Global Partners Digital

This week, GPD submitted our response to the UK Department of Science, Technology and Industry (DSIT) consultation: 𝘎𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘱 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 Our response calls on the government to prioritise platform design obligations over access-based restrictions as the primary mechanism for keeping children safe online. A higher minimum age for social media would not eliminate the harms children face online, including exposure to harmful algorithmic content, manipulative design, and commercial exploitation of their data. 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐬 𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐝, 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐛𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬. We also highlight the privacy, security, and human rights risks associated with large-scale age verification measures, and call for essential privacy-preserving tools such as end-to-end encryption and VPNs to be exempt from access-based restrictions. Follow the link below to read our latest news article and explore our full submission to the DSIT consultation. 👇 https://lnkd.in/epQGBfha #OnlineSafety #DigitalRights #Privacy #Encryption #ChildrensRights #InternetGovernance #TechPolicy #HumanRightsOnline

𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐡, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐥𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐥 𝐃𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐑𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐂𝐨𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 (𝐆𝐃𝐑𝐂) 𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐝 𝐚 𝐣𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭 𝐬𝐮𝐛𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐆𝐥𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐥 𝐃𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐮𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐀𝐈 𝐆𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞. Co-authored by GPD alongside other coalition member organisations, the submission welcomes ongoing efforts to establish the first Global Dialogue on AI Governance. To ensure its success, the coalition calls for the Dialogue to adopt a targeted agenda grounded in international law, including international human rights law. The submission also stresses the importance of a truly multistakeholder approach, both in the functioning of the Dialogue and its outcomes, alongside stronger coordination and coherence across AI governance processes, including close integration with existing UN initiatives. These foundations will be essential to ensuring the Dialogue is effective, credible and impactful. Read the joint submission here 👇 https://lnkd.in/e8wbp6YD Access Now, Association for Progressive Communications, ARTICLE 19, Center for Communication Governance (CCG), CyberPeace Institute, Data Privacy Brasil, Derechos Digitales, Digital Rights Foundation, DW Akademie, the European Center for Not-for-Profit Law (ECNL), @Fact Check West Africa, Fundación Multitudes, Global Forum for Media Development (GFMD), Global Network Initiative, the International Center for Not-for-Profit Law (ICNL), ICT Watch - Indonesia (Internet Sehat), Media Foundation for West Africa(MFWA), Paradigm Initiative, Research ICT Africa, STOPAIDS, Tech Global Institute, WACC, Weiba Foundation and WITNESS.

📢 𝐆𝐏𝐃'𝐬 𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐃𝐢𝐠𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐮𝐭: 𝑨𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝑳𝒖𝒔𝒂𝒌𝒂: 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒑𝒂𝒄𝒆𝒔 𝒔𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒅𝒊𝒈𝒊𝒕𝒂𝒍 𝒈𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒏𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒏𝒐𝒘 As digital governance shifts from agenda-setting to implementation, debates around participation, accountability and multistakeholder cooperation are becoming increasingly important. In this month’s Digest, we explore: ➡️ What the cancellation of RightsCon 2026 means for independent digital governance spaces ➡️ The IGF’s next phase following recent UN discussions on its future ➡️ The launch of the UN Global Mechanism on ICT security and ongoing debates around stakeholder participation ➡️ Efforts to shape the Global Dialogue on AI Governance before structures harden ➡️ The Freedom Online Coalition at 15 and the future of rights-respecting digital cooperation ➡️ New practical resources from GPD, including work on DPI, multistakeholder engagement and human rights due diligence Read the full Digest here 👇 https://lnkd.in/e8T82FqR

In the context of a current UK government consultation and recent parliamentary debates over gate-gating, GPD joins 19 other digital rights groups and technology providers calling on UK policymakers to address the root causes of online harm, rather than restricting rights and undermining the open web. Age verification mandates "risk turning the web into a patchwork of age-gated jurisdictions, undermining free expression and access to information, rather than a global resource accessible by all." Together, we call on policymakers to pursue solutions which hold companies accountable for providing safer online spaces in a proactive way, ensuring that measures to keep users safe are proportional and effective in enabling them to exercise all human rights online. Read our joint submission here: https://lnkd.in/eVyk7CCX Big Brother Watch Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) ExpressVPN Index on Censorship Internet Society IPVanish VPN Mozilla Mullvad VPN NO2ID Open Rights Group Proton Stop Killing Games The Tor Project Tuta VPN Trust Initiative

𝗦𝗮𝗳𝗲𝗴𝘂𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗗𝗶𝗮𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘂𝗲: 𝗢𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗥𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀𝗖𝗼𝗻 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 We stand alongside others in expressing our disappointment and concern regarding the cancellation of RightsCon 2026 in Lusaka, which represents a significant loss for the digital rights community. Our thoughts at GPD are with the organisers and participants from around the world who had carefully planned an agenda of critical discussions for digital governance. Organisations invested scarce financial and human resources to attend and contribute, at a time when funding is increasingly constrained and the work of human rights defenders is under pressure. This also creates financial losses for participants, the organisers, and the local economy. This is a painful reminder of the limited number of genuinely open spaces for digital governance discussions, in a time of increasing restrictions on civic space. It also highlights the risks of approaches that condition independent convenings on pre-defined or negotiated agendas, rather than enabling open, multistakeholder  dialogue grounded in the universal recognition of human rights. Ensuring that such spaces can operate with sufficient openness and independence remains critical. The RightsCon cancellation also means the loss of an important opportunity to host a major digital rights conference in Southern Africa, a region that remains underrepresented in global digital governance discussions. The opportunity to hear from local advocates, forge connections within the region and beyond, and enable participation from those facing barriers to other global events was immense. This is a serious loss. At the same time, the response from the community to sustain key discussions through virtual and other formats is encouraging. Looking ahead, it will be important to carry forward the conversations that were planned in Lusaka – through both independent convenings and multilateral processes, including those anchored in the UN, that remain committed to meaningful multistakeholder dialogue. How these spaces are supported and sustained will matter as much as the conversations they host.

We’re heading to RightsCon 2026! The Global Partners Digital team is looking forward to connecting with friends, partners, and the wider digital rights community. We’ll be contributing to a range of sessions across the programme - swipe through to see where you can find us. From shaping rights-respecting digital development, to strengthening civil society coalitions, advancing human rights in cybersecurity, and defending encryption, our sessions reflect some of the most pressing challenges in digital governance today. 📍 Turning policy into practice: A Next-Gen human rights due diligence tool for digital programming (Room 3 | May 6 | 8-9am BST) 📍 Stronger together—or stuck together? Rethinking civil society coalitions for a new digital era (Room A105 | May 6, 2026 | 1-2pm BST) 📍 Rebooting rights in the new UN Global Mechanism for Cybersecurity: Opportunities and challenges (Virtual | May 8, 2026 | 12:45 - 1: 45 BST) 📍 Getting the UN Cybercrime Convention Right(s respecting) (Room A114 | May 8, 2026, 11:30 -12:30 BST) 📍 The anti-encryption effect? Standing up to encryption threats in Africa and beyond (Room 5 | May, 8 2026 | 8-9am BST) If you’re attending, we’d love to see you there - come say hello and join the conversation. More information on each session to follow! #RightsCon2026 #DigitalRights #InternetGovernance #Cybersecurity #Encryption #HumanRights

Last week GPD submitted a joint contribution to the ongoing consultation of the Global Dialogue on AI Governance, alongside Fundación Karisma, InternetLab - human rights and internet policy think tank, Media Foundation for West Africa(MFWA), Paradigm Initiative and R3D: Red en Defensa de los Derechos Digitales. The submission sets out a focused roadmap to ensure the Dialogue is both effective and consequential, grounded in clarity of purpose and tangible outcomes, rather than ambition alone. At its core is the Dialogue’s potential to bring governments, civil society, and industry together to drive political momentum at the highest levels. But this will only be realised if it prioritises direct, meaningful exchange across stakeholders - not one-way speech delivery formats. To avoid becoming another diffuse forum, the submission calls for a tightly defined agenda built around areas where consensus is already emerging. It identifies three key priorities: • Defining “red lines” for unacceptable AI uses • Establishing clear standards for human oversight • Developing robust frameworks for human rights due diligence across the AI lifecycle Our submission also warns that current regulatory gaps have enabled harmful applications, from mass surveillance to discriminatory automated decision-making—and stresses that without stronger safeguards, including ongoing risk assessments, transparency requirements, and access to remedy, these harms will continue to grow. Beyond immediate risks, the submission highlights areas needing greater attention to build consensus - particularly the environmental footprint of AI infrastructure and labour conditions across global AI supply chains. Ultimately, the Dialogue’s credibility will hinge on an inclusive, multistakeholder approach and stronger coordination. By meaningfully engaging underrepresented communities and building on existing initiatives, it can contribute to a more coherent and accountable global approach to AI governance. Read the joint submission here: https://lnkd.in/evg_UmNa

From negotiation to implementation: will consensus drive progress - or stall it? The latest blog from GPD reflects on the first Organizational Session of the UN’s Global Mechanism on ICTs in the Context of International Security, marking a shift from years of OEWG negotiations to operationalisation. While many states expressed support for inclusivity and meaningful stakeholder engagement, familiar tensions resurfaced, particularly around consensus-based decision-making and how participation will work in practice. As the Mechanism moves forward, these early deliberations offer an important insight into whether it can function as a meaningful space for discussion and action, while supporting inclusive and rights-respecting engagement in practice. Read the full analysis here: https://lnkd.in/ekhHrMrD #CyberSecurity #DigitalGovernance #UN #Multilateralism #HumanRights

Mapping the evolving AI governance landscape Three years ago, GPD mapped the emerging global forums shaping AI governance. Since then, the landscape has shifted significantly. Processes that once seemed exploratory are now influencing norms and policy debates. New initiatives from AI safety dialogues to standardisation efforts, have added further complexity, while others have merged, evolved, or lost momentum. To help civil society and stakeholders navigate this fast-changing space, we’ve updated our AI governance mapping, highlighting the key international processes shaping global AI governance today. You can explore the updated mapping here: https://lnkd.in/egJ7wAXn #AIGovernance #TechPolicy #DigitalRights #AI

 📢 GPD's latest Digest is out. Global debates on digital governance continue to evolve rapidly - but where is meaningful progress most likely to happen? In this Digest we explore several developments shaping the current landscape: ➡️ After the India AI Impact Summit: What did the first major AI summit hosted in the Global South contribute to global AI governance debates - and what priorities could realistically move forward next? ➡️ Mapping the AI governance ecosystem: We’ve updated our overview of the international forums, initiatives and processes shaping AI governance as the landscape becomes increasingly complex. ➡️ Platform data access and the EU’s Digital Services Act: Our new analysis examines whether Article 40’s research access framework will truly enable global scrutiny of platforms - or risk excluding researchers from the Global Majority. ➡️ WSIS+20 and the path to implementation: As the review process concludes, attention turns to how commitments on digital cooperation can be translated into practice. Click on the link to read the full digest: https://lnkd.in/erxpD537