News & Updates

News & updates

Stay up to date with Access Now’s latest news, analysis, reports, events, community resources, and more. For a weekly digest in your inbox, subscribe to the Access Now Express, or scroll down to see the latest.

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Digital Security
Digital SecurityPostEastern Europe & Central AsiaEnglish

Russia used Cellebrite tool to jail activist after company claimed to have ended contract

25 Jun 2026

A Citizen Lab investigation confirms evidence Russian authorities used Cellebrite tool to hack prominent Russian activist Andrey Pivovarov after the Cellebrite claimed to have ceased sales to Russia.

Post
Russia used Cellebrite tool to jail activist after company claimed to have ended contract
25 Jun 2026
Russia used Cellebrite tool to jail activist after company claimed to have ended contract
Mapa en pixeles de latino américa con líneas que simulan chips tecnológicos
Artificial Intelligence
Artificial IntelligencePostLatin AmericaSpanish

La receta para una inteligencia artificial con sabor latinoamericano

18 Jun 2026

El lanzamiento de LatamGPT, un sistema de procesamiento de lenguaje natural hecho por y para América Latina nos lleva a analizar dónde estamos y qué pasos debemos priorizar en esta región en cuanto a innovación técnica.

Post
La receta para una inteligencia artificial con sabor latinoamericano
18 Jun 2026
La receta para una inteligencia artificial con sabor latinoamericano
microsoft
Data Protection
Data ProtectionPress ReleaseMiddle East & North AfricaEnglish

Surveilled, targeted, and now hacked: WFP must protect Palestinians in Gaza after massive data breach

17 Jun 2026

We, the undersigned civil society organizations, condemn in the strongest possible terms the cyberattack on the World Food Programme (WFP) that took place on May 14, 2026, exposing the personal data of 600,000 Palestinian households in Gaza.

Press Release
Surveilled, targeted, and now hacked: WFP must protect Palestinians in Gaza after massive data breach
17 Jun 2026
Surveilled, targeted, and now hacked: WFP must protect Palestinians in Gaza after massive data breach
AI Action Summit
Artificial Intelligence
Artificial IntelligencePress ReleaseGlobal

AI-accelerated warfare must stop

15 Jun 2026

As AI-accelerated warfare is rapidly becoming a means of rubber-stamping killing at unprecedented speed and scale, Access Now, Amnesty International, and more than 200 civil society organizations and individuals are calling attention to the militarization of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies and for an immediate halt to the use of AI systems in the military kill chain.

Press Release
AI-accelerated warfare must stop
15 Jun 2026
AI-accelerated warfare must stop
AI Action Summit
Artificial Intelligence
Artificial IntelligencePress ReleaseGlobalEnglish

Joint statement on AI in warfare

15 Jun 2026

We, the undersigned organizations and individuals, are deeply alarmed by the rapid militarization of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. AI systems embedded into military kill chains are accelerating the speed and scale of military assaults in a manner that creates significant new risks for accountability in conflict and risks facilitating violations of international criminal, human rights, and humanitarian law.

Press Release
Joint statement on AI in warfare
15 Jun 2026
Joint statement on AI in warfare
NSO
Surveillance
SurveillancePress ReleaseNorth America

Access Now urges the Ninth Circuit to protect encryption from NSO’s spyware

21 May 2026

Yesterday, Access Now and ten other civil society organizations filed an amicus brief in the U.S.’ Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals calling to protect encryption from NSO Group’s Pegasus spyware and to keep the lower court’s permanent injunction forbidding NSO from ever targeting WhatsApp or its customers’ devices ever again.

Press Release
Access Now urges the Ninth Circuit to protect encryption from NSO’s spyware
21 May 2026
Access Now urges the Ninth Circuit to protect encryption from NSO’s spyware
Palestinian Authority
Freedom of Expression
Freedom of ExpressionPress ReleaseMiddle East & North AfricaEnglish

Meta blocks human rights accounts from reaching audiences in Saudi Arabia and the UAE

20 May 2026
Press Release
Meta blocks human rights accounts from reaching audiences in Saudi Arabia and the UAE
20 May 2026
Meta blocks human rights accounts from reaching audiences in Saudi Arabia and the UAE
brightly coloured image of fists and signs
Content Governance
Content GovernancePress ReleaseMiddle East & North Africa

Criminalizing truth: Gulf governments must end the crackdown on information

20 May 2026
Press Release
Criminalizing truth: Gulf governments must end the crackdown on information
20 May 2026
Criminalizing truth: Gulf governments must end the crackdown on information
microsoft
Transparency
TransparencyPress ReleaseMiddle East & North AfricaEnglish

Microsoft: it’s time to come clean about your ties to the Israeli military

18 May 2026

Through a new joint letter, we’re calling on Microsoft to publish the findings of its review into the Israeli military’s use of the company services.

Press Release
Microsoft: it’s time to come clean about your ties to the Israeli military
18 May 2026
Microsoft: it’s time to come clean about your ties to the Israeli military
microsoft
Transparency
TransparencyPress ReleaseMiddle East & North AfricaEnglish

Joint letter to Microsoft regarding Israeli military use of Azure cloud and AI services

18 May 2026

A follow up to our open letter regarding Microsoft’s formal review of recent allegations about Israel’s usage of Azure cloud for the surveillance and targeting of Palestinians.

Press Release
Joint letter to Microsoft regarding Israeli military use of Azure cloud and AI services
18 May 2026
Joint letter to Microsoft regarding Israeli military use of Azure cloud and AI services
Access Now theme-1340x360
Digital Rights
Digital RightsPublication

Submission on amendments to the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 (“IT Rules, 2021”)

7 May 2026
Publication
Submission on amendments to the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 (“IT Rules, 2021”)
7 May 2026
Submission on amendments to the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 (“IT Rules, 2021”)
PostGlobalEnglish

Stay informed: Get Access Now updates

1 May 2026

Here’s where you can subscribe to the Access Now Express newsletter and action alerts.

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Stay informed: Get Access Now updates
1 May 2026
Stay informed: Get Access Now updates
Protección de datos en Latam
Data Protection
Data ProtectionPublicationBrazilSpanish

Mi Privacidad es mi Voto: Fortaleciendo la integridad informativa en América Latina

28 Apr 2026
Publication
Mi Privacidad es mi Voto: Fortaleciendo la integridad informativa en América Latina
28 Apr 2026
Mi Privacidad es mi Voto: Fortaleciendo la integridad informativa en América Latina
RightsCon 26 Zambia. May 5 - 8, 2026.
Post

Join us for RightsCon 2026 in Lusaka, Zambia!

22 Apr 2026
Post
Join us for RightsCon 2026 in Lusaka, Zambia!
22 Apr 2026
Join us for RightsCon 2026 in Lusaka, Zambia!
Cybersecurity
CybersecurityPostEgyptArabic

التجسس لقمع المعارضة: هجمة تصيّد إلكتروني مأجورة تستهدف المجتمع المدني في منطقة الشرق الأوسط وشمال أفريقيا

22 Apr 2026

كشف تحقيق جديد أجراه فريق خط المساعدة للأمن الرقمي التابع لمنظمة أكسس ناو عن هجمة تصيّد إلكتروني مأجورة، استهدفت اثنين من الصحفيين المصريين البارزين والمعارضين .للحكومة

Post
التجسس لقمع المعارضة: هجمة تصيّد إلكتروني مأجورة تستهدف المجتمع المدني في منطقة الشرق الأوسط وشمال أفريقيا
22 Apr 2026
التجسس لقمع المعارضة: هجمة تصيّد إلكتروني مأجورة تستهدف المجتمع المدني في منطقة الشرق الأوسط وشمال أفريقيا
NSO
Surveillance
SurveillancePublicationAzerbaijanEnglish

Amicus Brief to the European Court of Human Rights on spyware and surveillance in Azerbaijan

21 Apr 2026
Publication
Amicus Brief to the European Court of Human Rights on spyware and surveillance in Azerbaijan
21 Apr 2026
Amicus Brief to the European Court of Human Rights on spyware and surveillance in Azerbaijan
Africa Digital Safety Tips
Freedom of Expression
Freedom of ExpressionPress ReleaseAfricaEnglish

Stop political scapegoating: Ghanaian MPs must reject dangerous anti-LGBTQ+ bill

13 Apr 2026

Access Now and Rightify Ghana have urged the government of Ghana to put human rights first and reject the repressive Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, 2025.

Press Release
Stop political scapegoating: Ghanaian MPs must reject dangerous anti-LGBTQ+ bill
13 Apr 2026
Stop political scapegoating: Ghanaian MPs must reject dangerous anti-LGBTQ+ bill
Espionage for repression: forensic analysis of a cross-border hack-for-hire campaign targeting civil society in MENA
Cybersecurity
CybersecurityPublicationEgyptEnglish

Espionage for repression: hack-for-hire phishing campaign targets civil society in MENA

8 Apr 2026

A new investigation by Access Now’s Digital Security Helpline has exposed a hack-for-hire campaign targeting two prominent Egyptian journalists and government critics, Mostafa Al-A’sar and Ahmed Eltantawy, through a series of spear-phishing attacks.

Publication
Espionage for repression: hack-for-hire phishing campaign targets civil society in MENA
8 Apr 2026
Espionage for repression: hack-for-hire phishing campaign targets civil society in MENA
Espionage for repression: forensic analysis of a cross-border hack-for-hire campaign targeting civil society in MENA
Digital Security
Digital SecurityPostEgyptEnglish

Espionage for repression: hack-for-hire phishing campaign targets civil society in MENA

8 Apr 2026

A new investigation by Access Now’s Digital Security Helpline has exposed a hack-for-hire campaign targeting two prominent Egyptian journalists and government critics.

Post
Espionage for repression: hack-for-hire phishing campaign targets civil society in MENA
8 Apr 2026
Espionage for repression: hack-for-hire phishing campaign targets civil society in MENA
Espionage for repression: forensic analysis of a cross-border hack-for-hire campaign targeting civil society in MENA
Surveillance
SurveillancePress ReleaseEgyptEnglish

Hack-for-hire: new report investigates hacking campaign against Egyptian journalists

8 Apr 2026

A new report  by Access Now’s Digital Security Helpline, Espionage for repression: forensic analysis of a cross-border hack-for-hire campaign targeting civil society in MENA, exposes a hack-for-hire campaign targeting two prominent Egyptian journalists and government critics, Mostafa Al-A’sar and Ahmed Eltantawy, through a series of spear-phishing attacks. 

Press Release
Hack-for-hire: new report investigates hacking campaign against Egyptian journalists
8 Apr 2026
Hack-for-hire: new report investigates hacking campaign against Egyptian journalists

Access Now in the news

NSO
Surveillance

Russia Used Cellebrite Technology in Case Against Activist, Report Says

25 Jun 2026
News
Russia Used Cellebrite Technology in Case Against Activist, Report Says
Bloomberg ↗
25 Jun 2026
Russia Used Cellebrite Technology in Case Against Activist, Report Says
NSO
Surveillance

Cellebrite said it cut off Russia, but Russia used is tools anyway

25 Jun 2026
News
Cellebrite said it cut off Russia, but Russia used is tools anyway
Tech Crunch ↗
25 Jun 2026
Cellebrite said it cut off Russia, but Russia used is tools anyway
NSO
Surveillance

Russia used Cellebrite phone-hacking tool to crack down on dissident after firm cut off country

25 Jun 2026
News
Russia used Cellebrite phone-hacking tool to crack down on dissident after firm cut off country
The Record ↗
25 Jun 2026
Russia used Cellebrite phone-hacking tool to crack down on dissident after firm cut off country
NSO
Surveillance

Russia hacked a dissident’s iPhone with banned Israeli tech, records show

25 Jun 2026
News
Russia hacked a dissident’s iPhone with banned Israeli tech, records show
Forbes ↗
25 Jun 2026
Russia hacked a dissident’s iPhone with banned Israeli tech, records show
Image: AI's human rights impact
Artificial Intelligence

Computer says kill: how to say no w/ Matt Mahmoudi and Marwa Fatafta

23 Jun 2026
News
Computer says kill: how to say no w/ Matt Mahmoudi and Marwa Fatafta
The Maybe ↗
23 Jun 2026
Computer says kill: how to say no w/ Matt Mahmoudi and Marwa Fatafta
Data Protection

How Google Switzerland works for Israel

22 Jun 2026
News
How Google Switzerland works for Israel
Republik ↗
22 Jun 2026
How Google Switzerland works for Israel
Surveillance

Hidden spyware use in war may be more widespread than we realize

15 Jun 2026
News
Hidden spyware use in war may be more widespread than we realize
Tech Policy Press ↗
15 Jun 2026
Hidden spyware use in war may be more widespread than we realize
Access Now theme-1340x360

A statement to our community on why RightsCon 2026 is not taking place in Zambia

1 Jun 2026
News
A statement to our community on why RightsCon 2026 is not taking place in Zambia
RightsCon ↗
1 Jun 2026
A statement to our community on why RightsCon 2026 is not taking place in Zambia
KeepItOn Internet Shutdowns 2025
Internet Shutdowns

The Guardian view on the splinternet: where China led, Iran and others are eagerly following

1 Jun 2026
News
The Guardian view on the splinternet: where China led, Iran and others are eagerly following
The Guardian ↗
1 Jun 2026
The Guardian view on the splinternet: where China led, Iran and others are eagerly following
Spyware
Cybersecurity

Hackers are trying to steal Signal users’ backups in new wave of phishing attacks

29 May 2026
News
Hackers are trying to steal Signal users’ backups in new wave of phishing attacks
Tech Crunch ↗
29 May 2026
Hackers are trying to steal Signal users’ backups in new wave of phishing attacks
Palestine Israel Digital Ceasefire; Gaza’s internet
Content Governance

Palestinians risked their lives to document Gaza, then came the algorithm

21 May 2026
News
Palestinians risked their lives to document Gaza, then came the algorithm
WIRED ↗
21 May 2026
Palestinians risked their lives to document Gaza, then came the algorithm
NSO
Surveillance

What we know about how the U.S. government uses spyware (and what we don’t)

21 May 2026
News
What we know about how the U.S. government uses spyware (and what we don’t)
NPR ↗
21 May 2026
What we know about how the U.S. government uses spyware (and what we don’t)
Internet shutdowns typology of harm socials
Internet Shutdowns

هل يصبح قطع الإنترنت جريمة ضد الإنسانية؟

17 May 2026
News
هل يصبح قطع الإنترنت جريمة ضد الإنسانية؟
Al-Araby Al-Jadeed ↗
17 May 2026
هل يصبح قطع الإنترنت جريمة ضد الإنسانية؟
KeepItOn Internet Shutdowns 2025
Internet Shutdowns

‘Blatant disregard for rights’: concern grows over Gabon’s social media clampdown

13 May 2026
News
‘Blatant disregard for rights’: concern grows over Gabon’s social media clampdown
The Guardian ↗
13 May 2026
‘Blatant disregard for rights’: concern grows over Gabon’s social media clampdown
Green background with bitmap graphic depicting artificial intelligence icons and words.
Artificial Intelligence

Google le da la mano a Bukele para experimentar con el sistema de salud salvadoreño

7 May 2026
News
Google le da la mano a Bukele para experimentar con el sistema de salud salvadoreño
WIRED ↗
7 May 2026
Google le da la mano a Bukele para experimentar con el sistema de salud salvadoreño
Internet shutdowns typology of harm socials
Internet Shutdowns

The clandestine network smuggling Starlink tech into Iran to beat internet blackout

2 May 2026
News
The clandestine network smuggling Starlink tech into Iran to beat internet blackout
BBC ↗
2 May 2026
The clandestine network smuggling Starlink tech into Iran to beat internet blackout

Events

Join us at an upcoming event hosted by Access Now or our partners, and reach out to connect with us in person or online.

An illustration of colored keyboard letters that spell Safe & Strong, Digital Security. With tech icons and elements.
Digital Security

Stronger together: digital security and resilience for LGBTQ+ people 

July 14 @ 9:00 am 10:00 am EDT

Join the next webinar organized by the Digital Security Helpline, to discuss key trends and strategies to keep at-risk actors safe online.

Event
Stronger together: digital security and resilience for LGBTQ+ people 

July 14 @ 9:00 am 10:00 am EDT

Stronger together: digital security and resilience for LGBTQ+ people 
Advancing Rights-Centered reporting on Nigeria’s Cybercrimes Act
Freedom of Expression

Advancing Rights-Centered reporting on Nigeria’s Cybercrimes Act

April 21 @ 1:00 pm 2:30 pm WAT

Event
Advancing Rights-Centered reporting on Nigeria’s Cybercrimes Act

April 21 @ 1:00 pm 2:30 pm WAT

Advancing Rights-Centered reporting on Nigeria’s Cybercrimes Act
Indian AI Impact Summit 2026
Artificial Intelligence

Access Now at India AI Impact Summit 2026

February 16 February 20 UTC+5.5

Event
Access Now at India AI Impact Summit 2026

February 16 February 20 UTC+5.5

Access Now at India AI Impact Summit 2026
FIFAfrica

Access Now at the 12th edition of CIPESA’s FIFAfrica

24 September 2025 @ 9:00 am 26 September 2025 @ 5:30 pm CAT

Event
Access Now at the 12th edition of CIPESA’s FIFAfrica

24 September 2025 @ 9:00 am 26 September 2025 @ 5:30 pm CAT

Access Now at the 12th edition of CIPESA’s FIFAfrica