| RightsCon | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | digital rights; human rights |
| Frequency | Annual |
| Years active | 14 |
| Inaugurated | October 2011 (2011-10) (as Silicon Valley Human Rights Conference) |
Most recent | February 24, 2025 (2025-02-24) |
Next event | May 5–8, 2026 (cancelled) |
| Attendance | >5,000 (2025) |
| Area | International (154 countries in 2025) |
| Organised by | Access Now |
| Website | www |
RightsCon is an annual conference on digital rights hosted by Access Now.1 It convenes international leaders and organizations to discuss global problems including internet censorship, the regulation of algorithms, electronic surveillance, the ethics of technology, online hate speech, content moderation, cyberwarfare, and more.
History
The conference was first convened by Access (today, Access Now) in Silicon Valley in 2011, with the intention of gathering civil society to discuss impacts of the growing tech industry on digital rights and human rights. It sought the participation of leaders from both industry (including companies such as Twitter, Google, Mozilla, and Comcast) and civil society organizations (such as the Electronic Frontier Foundation and New America).23 Keynote speakers included the then-Assistant Secretary of State, Michael Posner; Egyptian blogger and political prisoner, Alaa Abd El-Fattah; and then-director of public policy at Google, Bob Boorstin.3
RightsCon organizers have sought to ensure the event is accessible to attendees from across the globe, particularly global majority countries, informing the decision to hold the conference in Asia,4 the Middle East,5 and Latin America.6
Online convenings
In 2020, RightsCon was to be held in San José, Costa Rica, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the meeting took place in an online format.7 In 2021, the 10th edition of RightsCon was again held online from Monday, June 7 to Friday, June 11, 2021, due to the continued global COVID-19 pandemic which altered several digital rights physical meetings.89 The topics for RightsCon2021 included: Artificial Intelligence (AI), automation, data protection and user control, digital futures, democracy, elections, new business models, content control, peacebuilding, censorship, internet shutdowns, freedom of the media and many others were discussed by several digital rights organizations and individuals.8
2026 cancellation
The 14th RightsCon was scheduled to be held in Lusaka, Zambia from May 5 to 8, 2026.10 On April 29, 2026, the Zambian government abruptly postponed the conference, writing in a statement that the postponement was "necessitated by the need for comprehensive disclosure […] relating to key thematic issues proposed for discussion during the Summit."10
In May 2026, the conference was cancelled due to pressure from the Chinese government.1112 In a statement the same day, Access Now wrote that it was "told that diplomats from the People's Republic of China (PRC) were putting pressure on the Government of Zambia because Taiwanese civil society participants were planning to join us in person."1314
List of conferences
Past RightsCon conferences include:
| Year | Location | Date | Reported participants | Participating countries | Website |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Lusaka | May 5-8 | Cancelled | Website | |
| 2025 | Taipei | February 24–27 | 5,600+ | 154 | Website |
| 2023 | San José, Costa Rica | June 5–9 | 8,300+ | 169 | Website |
| 2022 | Online | June 6–10 | 9,300+ | 162 | Website |
| 2021 | Online | June 7–11 | 9,200+ | 164 | Website |
| 2020 | Online | July 27–31 | 7,600+ | 158 | Website |
| 2019 | Tunis | June 11–14 | 2,750+ | 122 | Website |
| 2018 | Toronto | May 16–18 | 2,500+ | 118 | Website |
| 2017 | Brussels | March 29–31 | 1,500+ | 105 | Website |
| 2016 | Silicon Valley | March 30-April 1 | 1,100+ | 84 | Website |
| 2015 | Manila | March 24–25 | 650+ | 40 | Website |
| 2014 | Silicon Valley | March 3–5 | 700+ | 65 | Website |
| 2012 | Rio de Janeiro | May 31-June 1 | 400+ | 30 | Website |
| 2011 | Silicon Valley | October 25–26 | 400+ | Website | |
References
References
- "About RightsCon". RightsCon Summit Series. Retrieved 1 May 2026.
- York, Jillian C. (21 October 2011). "An EFF Guide to the Silicon Valley Human Rights Summit". Electronic Frontier Foundation. Retrieved 1 May 2026.
- "Silicon Valley Human Rights Conference". www.rightscon.org. Archived from the original on 26 October 2011. Retrieved 1 May 2026.
- "Announcing RightsCon Southeast Asia – EngageMedia". EngageMedia. April 2014. Retrieved 1 May 2026.
- Halila, Yassine (23 June 2019). "Meeting on digital human rights convenes in region for first time". The Arab Weekly. Retrieved 1 May 2026.
- Pennacchio, Katherine (21 June 2023). "Latin American journalists discuss current challenges and opportunities for the profession at RightsCon 2023". LatAm Journalism Review by the Knight Center. Retrieved 1 May 2026.
- "Home - RightsCon Summit Series". RightsCon Summit Series. Archived from the original on 2019-06-16. Retrieved 2019-06-16.
- "RightsCon 2021 | Digital Watch". dig.watch. Archived from the original on 2021-06-04. Retrieved 2021-06-04.
- "RIGHTSCON – WORLD'S LEADING SUMMIT ON HUMAN RIGHTS IN THE DIGITAL AGE". [BETA] Global Forum for Media Development (GFMD). Archived from the original on 2021-06-04. Retrieved 2021-06-04.
- "Zambia: Summit on Human Rights, Technology Effectively Canceled". Human Rights Watch. 2026-05-01. Retrieved 2026-05-01.
- Elliott, Vittoria. "The Chinese Government Just Got the World's Largest Digital Rights Conference Canceled". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028. Retrieved 2026-05-01.
- Imray, Gerald (2026-05-02). "Rights summit in Zambia is canceled after Chinese pressure to exclude Taiwanese activists". Associated Press. Retrieved 2026-05-02.
- Whelan, Igor Campos, Nikki Gladstone, Ben (2026-05-01). "A statement to our community about why RightsCon 2026 will not take place in Zambia". RightsCon Summit Series. Retrieved 2026-05-01.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - Chin, Jonathan (2026-05-02). "Beijing likely forced cancelation of rights event in Zambia, HRW says". Taipei Times. Retrieved 2026-05-01.