Access Now
@accessnow.org
We defend and extend the digital rights of people and communities at risk 🌎.
AI is everywhere, but should people really trust it?
This #SaferInternetDay, we’re calling for AI tools that respect the privacy, security, and human rights of everyone, especially at-risk communities.
You can read our blog to learn more:
www.accessnow.org/artificial-i...
This #SaferInternetDay, we’re calling for AI tools that respect the privacy, security, and human rights of everyone, especially at-risk communities.
You can read our blog to learn more:
www.accessnow.org/artificial-i...
February 10, 2026 at 9:00 AM
AI is everywhere, but should people really trust it?
This #SaferInternetDay, we’re calling for AI tools that respect the privacy, security, and human rights of everyone, especially at-risk communities.
You can read our blog to learn more:
www.accessnow.org/artificial-i...
This #SaferInternetDay, we’re calling for AI tools that respect the privacy, security, and human rights of everyone, especially at-risk communities.
You can read our blog to learn more:
www.accessnow.org/artificial-i...
Whether in Ukraine, Myanmar, or Gaza, cyberwarfare is putting people’s lives at risk. But do traditional ceasefires account for this digital side of modern conflict?
Here’s why peace texts must address online harms, and what a digital ceasefire could look like.
Here’s why peace texts must address online harms, and what a digital ceasefire could look like.
Digital ceasefire: the path to peace goes online - Access Now
Learn how Access Now is working with peace-building experts to discuss what a digital ceasefire should look like.
www.accessnow.org
February 9, 2026 at 11:01 AM
Whether in Ukraine, Myanmar, or Gaza, cyberwarfare is putting people’s lives at risk. But do traditional ceasefires account for this digital side of modern conflict?
Here’s why peace texts must address online harms, and what a digital ceasefire could look like.
Here’s why peace texts must address online harms, and what a digital ceasefire could look like.
Has your favorite chatbot spilled your gossip? Did an AI agent just expose your credit card details?
Our new blog series on AI and digital security shows how AI tools threaten privacy and confidentiality, and why human rights safeguards are essential.
www.accessnow.org/artificial-i...
Our new blog series on AI and digital security shows how AI tools threaten privacy and confidentiality, and why human rights safeguards are essential.
www.accessnow.org/artificial-i...
Artificial Insecurity: how AI tools compromise confidentiality - Access Now
In the first part of our blog series on the dodgy digital security practices underlying advanced AI tools, we unpack how LLMs can jeopardize the confidentiality of people’s data.
www.accessnow.org
February 6, 2026 at 9:00 AM
Has your favorite chatbot spilled your gossip? Did an AI agent just expose your credit card details?
Our new blog series on AI and digital security shows how AI tools threaten privacy and confidentiality, and why human rights safeguards are essential.
www.accessnow.org/artificial-i...
Our new blog series on AI and digital security shows how AI tools threaten privacy and confidentiality, and why human rights safeguards are essential.
www.accessnow.org/artificial-i...
Reposted by Access Now
“Rand Hammoud, the surveillance campaigns lead at Access Now, said Pall Mall leadership needs to set up “clear criteria for industry engagement … to protect the credibility of an initiative that depends on good faith participation.”
therecord.media/spyware-make...
therecord.media/spyware-make...
Spyware maker is hijacking diplomatic efforts to limit commercial hacking, civil society warns
Spyware maker NSO Group trumpeted the company’s participation in the Pall Mall Process, which drew criticism from civil society leaders and government officials who called out human rights abuses.
therecord.media
February 3, 2026 at 1:03 PM
“Rand Hammoud, the surveillance campaigns lead at Access Now, said Pall Mall leadership needs to set up “clear criteria for industry engagement … to protect the credibility of an initiative that depends on good faith participation.”
therecord.media/spyware-make...
therecord.media/spyware-make...
“NSO has been frustrating investigations, discrediting victims and researchers and putting enormous resources into actively trying to avoid accountability and providing remedy to victims in U.S. and other courts." @natynettle.bsky.social
Read more ⬇️
therecord.media/spyware-make...
Read more ⬇️
therecord.media/spyware-make...
Spyware maker is hijacking diplomatic efforts to limit commercial hacking, civil society warns
Spyware maker NSO Group trumpeted the company’s participation in the Pall Mall Process, which drew criticism from civil society leaders and government officials who called out human rights abuses.
therecord.media
February 2, 2026 at 4:05 PM
“NSO has been frustrating investigations, discrediting victims and researchers and putting enormous resources into actively trying to avoid accountability and providing remedy to victims in U.S. and other courts." @natynettle.bsky.social
Read more ⬇️
therecord.media/spyware-make...
Read more ⬇️
therecord.media/spyware-make...
End-to-end encryption keeps our messages private, secure, and our rights protected. But it’s under attack.
Client-side scanning (CSS) undermines all three, creating new risks and threatening free speech. Learn more: www.accessnow.org/why-client-s...
Client-side scanning (CSS) undermines all three, creating new risks and threatening free speech. Learn more: www.accessnow.org/why-client-s...
Why client-side scanning is a lose-lose proposition
Client-side scanning (CSS) on encrypted platforms undermines people’s privacy and security by circumventing end-to-end encryption (E2EE).
www.accessnow.org
February 2, 2026 at 3:48 PM
End-to-end encryption keeps our messages private, secure, and our rights protected. But it’s under attack.
Client-side scanning (CSS) undermines all three, creating new risks and threatening free speech. Learn more: www.accessnow.org/why-client-s...
Client-side scanning (CSS) undermines all three, creating new risks and threatening free speech. Learn more: www.accessnow.org/why-client-s...
This #DataProtectionDay, we’re clear about what’s at stake: your privacy.
In a world that treats personal data as a commodity, we’re fighting every day to protect your data and privacy rights worldwide.
In a world that treats personal data as a commodity, we’re fighting every day to protect your data and privacy rights worldwide.
January 28, 2026 at 6:21 PM
This #DataProtectionDay, we’re clear about what’s at stake: your privacy.
In a world that treats personal data as a commodity, we’re fighting every day to protect your data and privacy rights worldwide.
In a world that treats personal data as a commodity, we’re fighting every day to protect your data and privacy rights worldwide.
Internet shutdowns aren't a solution for exam cheating: they harm rights, livelihoods, and futures.
We urge all MENA governments to #KeepItOn: reject the false promise of control through disconnection, and write a new chapter instead.
Read our blog: www.accessnow.org/no-exam-shut...
We urge all MENA governments to #KeepItOn: reject the false promise of control through disconnection, and write a new chapter instead.
Read our blog: www.accessnow.org/no-exam-shut...
#NoExamShutdown: lessons for the new academic year - Access Now
Across the MENA region, governments are imposing internet shutdowns during student exams. Read our exam shutdown report card and join the call for governments to keep this academic year free of…
www.accessnow.org
January 28, 2026 at 3:46 PM
Internet shutdowns aren't a solution for exam cheating: they harm rights, livelihoods, and futures.
We urge all MENA governments to #KeepItOn: reject the false promise of control through disconnection, and write a new chapter instead.
Read our blog: www.accessnow.org/no-exam-shut...
We urge all MENA governments to #KeepItOn: reject the false promise of control through disconnection, and write a new chapter instead.
Read our blog: www.accessnow.org/no-exam-shut...
Reposted by Access Now
New security feature released by WhatsApp to further protect high risk users from spyware 🙌
For some, this can be truly life saving!
More companies should be adding such features to their platforms and devices.
By @cyberscoop.bsky.social @timstarks.bsky.social
cyberscoop.com/whatsapp-str...
For some, this can be truly life saving!
More companies should be adding such features to their platforms and devices.
By @cyberscoop.bsky.social @timstarks.bsky.social
cyberscoop.com/whatsapp-str...
January 27, 2026 at 11:42 PM
New security feature released by WhatsApp to further protect high risk users from spyware 🙌
For some, this can be truly life saving!
More companies should be adding such features to their platforms and devices.
By @cyberscoop.bsky.social @timstarks.bsky.social
cyberscoop.com/whatsapp-str...
For some, this can be truly life saving!
More companies should be adding such features to their platforms and devices.
By @cyberscoop.bsky.social @timstarks.bsky.social
cyberscoop.com/whatsapp-str...
En septiembre del año pasado Perú promulgó el reglamento de su Ley de IA, un paso clave para la agenda regional.
Si bien incorpora algunas recomendaciones de la sociedad civil, también deja vacíos preocupantes.
Lee más en el blog: www.accessnow.org/reglamento-d...
Si bien incorpora algunas recomendaciones de la sociedad civil, también deja vacíos preocupantes.
Lee más en el blog: www.accessnow.org/reglamento-d...
Reglamento de IA en Perú: aciertos y preocupaciones
Quedó publicado el reglamento de IA en Perú. A pesar de que se incluyen algunas de las recomendaciones, todavía se amenazan los derechos.
www.accessnow.org
January 26, 2026 at 3:40 PM
En septiembre del año pasado Perú promulgó el reglamento de su Ley de IA, un paso clave para la agenda regional.
Si bien incorpora algunas recomendaciones de la sociedad civil, también deja vacíos preocupantes.
Lee más en el blog: www.accessnow.org/reglamento-d...
Si bien incorpora algunas recomendaciones de la sociedad civil, también deja vacíos preocupantes.
Lee más en el blog: www.accessnow.org/reglamento-d...
To everyone who stood up for digital rights in 2025 — thank you.
Let’s keep going — the fight continues in 2026. Donate today: accessnow.org/donate
Let’s keep going — the fight continues in 2026. Donate today: accessnow.org/donate
January 26, 2026 at 9:15 AM
To everyone who stood up for digital rights in 2025 — thank you.
Let’s keep going — the fight continues in 2026. Donate today: accessnow.org/donate
Let’s keep going — the fight continues in 2026. Donate today: accessnow.org/donate
Across conflict zones, internet shutdowns are used as a tactic of war.
Based on testimonies from Gaza and Sudan, our report shows how shutdowns inflict psychological, economic, political, and societal damage.
Read more ⬇️
www.accessnow.org/press-releas...
Based on testimonies from Gaza and Sudan, our report shows how shutdowns inflict psychological, economic, political, and societal damage.
Read more ⬇️
www.accessnow.org/press-releas...
Connectivity as a weapon of war: how internet shutdowns harm civilians in armed conflict - Access Now
Access Now’s latest report, Internet shutdowns in armed conflict: a typology of harms, unpacks the serious harms that internet shutdowns inflict on civilian populations during armed conflict.
www.accessnow.org
January 22, 2026 at 7:33 AM
Across conflict zones, internet shutdowns are used as a tactic of war.
Based on testimonies from Gaza and Sudan, our report shows how shutdowns inflict psychological, economic, political, and societal damage.
Read more ⬇️
www.accessnow.org/press-releas...
Based on testimonies from Gaza and Sudan, our report shows how shutdowns inflict psychological, economic, political, and societal damage.
Read more ⬇️
www.accessnow.org/press-releas...
After a year, the EU is moving backwards on digital rights.
The new EU mandate was supposed to defend digital rights, but what we are seeing instead is a wave of harmful deregulation and a rise in surveillance that puts people at risk.
Read the blog:
www.accessnow.org/eu-abandons-...
The new EU mandate was supposed to defend digital rights, but what we are seeing instead is a wave of harmful deregulation and a rise in surveillance that puts people at risk.
Read the blog:
www.accessnow.org/eu-abandons-...
One year on, the EU is abandoning human rights
A year into its new mandate and the European Commission is reversing course when it comes to safeguarding human rights in the EU.
www.accessnow.org
January 19, 2026 at 8:01 AM
After a year, the EU is moving backwards on digital rights.
The new EU mandate was supposed to defend digital rights, but what we are seeing instead is a wave of harmful deregulation and a rise in surveillance that puts people at risk.
Read the blog:
www.accessnow.org/eu-abandons-...
The new EU mandate was supposed to defend digital rights, but what we are seeing instead is a wave of harmful deregulation and a rise in surveillance that puts people at risk.
Read the blog:
www.accessnow.org/eu-abandons-...
"Iran’s communications blackout has entered its eighth day, making it the longest uninterrupted nationwide shutdown we’ve ever recorded," said Marwa Fatafta, MENA Policy + Advocacy Director at Access Now.
Read more ⬇️
www.challenges.fr/monde/coupur...
Read more ⬇️
www.challenges.fr/monde/coupur...
Coupures d’Internet en Iran : les satellites Starlink de Musk peuvent-ils contrer la répression du régime des mollahs ?
L’accès à Internet a été coupé depuis une semaine en Iran, empêchant l’information de sortir. Les autorités seraient même parvenues à brouiller les communications par satellite pour éviter que la popu...
www.challenges.fr
January 16, 2026 at 12:21 PM
"Iran’s communications blackout has entered its eighth day, making it the longest uninterrupted nationwide shutdown we’ve ever recorded," said Marwa Fatafta, MENA Policy + Advocacy Director at Access Now.
Read more ⬇️
www.challenges.fr/monde/coupur...
Read more ⬇️
www.challenges.fr/monde/coupur...
Reposted by Access Now
This week we delve into the worst internet shutdown ever recorded in Iran.
Then: why up to half of fresh fruit & veg is wasted.
One 5-day error.
300 tonnes of apples lost.
When information breaks down, the costs are human and global.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqoi...
Then: why up to half of fresh fruit & veg is wasted.
One 5-day error.
300 tonnes of apples lost.
When information breaks down, the costs are human and global.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqoi...
The Communications Blackout in Iran: Network Data Show Near-Total Comms Shutdown
YouTube video by Somewhere on Earth: The Global Tech Podcast
www.youtube.com
January 15, 2026 at 10:57 AM
This week we delve into the worst internet shutdown ever recorded in Iran.
Then: why up to half of fresh fruit & veg is wasted.
One 5-day error.
300 tonnes of apples lost.
When information breaks down, the costs are human and global.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqoi...
Then: why up to half of fresh fruit & veg is wasted.
One 5-day error.
300 tonnes of apples lost.
When information breaks down, the costs are human and global.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqoi...
Natalia Krapiva, our Senior Tech-Legal Counsel, told TechCrunch that NSO is “clearly campaigning to be removed from the U.S. Entity List” and must prove it has “dramatically changed as a company” since being listed.
Read more ⬇️
techcrunch.com/2026/01/08/c...
Read more ⬇️
techcrunch.com/2026/01/08/c...
Critics pan spyware maker NSO's transparency claims amid its push to enter US market | TechCrunch
The infamous spyware maker released a new transparency report claiming to be a responsible spyware maker, without providing insight into how the company dealt with problematic customers in the past.
techcrunch.com
January 15, 2026 at 7:00 AM
Natalia Krapiva, our Senior Tech-Legal Counsel, told TechCrunch that NSO is “clearly campaigning to be removed from the U.S. Entity List” and must prove it has “dramatically changed as a company” since being listed.
Read more ⬇️
techcrunch.com/2026/01/08/c...
Read more ⬇️
techcrunch.com/2026/01/08/c...
VPN users in Jammu & Kashmir face a 2-month ban.
Raman Jit Singh Chima, our Senior International Counsel & Asia Pacific Policy Director, warns: "Law enforcement is trying to push everyday people from not using VPNs, and that's alarming."
Read ⬇️
www.techradar.com/vpn/vpn-priv...
Raman Jit Singh Chima, our Senior International Counsel & Asia Pacific Policy Director, warns: "Law enforcement is trying to push everyday people from not using VPNs, and that's alarming."
Read ⬇️
www.techradar.com/vpn/vpn-priv...
VPN users under siege in Jammu and Kashmir as authorities issue a 2-month ban – here's what we know
Digital rights experts say the order is illegal
www.techradar.com
January 14, 2026 at 7:00 AM
VPN users in Jammu & Kashmir face a 2-month ban.
Raman Jit Singh Chima, our Senior International Counsel & Asia Pacific Policy Director, warns: "Law enforcement is trying to push everyday people from not using VPNs, and that's alarming."
Read ⬇️
www.techradar.com/vpn/vpn-priv...
Raman Jit Singh Chima, our Senior International Counsel & Asia Pacific Policy Director, warns: "Law enforcement is trying to push everyday people from not using VPNs, and that's alarming."
Read ⬇️
www.techradar.com/vpn/vpn-priv...
Reposted by Access Now
Open letter to the International Telecommunications Union #ITU and the United Nations #UN on the internet shutdown and repression of protest in #Iran:
docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
Iran: When the internet is shut down, gunfire begins
To the International Telecommunication Union and the international Internet community,
When the internet is shut down, gunfire begins.
People of Iran are once again on the streets, risking their li...
docs.google.com
January 13, 2026 at 10:37 AM
Open letter to the International Telecommunications Union #ITU and the United Nations #UN on the internet shutdown and repression of protest in #Iran:
docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
After taking to the streets, people in Iran have now been disconnected from the rest of the world for more than five days. That’s +120 hours in the dark!
Alongside +19 orgs, we demand that authorities immediately restore internet access and uphold rights.
www.accessnow.org/press-releas...
Alongside +19 orgs, we demand that authorities immediately restore internet access and uphold rights.
www.accessnow.org/press-releas...
Access Now - #KeepItOn: Iran plunged into digital darkness, concealing human rights abuses
join the international community, including the UN’s Independent International Fact-Finding Mission, in calling on Iran to immediately restore internet and mobile communications and in demanding accou...
www.accessnow.org
January 13, 2026 at 1:34 PM
After taking to the streets, people in Iran have now been disconnected from the rest of the world for more than five days. That’s +120 hours in the dark!
Alongside +19 orgs, we demand that authorities immediately restore internet access and uphold rights.
www.accessnow.org/press-releas...
Alongside +19 orgs, we demand that authorities immediately restore internet access and uphold rights.
www.accessnow.org/press-releas...
According to our Executive Director, Alejandro Mayoral, the past year was defined by “surveillance, censorship, and shrinking civic space.”
Tech Radar spoke with Access Now staff about the most critical digital rights developments from the last 12 months. Read:
www.techradar.com/vpn/vpn-priv...
Tech Radar spoke with Access Now staff about the most critical digital rights developments from the last 12 months. Read:
www.techradar.com/vpn/vpn-priv...
2025 Digital rights review: Spyware, AI war & EU regulations
The most significant digital rights developments from the past 12 months
www.techradar.com
January 13, 2026 at 7:00 AM
According to our Executive Director, Alejandro Mayoral, the past year was defined by “surveillance, censorship, and shrinking civic space.”
Tech Radar spoke with Access Now staff about the most critical digital rights developments from the last 12 months. Read:
www.techradar.com/vpn/vpn-priv...
Tech Radar spoke with Access Now staff about the most critical digital rights developments from the last 12 months. Read:
www.techradar.com/vpn/vpn-priv...
Internet shutdowns undermine democracy!
As Ugandans head to the polls on this week, the #KeepItOn coalition urges President Museveni to guarantee full, uninterrupted internet access before, during, and after the elections. #KeepItOn
Read more: www.accessnow.org/press-releas...
As Ugandans head to the polls on this week, the #KeepItOn coalition urges President Museveni to guarantee full, uninterrupted internet access before, during, and after the elections. #KeepItOn
Read more: www.accessnow.org/press-releas...
Access Now - #KeepItOn: Government of Uganda must ensure unrestricted internet access throughout the upcoming elections
Access Now appeals to you, President Yoweri Museveni, to ensure that people in Uganda have unfettered access to the internet, digital platforms, and all other communication channels throughout the upc...
www.accessnow.org
January 12, 2026 at 10:27 AM
Internet shutdowns undermine democracy!
As Ugandans head to the polls on this week, the #KeepItOn coalition urges President Museveni to guarantee full, uninterrupted internet access before, during, and after the elections. #KeepItOn
Read more: www.accessnow.org/press-releas...
As Ugandans head to the polls on this week, the #KeepItOn coalition urges President Museveni to guarantee full, uninterrupted internet access before, during, and after the elections. #KeepItOn
Read more: www.accessnow.org/press-releas...
Iran has been cut off from the internet as people take to the streets.
At least 34 protesters have been killed and 2,200 arrested. Internet shutdowns violate rights, hide abuses + silence dissent.
Authorities must reconnect Iran’s people NOW. #KeepItOn
www.bbc.com/news/live/cl...
At least 34 protesters have been killed and 2,200 arrested. Internet shutdowns violate rights, hide abuses + silence dissent.
Authorities must reconnect Iran’s people NOW. #KeepItOn
www.bbc.com/news/live/cl...
Iran protests latest: Internet blackout continues after huge anti-government protests
Huge crowds of protesters have been marching through Iran's capital and other cities, with people heard calling for the overthrow of the supreme leader.
www.bbc.com
January 9, 2026 at 11:23 AM
Iran has been cut off from the internet as people take to the streets.
At least 34 protesters have been killed and 2,200 arrested. Internet shutdowns violate rights, hide abuses + silence dissent.
Authorities must reconnect Iran’s people NOW. #KeepItOn
www.bbc.com/news/live/cl...
At least 34 protesters have been killed and 2,200 arrested. Internet shutdowns violate rights, hide abuses + silence dissent.
Authorities must reconnect Iran’s people NOW. #KeepItOn
www.bbc.com/news/live/cl...
As protests continue and a government shutdown disrupts Iran, we are closely monitoring the situation, and the multiple reports of shutdowns, and urgently call on Iranian authorities to uphold human rights, and guarantee unrestricted access to the internet. #KeepItOn
filter.watch/english/2026...
filter.watch/english/2026...
Connected but Unsafe: The Model of Regional Internet Repression During the December 2025 – January 2026 Protests - Filterwatch
The pattern of internet disruption observed during the recent protests marks a strategic departure from the "nationwide shutdowns" of the past. Instead, it resembles the approach used during the…
filter.watch
January 6, 2026 at 2:56 PM
As protests continue and a government shutdown disrupts Iran, we are closely monitoring the situation, and the multiple reports of shutdowns, and urgently call on Iranian authorities to uphold human rights, and guarantee unrestricted access to the internet. #KeepItOn
filter.watch/english/2026...
filter.watch/english/2026...
Reposted by Access Now
For years, Access Now’s Digital Security Helpline has been aiding journalists and dissidents who have been targeted with government spyware. This is how they operate.
Meet the team that hunts government spyware
For years, Access Now’s Digital Security Helpline has been aiding journalists and dissidents who have been targeted with government spyware. This is how they operate.
techcrunch.com
December 27, 2025 at 6:04 PM
For years, Access Now’s Digital Security Helpline has been aiding journalists and dissidents who have been targeted with government spyware. This is how they operate.
New year, same fight.
Digital authoritarianism keeps rising. So are we.
Your support fuels the fight for digital rights ▶️ accessnow.org/donate
Digital authoritarianism keeps rising. So are we.
Your support fuels the fight for digital rights ▶️ accessnow.org/donate
January 5, 2026 at 7:00 AM
New year, same fight.
Digital authoritarianism keeps rising. So are we.
Your support fuels the fight for digital rights ▶️ accessnow.org/donate
Digital authoritarianism keeps rising. So are we.
Your support fuels the fight for digital rights ▶️ accessnow.org/donate