RightsCon Continues is a series of initiatives designed to maintain momentum and engagement throughout 2026, supporting the ongoing work of the global digital rights community following the effective cancellation of RightsCon 2026 by the government of Zambia.

Our decision to launch RightsCon Continues was shaped by the overwhelming response to our community survey. Participants told us they wanted opportunities to continue connecting, collaborating, and taking action throughout 2026 rather than waiting until RightsCon 2027. In fact, only 13% of respondents said they would prefer to wait until the next annual summit.

We envisioned RightsCon Continues under three distinct areas of work:
 

RightsCon on the road:
An official RightsCon presence at partner events throughout the year, alongside support to help underrepresented community members and participants to take part in those convenings.

RightsCon Continues Summit:
A 24-hour global online event with a focused program built around the themes of resilience, solidarity, movement building, and multistakeholder action.

RightsCon brings together a wide diversity of voices, and making an in-person summit accessible requires extensive planning with governments, local partners, and service providers to support visas, accommodation, accessibility, safety, and much more.

Unfortunately, it is not feasible to organize another in-person RightsCon during the remainder of 2026 while meeting the programmatic, accessibility, operational, and security standards that RightsCon delivers and our community expects.

The RightsCon Continues Summit is not intended to replace RightsCon 2026. Instead, it is a focused event designed to maintain momentum, create space for the community to connect, discuss, and build toward RightsCon 2027.

We also recognize that online fatigue is real. Rather than attempting to move hundreds of sessions online, we chose to create a more curated experience that prioritizes meaningful participation and engagement.

We’re designing the Summit with a few changes from our usual format:

Shortened program categories: With a limited amount of session slots available, it is not possible to include each of the 18 program categories while also creating a balanced agenda and an engaging participant experience. We focused on curating a cohesive program around a smaller set of themes that best reflect the current moment and the objectives of the online convening.

Thematic thread: For the first time, the program is built around a common thread , bringing sessions together that focus on key tracks and an underlying theme of resilience, movement building, and multistakeholder solidarity.

Smaller program: We heard from previous participant surveys that the size of the RightsCon program can sometimes feel overwhelming. This option gives us the opportunity to offer a more focused experience, while still allowing for all timezones to participate as we circle the globe.

The RightsCon Continues Summit will host dialogues, roundtables, workshops, and meetups. Private meetings, tech demos and lightning talks will not be included. 

Yes, the Summit will host programming blocks for regional meetups and thematic meetups on the Kolab platform.

Dialogues and Fireside Chats will be available to watch after they conclude. These sessions will be marked with the “Rewatch” tag on the Summit Platform. Roundtables, workshops, and meetups will not be recorded.

The RightsCon Continues Summit will feature approximately 50–65 sessions, a focused program compared to the 500+ sessions originally planned for RightsCon 2026.

Our goal is to curate a program that is relevant, diverse, actionable, and reflective of today’s digital rights landscape. Selection will be guided by the following criteria:

• Production and operational and logistics
• Relevance to the summit main theme: showcases resilience, solidarity, and movement-building
• Clear outcomes: launches, new coalitions, reports, etc.
• Multistakeholder and regional diversity, and cross-sector collaboration 
• Representation from intersecting themes: disability rights, environment, gender justice, and health, indigenous rights, and youth and children’s rights 
• Production and operational and logistics 

RightsCon Continues builds on the work and conversations that were originally planned for RightsCon 2026. Because of the limited scope of the Summit and the short planning timeline, we’re working from the existing RightsCon 2026 program rather than launching a new Call for Proposals. Our team is carefully curating the program to ensure it reflects the diversity of the community and the themes that are most relevant today.

If your session is selected, our team will contact you directly to discuss any updates, including the speaker lineup, preferred time zone, session format, and other logistical details.

All session organizers that have been selected will receive an email from the RightsCon team by the end of July.

The session list will be available on the RightsCon website by the end of August.

Yes, if you’re planning to participate in the summit, you need to register through our platform. Your RightsCon 2026 ticket does not grant you access to the RightsCon Continues Summit.

The Summit follows a Pay-What-You-Can model. As a nonprofit, every contribution helps us continue creating spaces for the digital rights community to connect and strategize together.

If you’re able to contribute, we’re deeply grateful. If not, simply enter “0” during registration to join the Summit at no cost.

If your organization is interested in supporting the RightsCon Continues Summit, please visit our Sponsor page or contact us at [email protected]

Yes. The media are welcome to participate in the Summit. Session organizers determine whether their sessions are open to media coverage, and these sessions will be identified as “Media Friendly” on the Summit Platform.

There are many events in the digital rights ecosystem taking place until the end of the year, hosted by partners around the world.