Access Now has launched the 10th edition of the RightsCon Summit Series, the world’s leading summit on human rights in the digital age, which is scheduled to take place entirely online and across every time zone from June 7 to 11, 2021.
It would be recalled that Access Now hosted the first-ever RightsCon (then the Silicon Valley Human Rights Conference) nearly 10 years ago with the intention of creating a civil society-led space where all stakeholders – from tech companies to government representatives to human rights defenders – would come together to build a rights-respecting digital future.
Subsequently, RightsCon has rotated between five continents and grown, both in size and in scope, to meet the evolving needs of a movement.
In 2020, despite the loss of shared physical spaces, Access Now celebrated the largest, most inclusive event in its history with 7,681 participants from 157 countries joining more than 309 sessions.
It is believed that a post-pandemic environment in 2021 will ensure a return to an in-person summit and pave the mood for a convivial means of convening.
A statement said by AccessNow said: “In 2021, it is our intention to further push the boundaries of what is possible at RightsCon, while continuing to build a global and interconnected online convening that’s shaped by all of us, together.”
“A successful event requires adequate planning time, and a positive participation experience requires an informed community. Our decision to meet online in 2021 is motivated by our commitment to creating a safe, sustainable, and accessible space for all of our community to convene,” it stated further.
