We are pleased to announce that nominations are now open for the inaugural Privacy and Human Rights Award, to be presented at RightsCon 2025 in Taipei (February 24-27).
The Privacy and Human Rights Award is developed by the Global Privacy Assembly (GPA) in collaboration with Access Now and is a new opportunity to celebrate and uphold an organization doing outstanding work to protect and promote privacy, data protection, and human rights — at any level and in any country. The winner will be notified by the end of October, with Access Now sponsoring one representative from the organization to travel to Taipei for RightsCon.
The GPA provides leadership in data protection and privacy at an international level, by connecting more than 130 data protection and privacy authorities from across the globe.
Eligibility Criteria
Developed by the GPA’s Data Protection and Other Rights and Freedoms Working Group, the Privacy and Human Rights Award will recognize organizations that have demonstrated outstanding leadership or initiative in the fields of privacy, data protection, and human rights, at the international, state, or regional level. Eligible examples of demonstrated leadership include:
- Developing a new initiative or project that sheds light on the relationship between privacy and other fundamental rights.
- Deliveri
Today, we are sharing an important update about the location of the next RightsCon. The 13th edition of our Summit Series will now take place in Taipei, Taiwan, and online from Monday, February 24 to Thursday, February 27, 2025.
As a leading democracy in the region, Taiwan is recognized globally for the freest online environment and greatest human freedom in Asia, a whole-of-society approach to human rights, and a vibrant civil society community. As the routine location of large-scale international events, including g0v summit, the Asia Pacific Regional IGF, and the Oslo Freedom Forum, coupled with the rapidly growing presence of international NGOs and global tech companies, we believe Taiwan is the best fit for convening our community in 2025.
We see today’s announcement as an exciting development in what has been a multi-year commitment to bringing RightsCon to East Asia for the first time, and back to the Asia Pacific region after a decade. With its rapidly accelerating digital transformation, the growth of its tech sector, its role as a global hub for innovation, and its diverse human rights communities, the Asia Pacific region has been, and continues to be, a natural choice for the next RightsCon.
While we had previously communicated our intention to bring RightsCon to South Korea, and
Welcome to the fourth installment of report-backs from our community consultation calls! This report provides a summary of discussions centered around a crucial element of our summit: the participant experience. We extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone who participated, shared their experiences, expertise, and thoughtful feedback.
Purpose of the calls
On November 14 and 16, 2023, we hosted two consultation calls to reflect on and improve the RightsCon experience for both online and in-person participants. We welcomed a diverse mix of RightsCon newcomers and veterans during the calls, and invited them to share their participation highlights, challenges faced, and suggestions to enhance their experience.
Insights from the community
The feedback we received was both humbling and motivating. There was an overwhelming sentiment that RightsCon is a community-led event, acting as the connective tissue between diverse stakeholders, and a place where one can meet and learn f
We are excited to share the third installment of report backs from our community consultation calls! (Read more about our report backs on community support and the RightsCon program) This report provides a summary of discussions focused on mitigating barriers to travel to RightsCon. We are deeply grateful to members of the RightsCon community who generously shared their experiences and insights to inform our planning for RightsCon South Korea.
Purpose of the calls
In the open letter we published in August 2023, we reflected on our responsibility as event organizers to anticipate and work to mitigate the barri
Today we are excited to share the first in a series of upcoming reports from our community consultation calls, as part of our commitment to increasing transparency and incorporating community input into the redesign of RightsCon’s core elements. This initial report provides a summary of the discussions focused on community support. We are grateful to the members of the community who took time out of their day to join the calls and share their insights with us.
Purpose of the calls
On October 24 and 25, we hosted two community consultation calls with the goal of evaluating our current community support model, and gathering valuable feedback on how to refine our support mechanisms to better meet the needs of our growing community.
As we journey towards our first hybrid summit, RightsCon Costa Rica (June 5-8, 2023), we are reintegrating into in-person spaces and redefining our approach to online participation, with the goal to create a connected experience for our community. In view of this goal, increasing the accessibility of our summit remains an integral area of focus at RightsCon.
Through research and planning, we are working to thoughtfully design our spaces, both online and in-person, to account for the diverse needs, abilities, and priorities of participants. Our aim is to ensure that our spaces are safe, supportive, a
This June, we’re bringing back the RightsCon Studio, a place for you to hear directly from the leaders setting the agenda for human rights in the digital age across sectors, regions, and topics. The RightsCon Studio will serve as the mainstage and the centerpiece of our first-ever hybrid summit, connecting in-person and online participants, and hosting a diversity of perspectives that push the dial on cutting-edge conversations.
Featuring curated sessions on critical human rights and technology issues, in-depth conversations with prominent leaders and trusted experts, and highlights on the actions and initiatives led by the RightsCon community, the RightsCon Studio will showcase perspectives from key decision-makers with direct influence in pivotal sectors and industries, as well as renowned human rights actors at the forefront of building a rights-respecting future.
The RightsCon Studio will cover several topics of importance, including:
- China’s role in the global surveillance tech ecosystem;
- Protecting journalism and journalists in Central America;
- Different stakeholders' roles in achieving a just transition in the tech sector;
- Digital ecosystems that enable women’s participation in political life;
- Alternative, liberatory approaches for the development and use of AI;
- And many more.
The Studio will host three formats:
- Fireside Chats (45 minutes) place 3-4 experts in conversation on a particular thematic or regional issue of relevance to the RightsCon community, and anchor the Studio program to community priorities.
- In Conversations (30 minutes) are one-on-one interviews facilitated by the Studio
Are you ready for the record-breaking program that’s waiting for you at RightsCon Costa Rica (June 5-8, 2023)? Take a look at the session list, which we’ve just released!
Our first-ever hybrid program will feature many record-breaking numbers, but first and foremost, it will showcase our hybrid model, expanding accessibility and inclusion through virtual convening, while returning to the magic of in-person meetings, which many of our community members missed.
We received over 1880 proposals this year, a 60% increase from 2022, and a 30% increase from 2020, when we hosted RightsCon Online for the first time. The competition was steep, even with our 19 program categories and crucial input from 60+ Program Committee members. Along with this growth in numbers, we’ve also seen increasing diversification of voices in our community-sourced program, with greater representation of women and nonbinary folk, languages, and regions.
The program at RightsCon Costa Rica will feature:
- 660+ sessions (as compared to 560 in 2022)
- 689 institutions (as compared
The power of RightsCon is the community we bring together, and we want your help making sure the right people are in the room for RightsCon Costa Rica (June 5-8, 2023). We’ve partnered with Canva to create an expansive suite of templates and resources to help prepare for your RightsCon session and promote your participation with your network!
Whether you are joining us as a participant, session organizer, or speaker, you’ll find exactly what you need through our RightsCon promo kit - from presentations and email assets, through to image and video social media templates.
Canva is also empowering the RightsCon community with access to Canva Pro for free for 3 months! The discount will be shared with registered participants through the RightsCon Rundown, and can be redeemed at www.canva.com/redeem. Make sure to subscribe to the RightsCon Rundown if you haven’t already, to gain access.
Have you registered for RightsCon? Use our promotional templates to promote your participation at RightsCon on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. And, if you are participating online
The RightsCon team is looking for volunteers to support our first hybrid summit, RightsCon Costa Rica (June 5-8, 2023)! If you’re interested in human rights and technology, and available to join us in person in San José, this is your opportunity to contribute to – and connect with – a growing global community.
Volunteering is an excellent way to gain event experience, build professional connections, and learn about pressing digital rights issues. As an official RightsCon volunteer, you’ll receive a virtual training session with our team, an official RightsCon t-shirt, and free lunch, coffee, and light snacks throughout the summit. Your volunteer team lead will work with you to assign shifts, answer any questions you may have, and find roles that you are excited about and confident to take on, including:
- Summit set-up and tear down;
- Room and hallway management (Q&A help, wayfinding, ushering);
- Customer service information;
- Event logistics support (check-in desks, info desk);
- Backstage operations (stage management team, speaker escort).
Beyond supporting during scheduled shifts, we encourage volunteers to actively participate in the program by joining sessions – whether workshops, dialogues, or roundtables – as well as creative and social eve
