Access Now

Spear phishing: how to stay safe and prevent advanced attacks against civil society - Access Now Join us to learn and take action to prevent spear phishing and other digital attacks against activists, journalists, and human rights defenders.

How can you detect spear-phishing attacks before it’s too late?

Join the first webinar of our new series, “Safe and Strong,” on March 10, which will cover new trends and share practical tips for civil society to raise its defenses.

Register here:
accessnow.org/digital-security-webinars

How the EU is building a dystopian, surveillance-driven, deportation machine Like much recent EU migration legislation, the proposal was presented without a comprehensive fundamental rights impact assessment. Sixteen UN experts have already raised concerns about its…

How the EU is building a dystopian, surveillance-driven, deportation machine. Read the full piece by Access Now’s Caterina Rodelli, Stefi Richani of Equinox, and journalist Hope Barker. ⬇️
euobserver.com/205537/how-t...

As part of our Helpline plan this year, we will hold a series of webinars. The aim of this series is to raise awareness of digital security across topics that concern everyone, to connect civil society and the private sector, and to bring them together to contribute to the discussion in one place.

A picture with the information about the webinar on Moving past Emerging Protection of Civilians issues, happening online on March 4th, at 4pm UTC. More info at www.hnpw.org

Digital systems are being turned against humanitarians while physical access keeps shrinking.

On March 4, join our online #HNPW session on how cyber threats against aid actors hinder their capacity to protect people.. and what to do about it

vosocc.unocha.org/Report.aspx?... @accessnow.org

Spear-phishing: how to stay safe and prevent advanced attacks against civil society MARCH 10, 2026 / 9 AM ET / 2 PM CET accessnow.org/digital-security-webinars Marilou Maala, Incident Response Analyst, Digital Security Helpline Rebekah Brown, Senior Researcher, Citizen Lab Mykola Kostynyan, Cofounder, Resident.NGO Justin Albrecht, Global Director of Mobile Threat Intelligence, Lookout Moderator: Mohammed Al-Maskati, Digital Security Helpline Join us to learn and take action to prevent spear-phishing and other digital attacks against activists, journalists, and human rights defenders.

How can you detect spear-phishing attacks before it’s too late?

Join the first webinar of our new series, “Safe and Strong,” on March 10, which will cover new trends and share practical tips for civil society to raise its defenses.

Register: accessnow.org/digital-security-webinars

Text that reads: Meet Arzu Geybulla, our new Co-Executive Director at Access Now I am delighted to take on this new role of Co-Executive Director at Access Now. Communities on the frontlines of defending rights, and fighting for accountability and transparency — online and off — are facing sustained and escalating attacks, as powerful global actors retreat from the responsibility they once claimed. [...] In this context, organizations like Access Now must be clear about where we stand: as strong, principled partners that do not sidestep pressure, but instead use our position to support, protect, and amplify the communities most impacted. -Arzu Geybulla

Exciting announcement from Access Now 🎉

After more than 15 years of operations, we are transitioning to a co-leadership model and are thrilled to welcome @arzugeybulla.bsky.social as our new Co-Executive Director alongside Alejandro Mayoral Baños.

Read more: ⬇️ www.accessnow.org/press-releas...

From Sandvine to AppLogic Networks: a rebrand doesn’t mean reform - Access Now Access Now, alongside several human rights organizations and independent news platforms, are calling on AppLogic Networks (previously Sandvine) to substantiate its announced corporate reforms…

An “exit” without transparency isn’t enough.

We’re once again calling for AppLogic Networks to provide proof that it has fully withdrawn from Egypt + address the digital repression its tech facilitated, Including disclosure + remedies for those targeted.
www.accessnow.org/press-releas...

Access Now - #KeepItOn: authorities must reverse social media shutdown order and restore access in Gabon We urgently demand the government of Gabon to immediately reverse orders to shut down social media indefinitely in the country. The order is in gross violation of national and international human…

Gabon must #KeepItOn

Access Now + the #KeepItOn coalition demand authorities in Gabon immediately restore access to social media. Denying millions of people their right to freedom of expression + information, is a human rights violation.

Read more ⬇️ www.accessnow.org/press-releas...

A new 7 Minute Futures is live! Alejandro Mayoral Baños from @accessnow.org joins me to talk about why indigenous wisdom is the missing piece in tech governance.

Listen, subscribe, and meet me over on Substack to talk about it. Links in the first response!

The AI-Cyber Nexus: a strategic dialogue on global security, trust, and governance. February 20, 2026 at 3:30 PM, Chanakya Auditorium, Sushma Swaraj Bhawan. Speakers: Raman Jit Singh Chima, Access Now, Global Cybersecurity Lead; Anne Marie Engtoft Meldgaard, Tech Ambassador, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Denmark; Maria Paz Canales, Head of Policy and Advocacy at Global Partners Digital; Udbhav Tiwari, Vice President, Strategy and Global Affairs at Signal; Nikolas Schmidt, Policy Analyst, Division of AI and Emerging Tech at OECD. Moderator: Nirmal John, Senior Editor at Economic Times

We’re back with a reminder: don’t forget to register for “The AI Cyber Nexus: a strategic dialogue on global security, trust, and governance,” where we’ll explore how AI governance and cybersecurity intersect and what it means for people’s rights.

www.accessnow.org/event/access...

Artificial Insecurity: access and availability in the age of AI - Access Now In the third part of our blog series, we look at how the availability of systems is impacted by the proliferation of large language models.

Have you ever asked a question ChatGPT refuses to answer? Or used an AI agent that deleted your data?

Check out part 3 of our blog series on AI and Digital Security, where we explore how AI tools impact access to and availability of systems we rely on:

Propaganda in wartime is nothing new. But today’s targeted social media ads, powered by personal data + algorithmic profiling, make war-related content more dangerous than EVER.

Here’s why social media platforms must prioritize human rights over revenue:
www.accessnow.org/wp-content/u...

Gabon suspends social media 'for spreading false information' The media regulator said the ban would be in place "until further notice".

Gabon must #KeepItOn + respect human rights!

Access Now + the #KeepItOn coalition call on the authorities in Gabon to reverse their harmful decision to deny millions of people access to social media.

www.bbc.com/news/article...

Who should control our digital world? A few tech corporations control most of the world's data. Some countries have been fighting to change that.

Who should control our digital world?

Alejandro Mayoral Baños, Access Now’s Co-Executive Director, speaks to @AJStream on digital sovereignty.

www.aljazeera.com/video/the-st...

High-Level Pre-AI Impact Summit Dialogue: AI, Equity, and Digital Security

High-Level Pre-AI Impact Summit Dialogue: AI, Equity, and Digital Security

High-Level Pre-AI Impact Summit Dialogue: AI, Equity, and Digital Security

High-Level Pre-AI Impact Summit Dialogue: AI, Equity, and Digital Security

Ahead of the #IndiaAIImpactSummit2026, we co-hosted a high-level dialogue with the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands on AI, equity, and digital security for marginalized communities.

Internet shutdowns in Russia hit new record Internet shutdowns in Russia have been breaking records, with authorities cutting connectivity and blocking apps across the country.

In Russia, connectivity disruptions are upending daily life and putting people in danger, cutting them off from work, services, and even urgent medical care and contact with loved ones when they need connection most.

Learn what this means for people:

Africa Unplugged: The Fight Against Internet Shutdowns. In this special edition of the NMT Media Foundation’s Free Speak podcast that took place during the Forum on Internet Freedom in Africa - FIFAfrica 2025 Conference in Windhoek, from the 24th to the…

What do internet shutdowns mean for people’s freedom of expression, access to information, and democracy across Africa + how can we push back?

Felicia Anthonio, our #KeepItOn Global Campaign Manager, breaks it down on NMT Media Foundation’s Free Speak podcast. 🔽

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3iS...

Internet shutdowns in armed conflict: a typology of harms - Access Now Our 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.

Internet shutdowns in wartime = isolation, control, and silencing of people — and must no longer be seen as an inevitable cost of war.

Here’s how shutdowns harm people, drawn from testimonies from Gaza + Sudan:
www.accessnow.org/publication/...

Access Now at India AI Impact Summit 2026 - Access Now Bharat Mandapam The India AI Impact Summit 2026 is a high-profile international event involving heads of state and government, ministers, senior

Are you heading to the AI Impact Summit?

Join us and Global Partners Digital on February 20 for “The AI-Cyber Nexus,” where we’ll explore how AI and cybersecurity intersect and what that means for security and public trust.

Learn more and register 🔽

Access Now - Addressing human rights abuses and attacks on press freedom facilitated by AppLogic Networks in Egypt

AppLogic Networks must be more transparent about its exit from Egypt!

Together with partners, we’re calling for more transparency, accountability, and remedies for digital repression and attacks on press freedom linked to its tech in the country.

Read more 🔽
www.accessnow.org/press-releas...

Artificial Insecurity: threats to information integrity - Access Now In the second part of our series on AI and digital security, we examine how LLMs threaten information integrity.

Can you trust a chatbot’s answers? And is there any way to clean up the AI slop overwhelming the internet?

In part two of our series on AI and digital security, we dive into the murky world of LLMs and information 🔽
www.accessnow.org/artificial-i...

Why Annobón’s internet shutdown should matter to the world - Access Now The ongoing internet shutdown in Annobón has cut off 5,300 residents from each other, from their loved ones abroad, and from the world, even as the government of Equatorial Guinea continues cracking…

“The worst part of the shutdown is that none of the daily injustices happening on the island come to light.”

This is just one voice among many from Annobón, where authorities continue to impose an island-wide internet shutdown.

It’s time to #KeepItOn!

Access Now - A call to EU legislators: protect rights and reject the call to delete transparency safeguard in AI Act We, the undersigned organisations and individuals, urge you in the strongest possible terms to reject the deletion of the Article 49(2) transparency safeguard for high-risk AI systems that is…

No more AI Act loopholes!

We demand that EU co-legislators reject attempts to remove a key transparency safeguard from the AI Act.

Read more in our open letter ⬇️

This Safer Internet Day, we call for AI tools that respect the privacy, security, and human rights of EVERYONE, especially at-risk communities.

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...

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.

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.

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.

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...

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.

“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...

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.

“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...

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).

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...

Data protection is a human right image

January 28 marks Data Protection Day and serves as a call to action! In a world that increasingly treats personal data as a commodity, your right to privacy and data protection is under threat. From mass harvesting of personal data to train AI and watered down data protection policies to egregious national security narratives seeking to justify invasive surveillance — the threats are mounting at an alarming rate. We have a challenging year ahead of us, but Access Now won’t back down — we will be at the forefront, fighting for and protecting your privacy and data rights worldwide. Learn more about our data protection work at https://www.accessnow.org/data-protection/

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.