Save the Date for RightsCon Tunis
Jun 10 - 14, 2019 | Laico Hotel and the Palais des Congrès
Hosted by Access Now, RightsCon is where the world’s business leaders, technologists, engineers, investors, activists, human rights experts, and government representatives come together to build partnerships, shape global norms, showcase new technologies, and confront the most challenging issues at the intersection of human rights and technology. More than an event, RightsCon is a global community with thousands of leading voices across stakeholder lines. It is an energizing reminder of the existence of a powerful global digital rights community that is determined to defend human rights and keep the internet open and free. You can learn more about our community here here.
RightsCon’s mission is to provide a platform for community members to effect real and positive change in the world through both traditional and innovative approaches. The event’s programming is not only an arena of global, regional, and national policy debates, it is home to technologists building new tools, and advocates creating new campaigns. Conference programming is created by our participants, changes each year in response to emerging global issues, and has an an explicit focus on driving tangible outcomes. You can see highlights of our past events in cities around the world here.
Celebrating Toronto and looking forward to Tunis
RightsCon Toronto took place from Wednesday, May 16 to Friday, May 18, 2018, at the Beanfield Centre at Exhibition Place, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Access Now is thrilled to have brought the seventh installment of RightsCon to Canada’s largest city for RightsCon Toronto. RightsCon Toronto was our biggest and most important summit yet, with over 2500 participants. This year’s program explored pressing issues including innovation policy in Canada, free expression and protection of global journalism, gender diversity and digital inclusion, encryption and cybersecurity, and many other topics relevant to keeping the internet free, open, and secure worldwide. Revisit the program, explore outcomes, and review resources here.
In 2019, we’re excited to bring RightsCon to Africa and the Middle East for the first time, in Tunis, Tunisia. Tunisian civil society has done incredible work to build and defend a rights-respecting democracy, and Tunisians are still fighting daily to protect essential rights of privacy and freedom of speech. Hard-fought victories in Tunisia have been a beacon of hope for others across the region and the world - but there is still work left to do.
Stay tuned as we release more news about RightsCon Tunis 2019! Want more information? Download our 2-pager in English or French below.
Frequently Asked Questions
In 2020, RightsCon will be hosted in Central America for the first time, in San José, Costa Rica from June 9 to June 12. The conference venue will be the vibrant and eco-friendly Costa Rica Convention Center, a short trip from the Juan Santamaría International Airport.
You can subscribe to the RightsCon Rundown for email updates on the community, submission deadlines, RightsCon Costa Rica, event logistics, and more here!
You can find photo highlights from RightsCon Toronto here!! Make sure to use the official hashtag #RightsCon when you share on social media
Stay tuned for our RightsCon Toronto recap video!
RightsCon participants are a global community of business leaders, policy makers, general counsels, government representatives, technologists, and human rights defenders. You can learn more about specific speakers, companies, and organizations in our community here.
You can subscribe to the RightsCon Rundown for email updates on the community, submission deadlines, RightsCon Costa Rica, event logistics, and more here!
The RightsCon Code of Conduct is available here.
Access Now is dedicated to creating and protecting safe spaces for people, online and off. Participants and stakeholders of the Access Now community are expected to understand and abide by this Code of Conduct.
Our data usage policy is available here.
The RightsCon Summit Series is brought to you by Access Now.
Access Now is an international not-for-profit organization dedicated to defending and extending the digital rights of users at risk around the world. By combining direct technical support, comprehensive policy engagement, global advocacy, grassroots grantmaking, and convenings such as RightsCon, we fight for human rights in the digital age.
We are a team of 70, with local staff in more than 15 locations around the world - Berlin, Brussels, Cordoba, Delhi, London, Manila, Nairobi, New York, San José, Tunis, and Washington DC. We maintain four legally incorporated entities - Belgium, Costa Rica, Tunisia, and the United States - with our tech, advocacy, policy, granting, and operations teams distributed across all regions. Our Costa Rica office opened in 2015.
"I'm glad for having decided to attend the #RightsCon2020. It is a great experience for me and I am learning a lot. Thank you and the entire team at #RightsCon and #AccessNow for a job well done and for facilitating my internet costs for the week's attendance."
Laure Nganlay, Communication Associate #defyhatenow Cameroon
“There was a huge contingent interested in the right to health, with topics directly related to the COVID-19 pandemic in addition to other public health and digital rights intersections. As a public health researcher, it was so great to have the chance to learn from folks in other disciplines, with ideas and insights we could bring back to our own pandemic and health misinformation response effort, in this crazy, totally (what feels like an) unprecedented time.”
Nat Gyenes, Meedan
"Ended the panel to a message on Twitter saying that the panel was “life giving”. I feel the same - I cannot tell you how much I appreciate the chance to think optimistically and constructively about the future we want to build. Excited to work with you all to build it!"
Amy Studdart, IRI
"A truly impressive event that clearly demonstrates how NGOs have become undoubtable players in cyberspace."
Uri Rosenthal, Former Dutch Special Envoy Cyberspace and Former Dutch Foreign Minister
"We’re here at RightsCon, to try to turn that around, and ensure that digital tools don’t overpower our human rights – and instead, empower us all to enjoy them."
Michelle Bachelet, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
"I believe that RightsCon remains the most effective and informed forum to understand the Internet community’s priorities."
Michael Karimian, Senior Manager, Human Rights, Microsoft
"RightsCon is an online and offline space to build relationships on the digital rights' agenda among actors and communities from diverse sectors and geographical locations."
Alejandro Mayoral Banos, Executive Director, Indigenous Friends Organization
"Thank you for listening to us and facilitating connections. By organizing RightsCon and bringing together people from all over the world, you’ve helped create many future solutions."
Haben Girma, White House Champion of Change, Forbes 30 under 30 leader, and BBC Women of Africa Hero
"A truly impressive event that clearly demonstrates how NGOs have become undoubtable players in cyberspace."
Uri Rosenthal, Dutch Special Envoy Cyberspace and Former Dutch Foreign Minister
"I believe that RightsCon remains the most effective and informed forum to understand the Internet community’s priorities."
Michael Karimian, Senior Manager, Human Rights, Microsoft
"I found the conference to be game-changing for my work in the peace and security sector in the UN, in that it pulled together actors from the private sector, NGOs, activist world and UN who can speak powerfully to the core issues."
Christina Goodness, Chief, DPPA-DPO Information Management Unit
CONTACT US
GENERAL INFO & SPONSORSHIP
Team RightsCon is here to help!
PHONE
+1 888-414-0100
EMAIL
conference [at] accessnow.org
nikki [at] accessnow.org
TWITTER
PRESS INQUIRIES
Let us know if you need media information or our media kit!
EMAIL
press [at] accessnow.org
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