Our Priority

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 an opportunity designed to bring practitioners across stakeholder lines together, in order to generate an agenda for a rights-respecting digital future.

As hosts, our number one priority in planning RightsCon is to ensure that we take all necessary and appropriate steps to protect vulnerable and at risk groups. It is our commitment that RightsCon should be and remain a safe space for open discussions without fear of intimidation or threat of reprisal.

Below are some important considerations and processes that we have developed to ensure that RightsCon continues to be a space that is both inclusive and safe.

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.

In order to facilitate a shared space that is safe and productive, we will provide specific guidelines on how to engage ahead of every convening.

Privacy

During in-person RightsCon summits, participants are issued a RightsCon badge upon arrival that include their first name, last name, and affiliation. People can choose a red lanyard to explicitly request that their participation not be documented or made public.

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, moderators or organizers will announce the level of privacy expected from participants, which may range from open attribution, to Chatham House rules, to no attribution. All participants should listen to and respect these guidelines.

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 deny entry or restrict entry to RightsCon spaces, at any time. We may take these steps in the event that an individual or their organization:

• presents an unacceptable threat or risk to any member of the RightsCon community, including Access Now staff members and partners;
• is found to be in violation of our Code of Conduct;
• is involved in illegal, unethical, or violent activity, or
• otherwise acts contrary to our values.

In all cases, this decision will be a thoughtful and considered action and the decision to revoke access to RightsCon will be taken very seriously.