With our first-ever hybrid RightsCon (June 5-8, 2023) approaching, we took the opportunity to adapt and streamline our various support initiatives for our expanding global community. We are excited to introduce our newly revamped Community Support Fund, an application-based initiative designed to enable and amplify the participation of underrepresented communities, whether they join us online or in-person. For those in our community who may need a visa to attend the summit in Costa Rica, we’ll share information about our visa support process, as well as guidance on how to submit a request for this support. Additionally, we will continue to offer free and discounted
Lea este blog en españolAccess Now is thrilled to announce that registration is now open for the 12th edition of RightsCon, the world’s leading summit on human rights in the digital age! From Monday, June 5 to Thursday, June 8, 2023, we will welcome participants both in Costa Rica and online for our first hybrid summit. This year, for the first time, participants can choose whether they are joining us in-person or online before selecting the ticket corresponding to their stakeholder group. Below, we’ll share our approach to the cost of a ticket and information about our inclusive ticket policy. Wherever you choose to join us, be sure to get your early bird ticket before March 13, 2023.
The best part of RightsCon is the vibrant network – made up of activists, business leaders, technologists, policymakers, journalists, philanthropists, researchers, and artists – we gather for our
The Call for Proposals for RightsCon Costa Rica (June 5-9, 2023) is now open! Don’t miss out on the opportunity to shape the agenda on human rights in the digital age. The deadline to submit a session proposal is January 12, 2023 at 23:59 Pacific Standard Time.
This blog post was updated on November 15, 2022 after we launched our Call for Proposals to reflect progress in our vision for next year’s hybrid event.Today marks the public rollout of our journey towards our first hybrid RightsCon and we want to share with you our current approach for successfully delivering an event of this scope and scale. Engaging with you, our community, when undertaking big decisions is an important step for us. It's one we’ve valued at every turn, whether in 2020, when we transitioned our summit online or today, as we build our first hybrid experience.
RightsCon started in 2011 as an in-person only summit, a model that we replicated and improved upon for eight years, and which became a critical shared space for a global multi-stakeholder community to meet and coordinate face-to-face.
In transitioning RightsCon online, we adapted our model to a new context, learning for the first time the importance and power of virtual convening for expanding accessibility and inclusion, creating asynchronous engagement opportunities, and attracting participation from the highest levels of government and companies.
RightsCon Costa Rica (June 5-9, 2023) is a new inflection point for our convening model, requiring us to bridge our expertise in hosting in-person and virtual spaces to create a connected experience that is tailored to meet participants wherever they are and however they choose to join us.
And what we know is that while a majority (55%) of surveyed 2022 participants told us they planned to join in-person, the remainder were split down the middle: they either planned to join us online or they weren’t sure yet. Whatever the reason a participant may have to join us virtually – including but not limited to vaccine or health related concerns, travel or visa restrictions, or a desire to reduce their carbon footprint (a motivation we share and will be communicating ab
We’re on the road to the 12th edition of RightsCon, which will be hosted in San José, Costa Rica and online from June 5-9, 2023. RightsCon Costa Rica marks our first hybrid event and our much-anticipated return to Latin American and the Caribbean, and will support 15+ program tracks and 400+ sessions on the most pressing issues at the intersection of technology and human rights.The RightsCon program is sourced through an open Call for Proposals, and provides a platform for people from around the world – activists, technologists, business leaders, policymakers, journalists, and more – to set the agenda for human rights in the digital age. To prepare for the launch of the Call for Proposals in late October, our team took a closer look at the trends surfaced by our community, and identified three critical themes which will shape the direction of our program in 2023. Global developments related to gender and sexuality, labor and corporate accountability, and climate and environmental justice are intimately connected to digital rights, and we welcome proposals which explore these interconnections in innovative or unexpected ways.For session organizers, RightsCon is often an important step to building concrete skills, strategies, and partnerships to effect change. Our most recent edition, held online in June, supported a number of projects and initiatives, on topics as varied as the digital language divide, the use of AI in health and agricultural sectors, and safety and security for LGBTQ+ people on social media platforms. To learn more about the continued efforts of
Access Now is excited to share our Outcomes Report for the 11th edition of RightsCon, which took place across all time zones from Monday, June 6 to Friday, June 10, 2022.RightsCon 2022 marked our third summit hosted entirely online, and our largest and most diverse event to date. This was made possible by our continued focus on multi-stakeholder participation and accessibility, an expansion and diversification of the community-driven RightsCon program, and our continued experimentation with new formats and spaces, including the RightsCon Studio and Social Hour.Our annual Outcomes Report provides insight into the state of human rights in the digital age and the global community discussing, coordinating, and solving today’s pressing challenges. See the highlights below and read the full report for a deep dive into RightsCon 2022.
The 11th edition of RightsCon comes to a close today, and we have a lot to celebrate: a record-breaking 9,329 registered participants joined us for 560 sessions, we welcomed our first head of government, and introduced a brand new space for our community with the RightsCon Studio.The first event in our second decade of convening has sent a strong message: our community’s work is more important, necessary, and powerful than it has ever been.
Over the course of our five days together, we talked, listened, workshopped, and consulted, and the small selection of tangible outcomes below are a testament to why we come together:
Starting tomorrow (June 6), over 9,000 participants from 162 countries will engage in our largest program to date in the 11th edition of RightsCon. Across five days, we will host over 560 sessions that cut across 18 program tracks and eight intersectional themes from indigenous rights to health and gender justice.Registration ahead of the summit is an important step in our approach to convening safe, productive, and inclusive spaces at RightsCon. If you missed the registration deadline or are not able to participate in the full week of programming, here are ways for you to engage with us.There are many options available for you to view recordings of sessions, engage with members of the RightsCon community on socials, share resources, and tap into the momentum of the summit.
Throughout RightsCon, we will be updating our YouTube channel daily with a selection of fireside chats, musical performances, and studio interviews in conversation with global leaders from across sectors, including:
The RightsCon platform is now officially open! Registered participants can login, explore, and build their personalized program schedules for the 11th edition of our Summit Series, taking place from Monday, June 6 to Friday, June 10.
The RightsCon platform is where you will view the program schedule, join sessions, meet other participants, attend private meetings, and watch performances. With a brand new RightsCon Studio and more than 560 sessions to participate in, be sure to set yourself up for the best possible experience by reading our guide (full of participant tips and resources), and making sure to:
Bookmark the platform, build your profile, and set your timezone;
Explore the full program, which is navigable by format, track, intersecting theme, or language;
Add to your personal schedule by marking which sessions you’re interested in attending;
Make plans to connect with others by checking out the full participant and speaker lists
The 11th edition of RightsCon is in two weeks (June 6-10, 2022) and we’re taking a moment to provide an update and reminder of the core policies, principles, and processes that help keep the summit a safe, productive, and inclusive space.As with past years, the core principles and policies governing RightsCon, such as our Code of Conduct and our Participation & Privacy Policy, remain in place. By registering, participants agree to read through and abide by these policies.readmore
