You are reading the fourth edition of Change in Motion, a special quarterly digest from APC on the work and reach of our network. Here you’ll find key highlights from our community acting in over 60 countries to shape technologies for social, gender and environmental justice, while countering backlashes on various fronts.
Since our last edition in April, much attention has been focused on artificial intelligence. As summarised in the editorial of the series of articles “Don’t ask AI, ask a peer”, the advance of these technologies in a highly extractive corporate model poses many risks and negative impacts – from their environmental footprint, to the exploitation of land and resources, to their use for surveillance and war, and many other violations of human rights. While we joined many voices to affirm that AI-accelerated warfare must stop, our community also got involved with the first-ever UN Global Dialogue on AI, calling for transparency, accountability and bringing forward propositions for a human rights-based, feminist and inclusive approach to its regulation.
Identifying alternative routes when facing setbacks proved to be another key point. As one APC member from South Asia summed up, facing the RightsCon cancellation in May was a “sobering reminder that digital rights work does not happen in a neutral space.” The cancellation sparked a lot of reflection on the shrinking civic space, on top of funding cuts and increased attacks on human rights defenders, social movements and civil society organisations across the world. Yet, alongside the crisis a profound sense of resilience emerged, as organisations found new ways to sustain their work, strengthen collective action and support local communities.
During Pride Month in June, an article from APC’s Women’s Rights Programme published by our partner Global Voices also exposed the constant attacks on gender diversity and other social justice initiatives by governments, Big Tech and other powers. It reinforced that now is the time to hold the line by continuing to tell our stories and demand representation and inclusion of people of different gender identities and expressions at the tables where decisions are made.
This issue distils the APC community's recent efforts to hold the line, serving as both a shared learning tool and a call to strengthen the resistance. Read on.
Building common agendas
Representatives from Bytesforall Bangladesh were among the nearly 50 participants at APC’s Asia Gathering in June, attended by members from Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Myanmar, Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia and South Korea. Their reflections following the collective discussions show that AI is no longer a standalone topic, but is intertwined with issues like digital rights, climate justice, community networks, surveillance, misinformation and technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV).
APC and several members endorsed a joint statement expressing grave concern regarding the findings of 7amleh's new report, Monetizing Occupation: Meta's Financial Enablement of Settlement Activity and Violent Rhetoric Against Palestinians. The report exposes a deeply disturbing pattern where Meta is not only failing to remove harmful content, but is actively financially enabling illegal settlement expansion and violent rhetoric against Palestinians.
Many in our community also joined the Net Rights Coalition (NRC) in expressing consternation at the Government of Zambia’s unilateral announcement of the postponement of RightsCon, a move that resulted in the cancellation of the global event. The APC community also came together to reflect on this cancellation, the shrinking of civic space and learnings moving forward. Some of their insights are summarised in this article. Meanwhile, Access Now recently announced an online version of RightsCon on 22 September to host some of the planned sessions.
Members and partners involved in the Local Networks (LocNet) initiative have engaged in governance processes over the past three months to push a common advocacy agenda on community-centred connectivity, with a special focus on financing mechanisms to support local initiatives. These included the 29th session of the UN Commission on Science and Technology for Development (CSTD) in April, followed by July’s World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) Forum 2026 and the UN Global Dialogue on AI Governance.
At the national level, civil society organisations have been advocating for better policy and regulation to build enabling ecosystems for community-centred connectivity through mechanisms tailored to local realities. Recent concrete examples include country-level engagement in Colombia, Mexico, Indonesia and Nigeria, as well as the publication of national strategies to foster such environments in Colombia, Nigeria and the Philippines, in addition to the ones from South Africa and Kenya launched last year.
Beyond advocacy in governance, building skills at the local level is another key approach to strengthening community-centred connectivity initiatives. The South Africa School of Digital Policy completed its first-ever community networks edition in April this year. Meanwhile, this video by REDES A.C. and Rhizomatica shares highlights from recent editions of the bootcamps concluding the Blended Training for ICT Network Managers in Indigenous and Rural Communities in Latin America and Africa.
LocNet also officially kicked off the pilot phase of its community-centred connectivity initiatives (CCCI) online learning programme in Indonesia in partnership with Relawan TIK, the Indonesian School of Community Networks and the Rembuk Nusa coalition. Meanwhile, the Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) is fostering new skills and income opportunities through micro-enterprises and digital training for Nigerian women with LocNet’s support.
REDES A.C. recently shared its annual report on the activities carried out last year, many of which were undertaken in collaboration with APC and partner organisations. The report brings together key insights into its work to strengthen community autonomy processes, including a community-centred approach to the right to communication and connectivity. [Available in Spanish.]
Acting on the ground: In Mankosi village, South Africa, Zenzeleni Networks is running a hub to provide rural communities with internet access, digital literacy training, student support and refurbished laptops. From Indonesia, a new video by Common Room highlights how the community network developed by the Kasepuhan Gelaralam Indigenous community continues to support local communication, strengthen community capacity and contribute to environmental stewardship.
Focusing on experiences with participatory media making, particularly through collaboration between community networks and community content creators, the publication Community Interest Media: Emerging concepts and practices from the Global Majority (and friends) presents eight case studies conducted in Brazil, Indonesia, Kenya, Mexico, Nigeria and the Philippines, alongside two cross-regional practices. The study was recently launched by APC and the International Association of Women in Radio and Television - Kenya chapter (IAWRT).
Centring human rights, gender and environmental justice
The Feminist Internet Research Network (FIRN) and Resistance and Resilience: Collaborative Responses to Online Attacks on Environmental Defenders (R&R), initiatives led by APC, hosted a three-day online symposium in April, bringing together research partners working on TFGBV from diverse and interconnected social and geopolitical standpoints. Discussions explored how digital infrastructures, colonial power relations and structural inequalities shape technology-facilitated violence, as well as broader social and environmental injustices, and the various responses, disruptions and initiatives being implemented.
Pollicy published a collaborative report with the African Internet Rights Alliance that shows how the systems governing IDs, payments and data reproduce historical inequalities. Through an Afrofeminist lens, they analyse the digital public infrastructures of Uganda, Kenya and South Africa, shedding light on systemic barriers and their gendered consequences.
In Nigeria, CITAD launched Reportrix, an app that aims to tackle gender-based violence and fake news. The app offers a secure, multilingual platform to report gender-based violence, misinformation and digital rights violations.
The Foundation for Media Alternatives (FMA) has launched two important analyses of the local context to help shape tailored responses to digital rights violations in the Philippines. Understanding TFGBV in the Philippines brings a feminist review of the country’s laws addressing gender-based violence in the digital age. Since 2012, FMA has documented 738 cases of TFGBV in the country. The organisation also released its 2025 Digital Rights Report, showing that while efforts to expand connectivity and digital inclusion continued throughout last year, there are growing concerns around cyberattacks, data breaches, surveillance, AI governance, press freedom and TFGBV.
The Digital Empowerment Foundation’s (DEF) research Just AI, Just Land: Socio-Environmental Implications of Data Centers on Communities examined the socio-environmental implications of expanding data centre infrastructure on local communities in Telangana, India. In it, they outlined how expanding data centre infrastructure is influencing land use, water access and livelihood patterns, while tracking how local communities navigate these changes.
In Brazil, the Nupef Institute and InternetLab carried out the study Networks in the Forest: Reflections and Pathways to Ensuring Meaningful Connectivity in the Amazon, which provides an assessment of the challenges and sets out recommendations for public authorities and internet service providers. An online pre-launch event brought together community leaders, government representatives, researchers and civil society organisations to discuss the topic on 19 May.
A new report from Social Media Exchange (SMEX), Produced, tested, deployed, emphasises the human cost of the militarised technology industry and how this tech fits into existing structures of impunity for human rights violations in the region. The report examines six countries: Sudan, Syria, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Israel and Egypt.
7amleh has released a new research report, The Platformicide of Palestine (2021–2025), which analyses 3,520 cases documenting patterns of censorship and suppression affecting Palestinian content across Facebook and Instagram. Another new report from 7amleh documents how Palestinians face systematic exclusion from global digital platforms, including payment services, e-commerce and remote work.
Point of View and Quicksand went to multiple cities and asked the same question across India: "What does social media make you feel?". These are the words that surfaced repeatedly: unavoidable, anxiety, agenda, echo chambers, polarising. Their consultation showed that harms were not abstract, but lived in the everyday. Based on the findings, they launched a Instagram series on @povmumbai in July to talk about what digital safety, transparent algorithms, and accessible data could look like in practice.
The Myanmar Internet Project (MIP) conducted an interpretive study to investigate the lived realities of connectivity struggles in the war zones of Myanmar. The results are gathered in the publication Hello from the Other Side: Access to Alternative Communications and Digital Resilience in Myanmar's Internet Shutdown Areas, which also offers recommendations moving forward.
Since the military coup in 2021, Myanmar has witnessed an alarming escalation in digital repression that has disproportionately affected human rights defenders, particularly women. This study, conducted by the MIP in collaboration with and with support from APC, documents and analyses the experiences of WHRDs and other pro-democracy activists to understand the lived realities of digital repression and gender-based violence under the military regime.
On this year’s World Press Freedom Day (3 May), Exile Hub reflected on the resilience of Myanmar journalists reporting from conflict zones, displacement and exile. Despite surveillance, repression and insecurity, journalists continue documenting realities on the ground to ensure truth, memory and accountability are not lost.
The Unwanted Witness Privacy Scorecard Report tracks how well organisations across the public and private sectors safeguard personal data and adhere to data protection obligations. The latest report examines compliance, highlights progress and uncovers persistent gaps that continue to shape the privacy landscape in Nigeria, Ghana, Botswana, Rwanda, Tanzania, Mauritius, Zimbabwe, Kenya and Uganda.
A new report by Body & Data explores the growing use of generative AI in Nepali education. While students reported positive impacts on learning and group work, many also expressed concerns about critical thinking, creativity and the accuracy of AI-generated responses. The research offers recommendations to support the responsible and ethical use of AI in educational settings.
A digital skills initiative in northern Kenya has trained 167 people in how technology can be used to support livelihoods, improve access to services and unlock economic opportunities. Focusing on youth, women and persons with disabilities, the training was delivered under the Enhancing Digital Access and Community Resilience (EDACR) project, implemented by KICTANet.
Collectively shaping digital policies and processes
During the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) Forum 2026 and the UN Global Dialogue on AI Governance early in July, the APC's community called for a paradigm shift in technological development – one that prioritises people’s rights and the preservation of the planet. To achieve this, lived experiences must inform governance, and discussion forums must become more inclusive and connected to those resisting on the ground. Stronger accountability mechanisms are also critical. Civil society organisations used these processes as an opportunity to present concrete recommendations to achieve these objectives.
Our involvement, however, began long before those events. The Global Digital Justice Forum, which APC is a member of, delivered a statement at the Third Virtual Multistakeholder Consultation of the Global Dialogue on AI Governance to emphasise key priorities. Organisations actively engaged in the implementation of the United Nations Global Digital Compact process and the UN Global Dialogue on AI Governance, and sent a joint letter to the Global Dialogue co-chairs on multistakeholder participation.
Moving forward, we will keep pushing for a rights-respecting framework, including the Feminist Guiding Principles and Commitments for Global AI Governance, which explores the actions, indicators and accountability mechanisms needed to turn commitments into practice, delivering concrete recommendations for governments and decision makers.
As an organisation advocating for the right to communication via the internet, the Japan Computer Access Network (JCA-NET) has long proposed various concrete measures to defend the right to privacy online. They are currently objecting to legislation establishing national intelligence agencies, featuring how such agencies and systems infringe upon the right to communication not only within Japan but also around the world.
The Digital Justice Network joined 41 civil society organisations nationwide in South Korea to form the “Civil Society Joint Action for Strengthening Accountability and Public Interest in AI”. Together, they advocate to strengthening accountability and public interest in the development and use of AI, establishing democratic governance.
Civil society organisations are working in increasingly difficult conditions: shrinking civic space, financial instability, disinformation, digital security risks, and a fast-changing technology landscape. APC members CIPESA, Derechos Digitales, Instituto Nupef and SMEX were among the organisations sharing their views for a position paper on systemic shifts, funding challenges and future opportunities for digital rights advocacy. The reflections and practical recommendations are summarised in the position paper Funding for digitally resilient futures in the Global South.
Strengthening our collective holistic safety, care and digital resilience
Better not bigger: Across APC’s network, there are organisations who have spent years building community-centred and rights-respecting alternatives to Big Tech services rooted in social and environmental justice alongside collective care. Their work offers a different vision of the digital future, one where infrastructure is seen not as a profit-driven extractivist commodity, but as a commons.
The publication Holding the Line: What Civil Society Needs to Stay Resilient Amid Democratic Backsliding, takes a closer look at these realities. Co-developed by APC member Metamorphosis Foundation, it explores what civil society actors need to continue their work and respond to current challenges in practical and sustainable ways.
7amleh launched a new AI-powered social listening model designed to analyse Palestinian digital discourse in Arabic and Hebrew and transform online conversations into actionable insights for civil society organisations. The model enables organisations to better understand public discourse, monitor emerging narratives and risks, analyse audience sentiment, and generate data-driven insights that support advocacy, research, campaigns and strategic planning.
Two APC members, Colnodo and eQualitie, have launched Areopagítica, a digital security platform designed to protect democracy and the free flow of information. The initiative provides grassroots organisations, journalists and activists with a dedicated helpdesk, practical resources and training to mitigate online risks during challenging electoral periods.
How can we be independent from big corporations and their cloud servers? Can we build digital technologies for the common good while advancing user freedom? Questions like these are at the core of this publication featuring a collection of interviews from the series “Building a Free Internet of the Future” on free software, open data, open hardware and open standards projects.
Before you go
This is the fourth edition of our special quarterly digest on the impact of the APC community. This digest will also be available on APC.org in Spanish and French, in addition to English. Republishing and new translations are more than welcome – please contact us at communications@apc.org if you can help spread the word about our network’s impact. If you're part of the APC community, you can use the same email address to send us your highlights for possible inclusion in the next issue of this digest.
Thank you, and see you in the next edition, coming your way in October 2026. In the meantime, if you’d like more frequent updates, sign up for our APCNews newsletter, published every two weeks.