Repression no longer stops at borders. AI is helping states surveil, intimidate and silence dissidents, exiled journalists and diaspora communities worldwide—often invisibly. In a new piece in Tech Policy Press, Ana Sofia Harrison and Marlena Wisniak map the tools, the harms and the policy gaps.

🎙️ New #podcast by ECNL and TAI: Let’s rethink #resilience 💡 Hear from civil society leaders from Ukraine, Serbia, Kenya, Brazil and the global human rights field on what resilience means to them. 🎧 Listen here: open.spotify.com/episode/0eFN...

💡 Want to learn more about AI agents? 📽️ Check out this new video by #RefrAIme initiative on how they affect fundamental rights:

*1/3*🧵 Zambia's last-minute "postponement" of RightsCon is a de facto cancellation, a deliberate obstruction of a critical assembly for the global digital rights community. 🔗 ohchr.org/en/statements/2026/05/zambia-rightscon #Zambia #HumanRights #CivicSpace

⚠️ Across Europe, powerful actors are still using legal threats to silence journalists, activists and watchdogs. The EU has a law to stop these abuses - now governments need to include those protections in their national laws. ✍️ Sign this new #antiSLAPP campaign: action.wemove.eu/sign/2026-04...

🔴 GNI joins a chorus of individuals and organizations expressing shock and deep disappointment at the Government of Zambia’s unilateral decision to “postpone” #RightsCon2026. We are appalled by the timing of this decision & the manner in which it was made: globalnetworkinitiative.org/gni-condemns...

📽️ New video on how generative #AI affects your rights: www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5JA... If you want to dig deeper: 👉 Explore our paper on #LLM content moderation and its impact on human rights and civic space: ecnl.org/publications... 💻️ Check the #RefrAIme page: refraime.csd.eu/refraime-awa...

💡 Important new report on collective care in regions that are shaped by cycles of war, displacement, intensified repression, and severe funding constraints:

What will it take to create a multilingual and participatory #AI that works for everyone? @aliyabhatia.bsky.social, Jhalak M. Kakkar, Dhanaraj Thakur and ECNL's @marle.bsky.social explain in this new @techpolicypress.bsky.social blog:

𝐀𝐈 𝐎𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐀𝐝𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐮𝐦: 𝐜𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐥 𝐬𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐭𝐲 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐰𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 Important #AIAct implementation talks are already underway - but without civil society. That's why, with 35 orgs and experts, we call on the EU AI Office to prioritise setting up the forum: ecnl.org/news/eu-ai-o...

📽️ New video on high-risk #AI systems: www.youtube.com/watch?v=jiDu... Want to learn more? 💻️ Visit #LearningCenterECNL and explore the protections the EU #AIAct provides: learningcenter.ecnl.org/learning-pac... 👉 Check the #RefrAIme page: refraime.csd.eu/refraime-awa...

📽️ New video on biometric #surveillance: www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ISh... Want to learn more? 💻️ Visit #LearningCenterECNL: learningcenter.ecnl.org/learning-pac... 🖇️ Explore strategies that work against such practices: ecnl.org/publications... 👉 Check #RefrAIme: refraime.csd.eu/refraime-awa...

💡 How can civil society ensure new technologies protect rights? Fundamental Rights Impact Assessments (FRIAs) are a key tool, now required for high-risk #AI. We’ve launched a new learning package on the topic: 📖 Start learning today: learningcenter.ecnl.org/learning-pac... #FundamentalRights

📣 Call for input: What challenges do organisations face when representing or supporting national minorities? The COE Expert Council on NGO Law is working on a new report, fill in their survey by April 30! For more info, visit: www.coe.int/en/web/civil...

📢 In the context of the ongoing trilogue negotiations on the #AI Omnibus proposal, together with 32 other organisations and individuals, we contributed to an open letter to EU institutions, expressing our concerns about current proposals that could weaken the scope and effectiveness of the AI Act.

🤝How civil society & journalists can engage in investigations to protect digital rights. Over the past year, the Civic Journalism Coalition, launched by ECNL, EDRI & @lighthousereports.com led 6 investigations on tech's impact on society. 🔎Learn more & read the guide: ecnl.org/publications...

🌐Are you interested in engaging with #ICANN? 📣Fellowship applications are open until 19 April! An excellent opportunity to learn more and attend the ICANN87 Annual General Meeting in Oct 2026. 👉 Apply here: www.icann.org/fellowshippr... 🔖 For more info: ecnl.org/publications... #CADE

🇬🇪 A new legal framework in #Georgia is redefining how civil society can operate. 👉 Our latest briefing unpacks these changes and their implications for civic space, donors, and local organizations. 🔗 Learn more: www.icnl.org/post/news/am...

📢 What does #CivilDisobedience look like for migrants and migrant-rights defenders? 💡Our new paper explores protest rights, migration control, civil disobedience and digital surveillance. How do existing legal frameworks apply? Are current safeguards enough? 👉 ecnl.org/publications...

❗#Georgia and #Greece passed problematic laws for civil society, says Council of Europe Expert Council on NGO Law. Read the opinions here: www.coe.int/en/web/ingo/...

📢 ICNL is hiring a Legal Advisor-U.S. Program. This Washington, D.C.–based role focuses on legal research, tracking laws affecting civil society, and supporting nonpartisan analysis that strengthens civic space. 🔗 Learn more and apply: www.icnl.org/work-with-us

5 lessons from 3 years of #RiskAssessments under the #DSA 🔖 Read our new policy brief on how #BigTech platforms' reports, and the implementation of the Digital Services Act, can be strengthened: ecnl.org/publications...

🔴 Tomorrow, women take to the streets. States must facilitate, not repress. On #IWD2026, I call on all authorities to protect women's right to peaceful protest. The streets belong to women. 🧵 Read my full statement: mailchi.mp/09a8ee1af4ae... #8M #WomenDefenders #FoAA

🆕 Navigating the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) can be complex for nonprofits. Our new briefer explains the law, why it matters, and steps organizations can take to navigate compliance in a shifting legal landscape. Read the briefer: www.icnl.org/our-work/us-...

When aid is cut, it is not only funding that disappears: #CivilSociety weakens. One year after the U.S. aid freeze, thousands of organizations have closed or been forced to alter their missions. #FreedomOfAssociation is at stake. 🔗 www.ipsnews.net/2026/03/the-...

📢 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡: 𝐇𝐨𝐰 #𝐀𝐈 𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 Repression no longer stops at national borders. Our new report explores how AI is making it faster, more scalable, and harder to detect, looking at AI-enabled surveillance, AI platforms and policy gaps. 📥 ecnl.org/publications...

We stand in solidarity with Greenpeace. A US court awarded Energy Transfer $345 million. @greenpeace.org will appeal & continues its #antiSLAPP lawsuit against the company under the #EU’s new directive. This is bigger than Greenpeace. Public participation is the backbone of democracy. #TimeToResist

⚖️ Human Rights At Stake ⚖️ Mapped by 120+ human rights defenders and experts as the global realignment hardens into a fractured order, and civic space, equality, and accountability come under pressure ➡️10 Global Human Rights Trends humanrightscompass.org#kpg_17808

📣 Call for Input: the #UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) launched an online survey on #CivicSpace 🗓️ DDL: Friday, 6 March 2026 ▶️ Find more info here: www.ohchr.org/en/calls-for...

📅 March 4 | Digital Governance Working Group 2026 – Session 1 Join us online to map collaboration opportunities and strengthen Global North–Global South partnerships for inclusive, human-centric internet governance. 🌍 EN/FR/ES interpretation available 🔗 Register: us02web.zoom.us/meeting/regi...

🌍️More countries, more info! The Global Nonprofits Guide just got bigger - now covering information on nonprofit laws in 78 countries, including Germany, France and Switzerland – and many more. Explore what’s new: www.globalnonprofitsguide.org GNG is powered by DLA Piper, ECNL and PILnet.

🚀 𝐍𝐞𝐰: 𝟕 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐜𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐥 𝐬𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐭𝐲 𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐔 𝐢𝐧 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓 Powered by #MACS, the reports offer fresh insights and point to the actions needed to better protect civic freedoms in Bulgaria, Denmark, France, Hungary, the Netherlands, Poland and Romania. 🔖 Download: www.ecnl.org/macs

👁️‍🗨️ To protect fundamental rights, #AI -enabled #NationalSecurity initiatives require urgent limits, argue Ashwin Prabu and ECNL's @marle.bsky.social in this new Tech Policy Press blog:

🚫 Letting #AI providers hide the fact that they exempted themselves from the #AIAct’s requirements is not simplification. It's the weakening of transparency safeguards. With 60 orgs and experts, we call on EU to reject harmful proposals as part of the AI Omnibus: www.accessnow.org/press-releas...

💡 New report by the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network BIRN on how invasive #surveillance technology is used against pro-democracy protesters in #Serbia #Georgia: balkaninsight.com/2026/01/28/f...

🌟 Join us in shaping the next chapter of ECNL's journey! 🌟 We’re looking for dedicated and forward-thinking individuals to 𝐣𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐒𝐮𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐥. If you share our vision, send us an Expression of Interest before 𝟏𝟎 𝐅𝐞𝐛 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔. Find all details here: ecnl.org/openings

CADE’s December newsletter is out! Highlights from 2025 include: 📍 Civil society using the UN UPR to track digital rights commitments 📍 New resources to help CSOs engage in digital policy & technical spaces 📍 Youth Voices for Digital Rights creative action AND MORE! 🔗 mailchi.mp/diplomacy/ca...

💫 Look back at 2025 w/ our newsletter, bringing you: 🟢practical resources and tools you can put into practice, like the new guide on how to do innovation right with #FRIAs; 🔵 research to inform your work on #democracy, #AI, #foresight ... & much more. Sign up for 2026: mailchi.mp/ecnl/2025-in...

Ireland has one of the world's highest concentrations of data centers. The expansion has reshaped the grid & deepened fossil fuel use. As the EU pushes to triple data center capacity, Ireland offers a warning. Read our investigation with AlgorithmWatch.

Great exchange with @ecnl.bsky.social colleagues on how civil society can hold international organisations accountable and advance human rights. Belarus reminds us that this is a long haul (I remember the Jan 2011 civil society meeting well) 🤍❤️🤍

🚀 New: Guide to Fundamental Rights Impact Assessments 🚀 How can #FRIAs be conducted meaningfully & in line with the #AIAct? 👉 Here's a clear roadmap from ECNL & DIHR for deployers of high-risk AI systems - and anyone seeking to deploy AI responsibly - to do so. 🔗 ecnl.org/publications...

📢 How can journalists and civil society work together? What are the best practices for effective collaboration? 🔵 Join this Civic Journalism Coalition Webinar TODAY with ECNL, @disclose.ngo, @lighthousereports.com and EDRI: us02web.zoom.us/meeting/regi...

🫶 Responsible #AI works best when people collaborate. In #Amsterdam, the municipality, technical team and citizens co-created an AI system using ECNL’s Framework for Meaningful Engagement: putting public interest and trust at the centre. Find out more here: ecnl.org/news/amsterd...

❗ Experienced editor/proofreader (5+ yrs reviewing analytical reports, civic freedoms terminology) wanted for the Monitoring Action for Civic Space (#MACS) project. 📖 You will review 7 country reports to ensure clarity, consistency & accuracy. Apply by 8 December: ecnl.org/job-openings #Hiring

🌍🇳🇱 How can people in the Netherlands eat, consume goods, and travel more sustainably? Today, the Dutch National #CitizensAssembly on #Climate presents its answers to this question. 💡 Read more on the power of involving people in the decisions that shape their lives: ecnl.org/news/citizen...

💡NEW blog: How do we move the commitments of the #EUCivilSocietyStrategy from paper to real action? 👉 Read our reflections: ecnl.org/news/promise... #EUCivicSpace #Democracy #Participation

🚨 ALERT: Tech is a DOUBLE-EDGED SWORD for Civil Society. ​ ​Read my new article on the role of tech in the decline of civic freedoms via @techpolicypress.bsky.social www.techpolicy.press/civil-societ...

⏰New GDRC–WSIS statement on the WSIS+20 Outcome Document. 👉 Key asks: • Safeguards against intrusive, rights-violating technologies • Protection of encryption, anonymity tools, and free expression • Attention to AI’s environmental and human rights impacts www.gp-digital.org/news/gdrc-ws...

Interesting new study on the CoE Framework Convention on #AI 👇

📢 See you in court? Join us for a new Civic Journalism Coalition Webinar on 27 Nov. 📢 🤔 Are you a journalist or work for a civil society org? Are you interested in how to use journalistic evidence in litigation? And how to defend yourself against #SLAPPs? ➡️ us02web.zoom.us/meeting/regi...