The 13th edition of RightsCon is less than a month away (February 24-27, Taipei and online) and we would like to share an update to our core policies, principles, and processes that help keep our summit a safe, productive, and inclusive space for the community.

Our aim

Over the past 14 years, RightsCon has grown from a gathering of 400 participants in Silicon Valley to a global community of more than 10,000 human rights defenders. Our participants come from diverse backgrounds, sectors, and regions, and we are incredibly proud of the movement we’ve built together. At the same time, we recognize that with expansion comes with increased risks, specially in the context of rising authoritarianism, shrinking civic space, and increasingly difficult environments in which human rights defenders both around the world, and in Taiwan, have to work in and navigate.

For our 2025 summit, our team has conducted a thorough assessment of potential threats, considering factors such as venue security, regional and global geopolitical challenges, and the potential presence of malicious actors. We acknowledge that participants, session organizers, and staff may be exposed to various risks, and our aim is to mitigate them.

We remain firm in our mission to encourage dialogue and debate across diverse perspectives while ensuring that all members of our community can participate without fear of harassment or harm. Our approach prioritizes the safety of all participants, with a particular focus on those who are most vulnerable or at risk.

While no security measure is infallible, we recognize our role in equipping the RightsCon community with the tools, policies, and information needed to help ensure a safe and productive experience of the summit. The policies outlined below are part of our ongoing commitment to protect our space and the people within it. 

Our approach and policies

RightsCon safety policies and processes are developed by our internal Safety Working Group (SWG), with leads from Access Now’s Code of Conduct, Security, and RightsCon teams. The SWG conducts risk assessments, provides internal and external guidance, engages in scenario planning, tests plans with stakeholders and experts, and responds to incidents to better support the community.

This year, we’ve expanded the SWG to include an advisory committee of internal stakeholders and directly engaged community members with the goal of creating a deeper, cross-functional, and holistic approach to assessing and supporting the community.

As with past editions, our Code of Conduct and Participation & Privacy Policy remain in place, and by registering, all participants agree to read through and abide by these policies. For more information on our safety and security planning, as well as our accessibility approach for RightsCon 2025, please visit the Participate page on our website.

New and updated initiatives

Below we provide an overview of additional safety mechanisms and initiatives we’ve put in place for RightsCon 2025.

1. Restrictions to photo, video, and recording: This year, we have updated our Photo, Video and Recording Policy to increase participant privacy, which has been reflected in our Participation & Privacy policy.

• Participants will only be permitted to take photos and videos on the first (ground) floor, and not throughout the venue. 
• As with previous years, participants can choose to wear a red lanyard to indicate they do not wish to be photographed, even on the first (ground) floor. 
• An official RightsCon photographer, clearly marked, will have access to all spaces of the venue and will also abide by the red lanyard policy. 

2. Increased media management: In recognition of the need to balance increased interest from media with participant privacy, we’re implementing a new approach to media management to ensure participants’ privacy, and provide structured guidelines for media coverage. 

• Media who wish to obtain a press pass and report on RightsCon now undergo a more stringent internal vetting process.
• Press badges will only be issued to pre-registered media members. 
• Approved media members will wear yellow lanyards and receive clear communications about photo, video, and recording restrictions.
• A dedicated Media Lounge on the first floor will be available for media to work, engage with participants, and network.

3. Reflecting on our responsibility for community health: We recognize that the health and wellbeing of our community are part of our responsibility as conveners. While COVID-19 restrictions have eased worldwide, the reality is that communicable diseases still present a significant risk, especially for those who are immuno-compromised. While we have work to do for future iterations of RightsCon, this year we are committed to the following measures:

• Masks will be provided at registration and participants are strongly encouraged to wear them.
• Masks will be prominently displayed at the registration table, and throughout the event. 
• The RightsCon team and Safety Working Group members will wear masks in the venue.
• Vendors, volunteers, and staff will be strongly encouraged to wear masks in the venue.
• Regular reminders will be sent to participants not to attend sessions in-person if sick or symptomatic.
• Masks, sanitizer, and rapid antigen tests for COVID-19 will be available at our Helpdesk on the first floor, or the medical room on the fourth floor. 
• Regular sanitation and disinfection practices will be coordinated with the venue.

4. Strengthening our technical measures: All participants will depend on our Summit Platform to navigate the program, whether they’re joining us online or in-person. Together with our platform partner, TechChange, we’ve implemented additional security measures, while also building out mitigation plans should these measures fail. We’ve also partnered with a local internet service provider to improve WiFi capacity at the venue, and enhance network protection and monitoring.

5. Broadening the support we provide to our community: We recognize that the current geopolitical landscape presents significant challenges, and we understand that the discussions and topics at RightsCon can be both difficult and deeply personal for many in our community. This year, we’ll have a range of spaces and support services available for participants to access.

• A large space on the fourth floor of the venue will be designated as a Quiet Area, with a dedicated wellness space.
• Meeting and convening spaces for those impacted by war, conflict, and genocide will be created in consultation with affected community members. 
• The Vita-Activa.org helpline will be providing one-on-one online support to participants from midnight to 6am Taipei time during the summit, in English, Spanish, Portuguese and Arabic.
• We are also working to secure a team of psychosocial practitioners to provide one-on-one in-person support to participants at the venue during summit hours.
• We have engaged outside legal counsel in Taiwan so they can provide legal support in areas such as immigration, accidents and general premises liability, and event security.

Contact us

While we hope you have a safe and successful RightsCon, we recognize that there’s always more we can do. If you have any ideas, suggestions, or issues you’d like to raise with the RightsCon team and/or the Safety Working Group, you can reach us at [email protected]. 

During the summit, you can also reach our Help Desks for assistance:

• In-person Help Desk (located on the first floor of the TICC): Open during in-person programming hours, between 9:30am – 5:30pm, from Monday, February 24 to Thursday, February 27.
• Online Help Desk: Open 24/7 through the RightsCon Summit Platform or at [email protected].
  

If you’re joining us in-person in Taipei, save the following local emergency numbers:

• Police: 110
• Ambulance: 119
• Nearest hospital: Taipei Medical University Hospital +886-2-2737-2181

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