Deliberately forgotten: internet shutdowns with no end 

Of the 313 internet shutdowns that the #KeepItOn coalition documented in 2025, 75 persisted into 2026. Each year, the number of such ongoing shutdowns has steadily risen, as authorities seeking to control information flows, shore up power, or squash dissent cut people off indefinitely — regardless of the consequences for lives and livelihoods. Our new blog post documents what it’s like to be perpetually disconnected, and lays out a path for the international community to stop internet shutdowns from becoming permanent. READ NOW VIA ACCESS NOW

Building AI that works for humans

Openness in AI development: a path to long-term independence

Amid the ongoing discourse around how to govern and regulate AI in a space dominated by U.S. and China-based companies, many of us are asking which policies and practices will truly give people agency over AI, enabling us to shape the technology in a rights-respecting way. Our latest blog post explores the potential that openness in AI development has for creating technology that truly serves the public interest. READ NOW VIA ACCESS NOW

Open letter on centering human rights in AI governance

Access Now has joined a coalition of more than 80 civil society organizations, academics, and technologists in calling on governments, companies, and the UN to center human rights law in AI governance. This is essential to protect people from the harms that civil society has been warning about for years, from the exploitation of data workers and environmental impacts, to military uses of AI that breach international law. READ NOW VIA GNI

Ad-versarial spyware

Governments are hacking people with “zero-click” spyware by showing them online ads

New research from the Citizen Lab reveals that Discover-Tech, an Israeli company that presents itself as a legitimate advertising firm, has been helping spyware companies like Candiru (now “Integrity Labs”) and Bindecy target victims, including journalists at Al Jazeera, by exposing them to online ads packed with malicious code. This first-ever confirmation of zero-click mercenary spyware delivered via targeted ads shows how “any time we browse the internet or open an app, all the data on our device can be hacked by malicious actors without us even knowing,” warns Access Now’s Natalia Krapiva. READ NOW VIA TECHCRUNCH

Serbian prosecutor probing Trump Tower in Belgrade targeted with spyware

Last month, the SHARE Foundation, the Citizen Lab, and Amnesty International revealed that at least 14 Serbian activists and opposition politicians had been targeted with Pegasus spyware ahead of key elections. Now, further research has uncovered two additional victims: Professor Vladan Đokić, the rector of the University of Belgrade and a prominent supporter of the Serbian student movement, and Rade Bajić, the public prosecutor responsible for investigating alleged corruption surrounding a Trump real estate project in Belgrade. READ NOW VIA POLITICO

The battle for Brazil 

Battle over Meta’s alleged Bolsonaro bias intensifies days before Brazil presidential runoff

Ahead of this Sunday’s presidential runoff election in Brazil, the country’s electoral court has ordered Meta to prove it is treating the presidential candidates equally, and UN special rapporteurs are urging the tech company to safeguard political expression during the election. This comes after Amnesty International, CTRL+Z, and others raised concerns over Meta’s content moderation and data processing practices in the context of the elections. In case you missed it, here are Access Now’s recommendations for protecting personal data and combating misinformation during Latin American elections, including those in Brazil. READ NOW VIA THE GUARDIAN

When the war front expands 

Data centers have become war targets. The attacks signal a new front in global conflict.

This year has seen a wave of drones and missile attacks on data centers around the world, with NBC News documenting at least 27 such incidents in Iran, Ukraine, Russia, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates — reflecting an acceleration in the targeting of civilian digital infrastructure, which the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has emphasized should never be attacked during conflict. Access Now’s Giulio Coppi argues that it’s up to governments to step up and resist this trend: “We don’t want to live in a world where everything that is digital is a target.” READ NOW VIA NBC NEWS

RightsCon on the road 

The RightsCon team is heading to MozFest! 

Following the success of last month’s RightsCon Continues Summit, Access Now and the RightsCon team are heading to MozFest in Barcelona, Spain, taking place from October 28-30. If you’re joining us there, check out our #KeepItOn installation featuring stories from people who have experienced internet shutdowns in the last decade. You can also find us at sessions covering topics like digital security and AI and the challenges of convening under pressure. Bonus: we’ve now posted videos from the RightsCon Continues Summit’s opening and closing ceremonies — they’re worth the watch! READ NOW VIA ACCESS NOW

Opportunities and other highlights  

Access Now at Trust Conference

If you’ll be attending the Thomson Reuters Foundation’s Trust Conference in London, UK from November 4-5, don’t miss our co-executive director Arzu Geybulla speaking on the importance of cyber resilience for global civil society and independent media in a time of increasing attacks on civic space. READ NOW VIA TRUST CONFERENCE

ICYMI: “Stronger together: civil society and the private sector as partners in cybersecurity awareness”

Missed the most recent webinar in our Digital Security Helpline’s “Safe and Strong” series? Catch up on the session, which gathered representatives from tech platforms and civil society to explore the current cybersecurity landscape, or check out the rest of the series. WATCH NOW VIA ACCESS NOW