Accreditation results of stakeholders for the OEWG 2021-2025 raise concerns, with only 54 out of 86 entities approved to participate. Vetoed organizations include notable names such as Microsoft and the World Economic Forum, prompting 28 organizations to pen a letter urging the Chair to reconsider the decision and allow broader multistakeholder involvement in the process.
A new Global Hub has been established by Womens World Banking and Capital Development Fund to address women's digital financial exclusion and boost women's entrepreneurship worldwide, particularly in developing nations. The initiative involves local coalitions in Indonesia and Ethiopia, along with a global component, to advocate for women's financial inclusion issues. The goal is to bridge the gender gap in digital technology access and financial products for female entrepreneurs. With 750 million women currently excluded from the formal financial system, this collaboration aims to unlock their potential by providing equal opportunities through technology and financial services.
In India, the arrest of Muhammed Zubair, a fact-checking website co-founder, over a satirical tweet mocking a Hindu god has sparked concerns over freedom of expression. The arrest is seen as a troubling development, with associations made to growing intolerance under the current right-wing government, despite recent pledges at the G7 summit to protect freedom of expression.
Civil society groups are urging MEPs to ban biometric mass surveillance, specifically remote use of identification systems like facial recognition in public spaces. The focus is on preventing mass surveillance and protecting against discriminatory or manipulative practices related to biometric categorization and emotion recognition.
During the first Africa-Europe Digital for Development (D4D) Hub Multi-Stakeholder Forum that took place on 18 March 2022, representatives from the European Union (EU) and the African Union (AU) underscored digital cooperation as a cornerstone of the AU-EU strategic partnership. The forum, which was convened under the theme ‘Digital Transformation for Sustainable Development in Africa,’ [...]
The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) kicked off the P2C Online Pledging Platform and an action framework to advance universal connectivity and digital transformation. The P2C aims at mobilising resources to transform societies, promote sustainable digital technology uptake and ensure meaningful connectivity for everyone. To this aim, the P2C Online Pledging Platform is set to receive [...]
A broad coalition of civil society groups urged the USA and its international partners to ensure that the people of Russia and Belarus are not cut off from the internet. In a letter to the White House, civil society groups contend that restricting internet access will only harm those opposing the conflict, who report freely [...]
Over 40 civil society groups have issued a statement calling on EU institutions and member states to include provisions in the proposed Artificial Intelligence Act (AI Act) to prohibit predictive and profiling AI systems in law enforcement and criminal justice. The organisations argue that such AI systems reproduce and reinforce discrimination – on grounds such [...]
On 28 February, the fourth Global Standards Symposium (GSS-20) brought together – in Geneva and online – stakeholders from governments, the private sector, the technical community, academia, and civil society, to discuss the role of international standards in enabling digital transformation and achieving the sustainable development goals. The long-day discussions were reflected in a series [...]
According to a news report, following the invasion efforts by Russia on Ukraine which started just before midnight on Wednesday 23 February 2022, many civil society groups are worried about a possibility of direct attacks on the country’s internet infrastructure which would potentially limit information access on what is happening in Ukraine. Already, according to [...]
Civil Society Alliances for Digital Empowerment (CADE) is a project co-funded by the European Union.
