Our Priority

Please note: this policy has been updated as of April 27, 2026 to reflect sanctions compliance and updates to our participation review process.

At its core, RightsCon is a platform and a gathering space for those working to defend and extend our human rights in the most challenging of circumstances. It is a convening designed to bring practitioners across stakeholder lines together, in order to build an agenda for a rights-respecting digital future.

As hosts, our number one priority in planning RightsCon is to ensure that we take the necessary and appropriate steps to protect vulnerable and at risk groups. It is our aim for RightsCon to be and remain a space for open discussions, where community members can participate without fear of harassment or harm.

Below are some important standards, considerations, and processes that we have developed in our efforts to have RightsCon as a space that is both inclusive and prioritizes safety.

Participation

RightsCon is a public event, meaning that anyone can register and attend. While this public registration allows us to be inclusive and representative of diverse voices, we recognize, on the other hand, the potential implications this may have for participants who have taken considerable risk to be present and participate. Ahead of each event, we’ll share specific safety, security, and health guidelines with registered participants.

Privacy

For RightsCon 2026, no photo, video, or recording will be allowed by anyone except the RightsCon official photographer and videographer (who will wear clear credentials) in either of the two buildings, the Kenneth Kaunda Wing and the Mulungushi wing, within the venue complex.

During in-person RightsCon summits, participants are issued a RightsCon badge upon arrival that include – as provided in their registration form – their first name, last name, and affiliation. We require participant badges to be visible at all times. Participants without a badge will be barred from entering the summit space and attending sessions. People can choose between a blue and red lanyard, with a red lanyard explicitly requesting that their participation not be documented or made public in any way. Registered press will be given yellow lanyards.

In an online setting, participants will not have different colored lanyards, and as a result, we request all participants refrain from filming, photographing, or posting on social media about any other participant without their express permission. In every session, we ask that facilitators announce the level of privacy expected from participants, which may range from open attribution, to Chatham House rule, to no attribution. All participants should listen to and respect these guidelines.

Sanctions Compliance

Access Now is committed to strict compliance with applicable trade and economic sanctions and applicable export control laws and regulations. RightsCon and related Access Now platforms, goods, and services are not intended for, or designed to attract, individuals listed or targeted by economic sanctions administered or enforced by the United Nations (UN), European Union (EU), any EU Member State, Switzerland, the United Kingdom (UK), the United States, Canada, and Costa Rica.

When registering for RightsCon, the participant represents and warrants for themselves as well as on behalf of their employer and/or affiliated organization, that they are not designated or in breach of any sanctions or restrictive measures imposed or administered by the countries mentioned above (“Sanctions”) and that neither the participant nor their employer and/or affiliated organization are otherwise targeted by Sanctions. The participant also commits to immediately inform Access Now if they, their employer and/or affiliated organization have been designated and/or added to the Sanctions lists administered by the countries mentioned above. Access Now reserves the right to revoke participation in RightsCon in relation to Sanctions designations.

Suspending or Revoking Participation

While RightsCon is open by design, we do reserve the right to revoke access, confiscate credentials, temporarily pause access to the platform, or otherwise restrict or deny entry to RightsCon and any affiliated spaces, at any time.

We take the action of revoking participation seriously and have an established process for reviewing internal or external concerns, complaints, or questions. This process includes eight steps to facilitate principled and consistent decision-making, including consulting with relevant stakeholders and conducting an assessment with clear criteria.

We make the decision to alter or revoke participation in our sole discretion, and in consideration of whether an individual or their affiliation may:

• present a significant and immediate threat or risk to any member of the RightsCon community, including Access Now team members and partners;
• be in violation of our Code of Conduct or our event policies;
• previously or currently engage in illegal, privacy-violating, or violent activity, that jeopardizes the safety of participants during and beyond the summit;
• otherwise acts contrary to our values.

In the event of revocation, neither Access Now nor RightsCon are liable for any direct or indirect losses or damages of any kind arising from or relating to the registration cancellation or denial of entry and participation.

If you have questions about the above process or this policy, please reach out to us at [email protected].