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It's an especially critical time for human rights across the globe, and what's happening now at the U.N. Human Rights Council shows just how important it is to have every hand on deck. Last week, the council adopted a renewed version of the resolution affirming that human rights apply online. Human rights advocates fought for and won vital updates to the text, including on gender, encryption, and internet shutdowns. But the flaws in the final resolution hold an important lesson: we must keep close watch to ensure that it will protect the most vulnerable in our societies. Read more via Access Now
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Instead of persecuting those who speak out, governments must protect them — including when they organize online. Another U.N. resolution adopted last week, specifically on human rights and protest, "sends a clear signal to states that they cannot frustrate people's right to take to the streets by blocking access to the internet or websites, by undermining the security of our communications, or criminalizing the right to protest," says ARTICLE 19's Thomas Hughes. Read more via ARTICLE 19
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If you or your organization are fighting sharks, take heart: you can engage meaningfully at the U.N. and make an impact for your community. This 2017 guide by our friends at Global Partners Digital makes it easier, providing solid information on how things work and how to get involved. Read more via GPD
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Earlier this week, Ugandans mobilized fierce opposition, both online and off, to a highly controversial new tax on the use of social media. This effort appears to be making an impact. In a statement to parliament in the wake of public protests, Uganda Prime Minister Ruhakana Rugunda said, "Government is now reviewing the taxes taking into consideration the concerns of the public and its implications on the budget." To join the conversation online and add your support, follow #NoToSocialMediaTax and #ThisTaxMustGo. Read more via BBC
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Are you Russian? Are you interested in treason, perchance? Well, Facebook's algorithms took a look and labeled 65,000 people accordingly, until journalists noticed and raised the alarm. Read more via The Guardian
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As frightening as it might be to be marked "interested in treason" when you live under an authoritarian regime, much more frightening is the reality of pervasive surveillance in the streets, where technologies like facial recognition software and artificial intelligence are used to identify and shame people, exerting imperfect yet opaque "algorithmic governance." Read more via NYT
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You may remember Huawei from its entanglement in Facebook's dangerous data sharing agreements. On Thursday, we joined our partners in Argentina in a letter to Governor Alfredo Cornejo of the Mendoza province, warning him against the use of Huawei's technology — cloud-based storage systems, big data, and artificial intelligence for facial recognition and public surveillance — to "improve public safety." Read more via Access Now
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Let's say you want to head off dystopia. If you're on Facebook, you may have been prompted to approve or deny its use of facial recognition features with your account (although this does not stop the company from scanning your public photos). In Europe, Facebook has framed your agreement as an issue of safety, warning, "Face recognition technology allows us to help protect you from a stranger using your photo to impersonate you." That runs afoul of rights protected under the E.U.'s General Data Protection Regulation, says MEP Viviane Reding. "Facebook is somehow threatening me that, if I do not buy into face recognition, I will be in danger. It goes completely against the European law because it tries to manipulate consent." (Access Now, meanwhile, continues to urge Facebook to undergo a global independent audit of its data practices and a comprehensive human rights impact assessment.) Read more via NYT
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The Telecom Commission in India has approved further amendments to the licenses of telecom operators that provide protections against throttling or prioritization of content. This follows from the recommendations of the TRAI (Telecom Regulatory Authority of India). That's great news for free expression, but it's not over yet. Telecom lobbyists are still targeting cabinet ministers in a last-ditch effort to get their way. Read more via The Indian Express
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The government of Cambodia has advanced a new directive aimed at combating "fake news" that will reportedly, among other restrictions, require all websites to register with Cambodia's Ministry of Information or face additional scrutiny. Read more via Access Now
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"Smart" home technology — for locks, lights, or even your thermostat — can be weaponized for harassment and abuse. A list compiled by a research team focusing on gender and IoT technology at University College London gives you the basics for fending off these attacks. Read more via Gizmodo
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You may not know this, but you should: when U.S. agencies ask for public feedback on policy, anyone — including you — can participate. Here's a look behind the scenes at our recent submission to NIST, the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology, on its international internet policy priorities. Read more via Access Now
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This week, we joined European Digital Rights (EDRi) and the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) at the Council of Europe's Octopus Conference to ensure the protection of human rights in any effort to improve law enforcement access to data across borders. Here we detail our concerns and recommendations. Read more via Access Now
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Is one of our job openings right for you? Check them out, and remember: for all Access Now openings, and at every level at our organization, women, people of color, LGBTQI individuals, and members of other minority or marginalized groups are strongly encouraged to apply! Read more via Access Now
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