC | Online | More information here
Digital communality: A permaculture ethics perspective in digitalization
Organiser: Sursiendo
3:15 - 4:15 PM CST | 9:15 - 10:15 PM UTC | In-person | More information here
Exploring the values that will shape AI for a better internet
Co-organiser: Internet Archive. Co-presenter: Mark Graham and APC.
4:30 - 5:30 PM CST | 10:30 - 11:30 PM UTC | Hybrid | More information here
How do activists take the private sector on board in promoting digital rights in Asia?
Co-organiser: Thai Netizen Network, Open Net, Open Culture Foundation
4:30 - 5:30 PM CST | 10:30 - 11:30 PM UTC | In-person | More information here
Human rights and environmental due diligence: Regulation and realities
Co-presenter: Gayatri Khandhadai (Business & Human Rights Resource Centre)
4:30 - 5:30 PM CST | 10:30 - 11:30 PM UTC | In-person | More information here
Wednesday, 7 June
Digital self-determination for persons living with disabilities
Organiser: Point of View
2:15 - 3:15 AM CST | 8:15 - 9:15 AM UTC | Online | More information here
Non-discrimination by design: How digital labor platforms can combat gender-based bias and violence
Co-organiser and co-presenter: TEDIC
2:15 - 3:15 AM CST | 8:15 - 9:15 AM UTC | Hybrid | More information here
Data and action: Using data analysis for incident response and threat prevention
Co-presenter: TEDIC
2:15 - 3:15 AM CST | 8:15 - 9:15 AM UTC | Online | More information here
Building a Resilient and Inclusive Community Network: Lessons from Angaza Network
Co-presenter: KICTANet
3:30 - 4:30 AM CST | 9:30 - 10:30 AM UTC | Online
Cybersecurity capacity-building for individuals and organizations
Co-organiser and co-presenter: Pollicy
3:30 - 4:30 AM CST | 9:30 - 10:30 AM UTC | Online
Abortion justice: Building a creative, supportive, and secure ecosystem
Co-presenter: Body & Data
7:45 - 8:45 AM CST | 1:45 - 2:45 PM UTC | Online | More information here
Fireside chat: Encryption ideology – A conversation with CEOs
Co-presenter: Mallory Knodel
10:00 - 10:45 AM CST | 4:00 - 4:45 PM UTC | Hybrid | More information here
So you want to be an Executive Director?
Co-presenter: Derechos Digitales
10:15 - 11:15 AM CST | 4:15 - 5:15 PM UTC | In-person | More information here
Decolonizing the Internet and Access for All
Organiser: Zaina Foundation
10:30 - 11:30 AM CST | 5:30 - 6:30 PM UTC | In-person
Free social networks: Uses, scope and challenges for our organizations
Organiser and presenter: Sursiendo
11:30 AM - 12:30 PM CST | 5:30 - 6:30 PM UTC | In-person | More information here
Opening the code of the transfeminist methodology "Infrastructures of Affection"
Co-organiser and co-presenter: APC
11:30 AM - 12:30 PM CST | 5:30 - 6:30 PM UTC | Online | More information here
The right to repair: A win for privacy, sustainability and human rights?
Co-organiser and co-presenter: APC
11:30 AM - 12:30 PM CST | 5:30 - 6:30 PM UTC | Online | More information here
Do zombies have human rights? A discussion about identity, the body and the self
Co-presenter: Derechos Digitales
11:30 AM - 12:30 PM CST | 5:30 - 6:30 PM UTC | Online | More information here
Navigating a rocky landscape: recommitting to risk mapping as a cornerstone of digital security support
Co-presenter: Jokkolabs Banul and Thai Netizen Network
11:30 AM - 12:30 PM CST | 5:30 - 6:30 PM UTC | In-person | More information here
AI ethics in the West Asia and North Africa (WANA) region
Organiser and co-presenter: SMEX
11:30 AM - 12:30 PM CST | 5:30 - 6:30 PM UTC | Online | More information here
Tech cartographies: Fighting digital colonialism and seeking social environmental justice
Co-presenter: Coding Rights, Paz Peña, Sursiendo and Rhizomatica
12:45 - 1:45 PM CST | 6:45 - 7:45 PM UTC | In-person | More information here
How to win friends and influence people: A training on countering internet fragmentation trends
Co-presenter: Mallory Knodel
12:45 - 1:45 PM CST | 6:45 - 7:45 PM UTC | Online | More information here
Algorithmic content curation’s impact on health information: What is at stake?
Co-presenter: 7amleh - The Arab Center for the Advancement of Social Media
2:00 - 3:00 PM CST | 8:00 - 9:00 PM UTC | In-person | More information here
Neither China, nor Silicon Valley: A regulatory initiative from Latin America and the Caribbean
Co-presenter: Intervozes
3:15 - 4:15 PM CST | 9:15 - 10:15 PM UTC | In-person | More information here
Tierra Común: What do we need to rebuild digital territories? Conversation with artists, academics, and activists
Co-organiser and co-presenter: Rhizomatica
3:15 - 4:15 PM CST | 9:15 - 10:15 PM UTC | Hybrid | More information here
Election watch: Disinformation and data collection at the polls
Co-presenter: Body & Data
4:30 - 5:30 PM CST | 10:30 - 11:30 PM UTC | In-person | More information here
Digital Rights and Online Censorship of Activists in the MENA Region
Co-presenter: SMEX and 7amleh - The Arab Center for the Advancement of Social Media
4:30 - 5:30 PM CST | 10:30 - 11:30 PM UTC | In-person | More information here
Thursday, 8 June
Gender justice is under attack: Is it gender backlash online?
Organiser and co-presenter: Women of Uganda Network (WOUGNET)
3:30 - 4:30 AM CST | 9:30 - 10:30 AM UTC | Online | More information here
Decentralising digital environmental rights through circular economy and human rights-centered sustainable design solutions: Insights from India
Co-organiser: Digital Empowerment Foundation (DEF), PROTEGE QV and APC
4:45 - 5:45 AM CST | 10:45 - 11:45 AM UTC | Online | More information here
Mobilizing on digital rights in Francophone contexts: who are the actors, what are the challenges?
Co-presenter: Stéphane Couture and ASUTIC
7:45 - 8:45 AM CST | 1:45 - 2:45 PM UTC | Online | More information here
Transforming technology frameworks for human rights and earth justice
Co-organiser: APC. Co-presenter: Sulá Batsú Cooperative, Paz Peña and APC
9:00 - 10:00 AM CST | 3:00 - 4:00 PM UTC | In-person | More information here
Digital rupture: Dissecting and confronting technology-facilitated gender-based violence in the MENA region
Co-organiser and co-presenter: 7amleh - The Arab Center for the Advancement of Social Media
9:00 - 10:00 AM CST | 3:00 - 4:00 PM UTC | In-person | More information here
Digital security research in Latin America should not be a crime
Co-presenter: Jokkolabs Banjul
9:00 - 10:00 AM CST | 3:00 - 4:00 PM UTC | In-person | More information here
Holistic care and feminist digital inclusion: Experiences of women from community networks in the South
Organiser: APC, Cooperativa Sulá Batsú and Rhizomatica
10:15 - 11:15 AM CST | 4:15 - 5:15 PM UTC | In-person | More information here
A framework for developing gender-responsive cybersecurity policy
Organiser: APC
10:15 - 11:15 AM CST | 4:15 - 5:15 PM UTC | Online | More information here
Spread the word about this session with these resources!
Connecting the unconnected in Francophone Africa: Advocating for a regulatory framework for community networks
Co-organiser and co-presenter: APC
10:15 - 11:15 AM CST | 4:15 - 5:15 PM UTC | Online | More information here
Crying shame: The "supply chain" of non-consensual intimate imagery (NCII)
Co-presenter: APC
10:15 - 11:15 AM CST | 4:15 - 5:15 PM UTC | Online | More information here
Solving disconnected strategic litigation funding
Co-organiser: Derechos Digitales
10:15 - 11:15 AM CST | 4:15 - 5:15 PM UTC | In-person | More information here
Who pays for the internet?
Co-presenter: Derechos Digitales
10:15 - 11:15 AM CST | 4:15 - 5:15 PM UTC | In-person | More information here
Bridging the gap from rapid response to long-term accompaniment
Co-presenter: Jokkolabs Banjul and Thai Netizen Network
12:45 - 1:45 PM CST | 6:45 - 7:45 PM UTC | In-person | More information here
An Afro-feminist approach to rethinking AI governmentality in Africa: Building towards a strategy
Organiser: Pollicy
12:45 - 1:45 PM CST | 6:45 - 7:45 PM UTC | In-person | More information here
Environmental activism, data transparency, and digital security: A pathway via Escazú Agreement
Co-organiser: Instituto Nupef. Co-presenter: APC and Instituto Nupef
12:45 - 1:45 PM CST | 6:45 - 7:45 PM UTC | In-person | More information here
Seeking effective methods for multistakeholder dialogue in Latin America
Co-organiser: Derechos Digitales
1:45 - 2:45 PM CST | 7:45 - 8:45 PM UTC | In-person | More information here
Communities of practice: Exchange of community networks best practices
Co-organiser: Rhizomatica and APC
2:00 - 3:00 PM CST | 8:00 - 9:00 PM UTC | In-person | More information here
How legislation in the EU impacts the Global South
Organiser and co-presenter: 7amleh - The Arab Center for the Advancement of Social Media
2:00 - 3:00 PM CST | 8:00 - 9:00 PM UTC | In-person | More information here
Right to research in the global South: Is copyright a friend or a foe?
Co-presenter: Derechos Digitales
2:00 - 3:00 PM CST | 8:00 - 9:00 PM UTC | In-person | More information here
F*ck it, we'll do it ourselves: Building products to prevent and counter gender-based violence online
Co-organiser and co-presenter: TEDIC
3:15 - 4:15 PM CST | 9:15 - 10:15 PM UTC | In-person | More information here
Challenges and opportunities in Web3 philanthropy
Co-presenter: jac sm kee
3:15 - 4:15 PM CST | 9:15 - 10:15 PM UTC | Online | More information here
To learn more about what you can discover at RightsCon, visit the APC Resource Kit: Preparing for RightsCon 2023