thraets

A Civic Tech Research Lab Confronting Digital Threats to Democracies in the Global South.

[Oslo Freedom Forum (OFF) @OsloFF]

At the Oslo Freedom Forum, @jsrailton, senior researcher at The Citizen Lab, shows how open-weight AI, now only months behind the big closed models, can run inside encrypted enclaves or fully on a person's own device. This means activists can ask the questions regimes fear most — from nonviolent strategies to safe protest routes — and the regime sees nothing.

[thraets @thraets]

Thraets is at the Oslo Freedom Forum this week, where global leaders tackle authoritarianism and build tools for open societies. We believe accountability systems are essential for freedom. If you’re in Oslo, let’s connect.
@OsloFF #FreedomTech #HumanRightsMatter

[CIPESA @cipesaug]

For over a decade, we've documented Africa's digital rights landscape through the annual State of Internet Freedom in Africa reports. From the first edition in 2014 investigating policies in East Africa, to the 2025 report on AI and digital democracy.

These reports have shaped policy conversations across the continent, and each one has been launched at FIFAfrica ,the Forum on Internet Freedom in Africa.
Access past reports here:https://t.co/UUUH0aB5Ry

Now it's your turn to shape the conversation.
⏰ The Call for Proposals for #FIFAfrica26 closes on 29 May.

Submit your session ideas on digital democracy, data governance, AI, platform accountability, digital inclusion, and more here: https://t.co/RbBtTyF6gX

🗓️ #Mauritius | 28 September – 1 October 2026
#InternetFreedomAfrica #FIFAfrica26

[thraets @thraets]

It was meant to happen at RightsCon. Instead, some of us who were headed to Lusaka met in Kampala. Grateful to @PollicyOrg for bringing Uganda’s digital rights community together and reminding us that community matters as much as the work.

On to Data Tamasha Africa in Zanzibar!

[Pollicy @PollicyOrg]

Today we held space for a few partners, colleagues & friends who would have been at @rightscon this week.

We had honest conversations about the futures we want to build and how we actually show up for one another.

We can be each other's RightsCon. Drop each other's names in rooms. Cite each other's work. Show up to each other's launches.

To @accessnow, we see every bit of work that went into planning this. We stand with you in solidarity.

The work continues.

[CIPESA @cipesaug]

Since its inception in 2014, FIFAfrica has been the heartbeat of internet freedom advocacy across Africa. A space where activists, technologists, journalists, policymakers, and communities come together to shape the future of the open internet on the continent.
What started as a conversation has grown into a movement.
#FIFAfrica26 will convene more than 500 participants from more than 60 countries in Mauritius from September 28 to October 1, 2026.
This promises to be the most powerful edition yet.
Please note the deadlines for call for proposals and travel support.
🗒️Register here:https://t.co/PwqRhYmpM9
#InternetFreedomAfrica

[thraets @thraets]

Rightscon may have been cancelled, however, the show must go on. Join us tomorrow for Splintercon Online. To register and participate, click the link below.
https://t.co/RRV6hjDiA1

[Digital Agenda Forum @DigitalAgendaT]

In the April 2026 Newsletter
1. Data is no longer just an asset; it is now a weapon and a battlefield.
2. Uganda’s bold Sovereignty Bill: Is sovereignty still real in a deeply interconnected digital system?
3.🔞 Is age verification in Operating Systems and Social media really about child safety or something else?
4.🆔 The quiet rebranding of Digital ID, and what is not being said.
⚠️ The centralisation paradox: why massive data breaches are not slowing down centralisation policies.
- If you care about sovereignty, surveillance, and the future of digital rights, this one is for you.
---At https://t.co/6o55hUi80P
or https://t.co/20epnYsGmy

#DigitalID #DigitalAgenda #DataSovereignty #DigitalRights

[Center for the Study of Organized Hate (CSOH) @csohate]

Despite RightsCon’s cancellation, our panel goes ahead on May 7.

@rightscon 2026 has been cancelled after the Zambian government blocked the conference days before it was set to begin.

We stand in solidarity with organizers, speakers, and attendees affected by this decision.

Our panel discussion, originally planned for RightsCon, will go ahead virtually on May 7 as planned. Some conversations can’t be postponed.

Register here: https://t.co/q3RsroSQc1

[thraets @thraets]

Happy Labour Day!

[ARTICLE 19 @article19org]

ARTICLE 19 condemns the Zambian authorities’ cancellation of RightsCon 2026, raising serious concerns for free expression and freedom of assembly.

Zambia must demonstrate its commitments and uphold the rights of civil society, journalists & partners.

https://t.co/iW8G6fkRGN

[Internet Society @internetsociety]

To our community—we want to hear from you!

The Internet Governance Forum (IGF) is the world’s primary multistakeholder platform for dialogue on Internet governance. We would like to see it evolve and have even more impact.

To help inform our thinking and facilitate community discussions, we invite your input on how to make the most of the IGF. Contribute to our consultation by 11 May ⬇️ https://t.co/dc8hsuRfvF

[Unwanted Witness @UnwantedWitness]

We've been 𝒘𝒂𝒕𝒄𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈. We've been 𝒅𝒐𝒄𝒖𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈. Now we're ready to 𝒕𝒂𝒍𝒌.

The 𝑫𝒂𝒕𝒂 𝑷𝒓𝒐𝒕𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝑬𝒍𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝑾𝒂𝒕𝒄𝒉 𝑹𝒆𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕 on 𝑼𝒈𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒂'𝒔 2026 𝑮𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒍 𝑬𝒍𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 is officially out.

Your data. Your vote. Your right

[NBS Television @nbstv]

We have never had a CEDAW general recommendation on technology or artificial intelligence. However, we are seeing violations happening online, and rules continue to be lacking. So now we are starting to work on one.

H.E. Dr. Brenda Akia

#NBSUpdates #JSCConversations

[thraets @thraets]

#RightsCon 2026 has been cancelled, which is a serious setback for global digital rights engagement. Thraets had planned to be there to exhibit.

We stand in solidarity with @accessnow and the broader digital rights community in defending open civic space and internet freedom.

[RightsCon @rightscon]

It is with heavy hearts that we share: RightsCon will not proceed in Zambia or online.

[thraets @thraets]

As elections become more digital and the internet more fragmented, the stakes are shifting. Our Researcher @Mablees will explore the balance between protection and control, and what digital sovereignty could mean for the future of elections across Africa.
#Splintercon #Rightscon

[RightsCon @rightscon]

Join Luminate and The Maybe on day 3 of #RightsCon2026 for a live Computer Says Maybe session.

A sharp conversation on power, equity, and what today’s tech frameworks get right and wrong.

Register for RightsCon and explore the full program. https://t.co/QIaxiA52Cc

[thraets @thraets]

Join the #Splintercon Day Zero Satellite event on the 5th of May, where our researcher will be speaking on the effect of the Splintercin on election integrity.

[RightsCon @rightscon]

Join @eQualitie's #SplinterCon, a 0-day satellite event at #RightsCon2026.

RightsCon registration required.

Find this event and more in our expanded programming: https://t.co/XRPcujA2zz

[thraets @thraets]

The pattern is not random. Kilimani. Westlands. Riverside Drive. The same neighbourhoods. The same black unmarked Toyotas. The same plain-clothes operatives. The same impunity.

11 governments. 28 years. No accountability.

https://t.co/fYQSdWnT27