Regulators worldwide have been pushing client-side scanning (CSS) as a way to examine encrypted communications. But this system still undermines people’s privacy and security by circumventing end-to-end encryption, as we explain.

As we mark the IDAHOBIT 2025, we highlight research on Uganda’s anti-LGBTQ+ laws and show how they can lead to digital entrapment and human rights violations.

Access Now joins the American Coalition for Syria, and over 160 civil society organizations in urging the U.S. government to expand sanctions relief in Syria.

As 2025 gets underway, Access Now’s new Executive Director, Alejandro Mayoral Baños, PhD, shares his reflections on the “black snakes” threatening the digital rights movement.

Colonial-era laws and a global anti-rights movement are fueling LGBTQ+ repression across Africa. Access Now documented 214 threats on platforms like TikTok, X, Facebook, YouTube, and WhatsApp, underscoring widespread risks.

Governments across the Arab region already use cybercrime laws to violate human rights, and the UN cybercrime convention risks making this even easier.

Read Access Now’s recommendations for lawmakers to ensure digital public infrastructure protects human rights.