RightsCon 2022 Media Kit
JUNE 6 — 10, 2022
Last Updated: June 21, 2022
All enquiries: [email protected]
Jump to updates on OPPORTUNITIES FOR COVERAGE
Last Updated: June 21, 2022
All enquiries: [email protected]
Jump to updates on OPPORTUNITIES FOR COVERAGE
GUIDELINES FOR PARTICIPATION
We ask all media pass holders to take careful note of the following policies and guidelines for participating at RightsCon 2022. Failing to abide by these rules could result in a violation of the RightsCon Code of Conduct and revocation of access to the event. Please also review the participant guide for an in-depth look at how to navigate RightsCon 2022 and connect with the RightsCon community.Privacy at RightsCon
For the third year in a row, RightsCon will take place online. Our guiding principles and practices continue to remain strong, and we are committed to a summit that reflects and celebrates the diversity of the issues we cover. We will continue to work towards creating safer and more inclusive spaces for participation. Many members of the RightsCon community face considerable risk in their work to defend human rights — both online and off — and when it comes to the extent of participation and identity, we encourage everyone to make their own choices, and set their own boundaries. All media pass holders must respect the privacy of everyone in the RightsCon space, and only share quotes or other representations of individuals with their clear, informed consent. In short: always ask first.Identifying as Press
It’s important to let people know who you are! If you are attending RightsCon 2022 as a media representative, you will be required to identify as press in your profile, and by adding “PRESS” to your display name. This should be done by accurately filling out your participant profile, and choosing press in the dropdown menu. You are required to identify as press at all times while logged into the RightsCon 2022 platform, and when approaching RightsCon 2022 participants — including in social spaces and private meetings. Adding “PRESS” to your display name will also make it easy for participants to find you on the Participants list and connect with you through the in-platform chat if you choose to enable the feature.Permission and Attribution
It is your responsibility to obtain permission from participants and speakers to be quoted, and to ensure appropriate attribution is given. At the start of each session, it will be made clear if and how speakers and participants can be quoted. Safety is paramount, and speakers and participants who have their profile anonymized cannot be described in a level of detail that would make them identifiable. We encourage you to confirm with session moderators in advance what rules apply, such as Chatham House rule, or if something is off the record. If you arrive late to a session, do not assume it is on the record, as the attribution rules may have already been clarified.Filming, Photography, Screen Recording, and Screenshots
Please be cautious if taking images, screenshots, or any recordings, and be sure to inform yourself on how open any session is before capturing image or sound. Generally, sessions such as Fireside Chats and Panels are open to all participants, and attendees may wish to document the interactions in some way. However, many sessions with limited or closed participation — including Community Labs, Strategy Sessions, regional meet-ups, and private meetings — should not be recorded in any manner without explicit consent from participants and session organizers. If recording of any kind is welcome, the session facilitator will make that clear at the beginning of the session. If you miss the beginning of the session or the facilitator does not address the issue, do not assume consent.LOGISTICS
Staying in the Know
RightsCon 2022 will feature an exciting new “live studio” format, serving as a home base for daily welcomes, conversations, program highlights, and for community showcases. Hosted by award-winning journalist Melissa Chan, tune in each day to keep informed on some of the biggest and most pressing issues facing the RightsCon community.Connecting with Participants
RightsCon is all about connecting with people, and this year we’re continuing to support your engagement with participants, speakers, and each other. As well as the discussion boards and in-platform chat feature (going live on June 6) will also host Social Hours for less formal engagement. If you feel comfortable, do keep your camera on for other participants to have an opportunity to see you and better connect. Social Hours are hosted in an integrated platform and provide flexible, informal space for meeting others on a variety of topics, including through social or creative activities, games and icebreakers, to drop-in hours with funders and company leaders, and more. Every day of RightsCon will host several Social Hours, each of which will open for 60 minutes and will feature virtual “tables” that seek to replicate the feel of meeting new and old friends over coffee breaks in an in-person summit. After Dark events are centered on games, wellness, and culture, as well as live performances and film screenings that create fun, relaxed atmospheres. And don’t forget to utilize social media! Many participants will be engaging on Twitter through #RightsCon and will include their social media accounts in their participant profiles. Access Now staff are available to help facilitate connections with speakers and other RightsCon participants upon request. Please direct all media requests to [email protected]. We will notify media pass holders of major releases and press briefings throughout the event.Social Media
RightsCon action will be taking place via Twitter, so be sure to follow, and tag @RightsCon and #RightsCon, when sharing your pieces, chatting with participants, and seeking follow-up connections during and after the event. Want more? Other #s to follow and engage with include:- #DigitalCooperation
- #VaccinePassports
- #KeepItOn & #InternetShutdowns
- #WhyID
- #DerechosDigitalesCaribe & #DigiCariRights
- #PetsOfRightsCon
- #WhereAreYouRightsCon
OPPORTUNITIES FOR COVERAGE
Video highlights
Missed a session related to your work? Want to double check a quote or the spelling of a name? Many recordings from this week’s sessions are being shared on Access Now’s YouTube channel, and will be accessible long after RightsCon 2022 has ended. Some highlights include:- In conversation: On protester repression and lived experience featuring Jawad Fairooz, Chair, SALAM for Democracy and Human Rights; and Melissa Chan, RightsCon Studio Host and Journalist.
- On the intersection of women’s rights and technology featuring Manal al-Sharif, Saudi Human Rights Activist; Cybersecurity Expert; Founder, The Ethical Technologists Society; Host, Tech4Evil.com Podcast; Brett Solomon, Executive Director, Access Now; and Melissa Chan, RightsCon Studio Host and Journalist.
- Fireside Chat: Local-to-global efforts to flip the switch on internet shutdowns featuring Berhan Taye, Senior Advisor, Internet Governance and Policy, Internews; Peggy Hicks, Director of the Thematic Engagement, Special Procedures, and Right to Development Division, Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR); and Felicia Anthonio, #KeepItOn Campaign Manager, Access Now.
- In Conversation: technology as a tool for unlocking people-power for the future of organizing featuring Nick Allardice, CEO, Change.org; and Melissa Chan, RightsCon Studio Host and Journalist.
- On Ukraine, Belarus, and the role of technology companies in combating the spread of disinformation featuring Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, National Leader of Belarus; and Melissa Chan, RightsCon Studio Host and Journalist.
- RightsCon 2022 Opening Ceremony featuring prominent speakers detailing the most pressing issues facing our digital rights today, including: Jacinda Ardern, Prime Minister of New Zealand; Valeriia Ionan, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Digital Transformation, Government of Ukraine; Mylene Cabalona, President, BPO Industry Employees Network (BIEN); Melissa Chan, RightsCon Studio Host and Journalist, Brett Solomon, Executive Director, Access Now; and many more.
- Iran’s last unblocked social media: Instagram and all its discontents featuring: Mahsa Alimardani, Senior Researcher at ARTICLE19; Rana Rahimpour, BBC World Service, BBC Persian Broadcaster and Journalist; Julie Owono, Executive Director, Internet Sans Frontières (Internet Without Borders); Executive Director, Content Policy & Society Lab, Stanford University; and Muhammad Abushaqra, Content Policy Manager, Meta.
- In Conversation: the impact of system and structural racism against people of African descent featuring Dominique Day, Chair, UN Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent; Executive Director, DAYLIGHT; and Melissa Chan, RightsCon Studio Host and Journalist.
- Fireside chat: whistleblowers, activism, and accountability in the tech sector featuring Delphine Halgand-Mishra, Executive Director, The Signals Network; Sophie Zhang, Whistleblower; John Githongo, CEO, Inuka Kenya Ni Sisi!; and Itika Sharma Punit, South Asia Editor, Rest of World.
Press releases
- June 15, Access Now: UN experts at RightsCon: digital rights violations enable and escalate violence during crises
- June 9, Access Now: RightsCon civil society to Meta: protect the rights of Instagram’s Persian speakers
- June 9, Access Now: Google’s plans in Saudi Arabia: company ignores independent shareholder vote to respect human rights
- June 7, Access Now: UN Experts join civil society in condemning Myanmar military’s “digital dictatorship” and call for Member State action
Actions
- June 9, EngageMedia in partnership with the Oxen Privacy Tech Foundation (OPTF): Through The Looking Glass: Digital Safety and Internet Freedom in South and Southeast Asia report launch
- June 9, Internet & Jurisdiction Policy Network: I&J Framing Brief: Categories in Electronic Evidence (REF:22-102) launch
- June 7, Freedom Online Coalition: #MyDigitalInclusion campaign launch
- June 7, Fernand de Varennes, UN Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues: global consultation process for draft guidelines on #HateSpeech online and #Minorities launch