The Association for Progressive Communications submission urges stronger protections for freedom of expression in the digital age
The Association for Progressive Communications (APC) has submitted a written response to the questionnaire issued by the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression. The submission is intended to inform the 2027 vision‑setting report and the development of the mandate’s strategic priorities for the 2026‑2029 period.
APC describes itself as an international civil‑society organisation and a network of members that works to empower people working for peace, human rights, development and environmental protection through the strategic use of information and communications technologies, including the internet. The network currently has 73 organisational members and 47 associates active in 74 countries, primarily in the Global South.
In its response APC welcomes the preliminary strategic framework and considers it a solid foundation for the work of the mandate over the next three years. The organisation notes that the framework links violence, digital ecosystems, intersectionality and civic spaces, and proposes three additional dimensions: (i) freedom of expression is intertwined with other rights such as privacy, freedom of association, peaceful assembly, freedom of religion and access to information, including meaningful internet access; (ii) the conditions that enable expression are unequal; and (iii) expression is exercised both collectively and individually.
APC highlights several issues that it says are not sufficiently reflected in the draft framework. It calls for explicit treatment of internet shutdowns, throttling and platform blocking, which the organisation says are routine government responses to dissent, protests, elections and conflicts. APC urges the mandate to integrate encryption, pseudonymisation and anonymity as essential tools for the full exercise of the right to freedom of expression, particularly for groups at risk. The submission also recommends monitoring the implementation of cybercrime, defamation and disinformation laws, and expanding analysis of platform governance beyond content moderation to include platform design, algorithmic amplification, the economics of attention and corporate human‑rights due‑diligence from a gender perspective.
The submission identifies three priority challenges for the mandate: technology‑facilitated violence and disinformation used to silence dissent; digital repression through combined legal, technological and coercive measures; and unequal participation in decision‑making together with concentration over communications infrastructure. APC notes that women, LGBTQIA+ people, women human‑rights defenders, Indigenous peoples, environmental defenders, journalists and other marginalised groups face disproportionate barriers to exercising the right to freedom of opinion and expression.
To maximise impact over the next three years APC proposes a joint agenda with related UN mandates, including those on assembly and association, defenders, privacy, violence against women and girls, sexual orientation and gender identity and the right to a healthy environment. The organisation suggests that the mandate call on states to carry out human‑rights and gender impact assessments before adopting digital‑governance, cybersecurity or cybercrime laws, and to review them periodically with affected communities. APC also recommends systematic monitoring of national implementation of the UN Cybercrime Convention and the use of the Internet Governance Forum as a channel for civil‑society engagement.
APC flags emerging risks that could affect freedom of opinion and expression. It says AI can act as a multiplier of existing harms, enabling more sophisticated technology‑facilitated gender‑based violence, AI‑generated disinformation and AI‑enabled surveillance. The submission also points to weaponised and extractive technologies, such as surveillance, communication blackouts and AI‑driven targeting of journalists and defenders, as well as digital land registries that can render traditional communities invisible. APC warns of pressures on UN human‑rights mechanisms and civil society, noting that sanctions on special rapporteurs and decreasing funding for civil‑society organisations, particularly in the Global South, undermine participation in global fora.
Finally, APC recommends measures to ensure inclusive participation. It suggests complementing written inputs with regional and informal engagement through online and hybrid events, proactive outreach to women, LGBTQIA+ people, youth, Indigenous and environmental defenders, and clear communication of progress. The organisation also proposes publishing work‑plans and summaries of reports in multiple languages.
Source: https://www.apc.org/sites/default/files/apc-submission-to-vision-setting-report_final.pdf
