On Tuesday – Wednesday, 22–23 September 2026, , Access Now hosted the RightsCon Continues Summit, a 24-hour global online event.
Following the cancellation of RightsCon 2026 earlier in the year, this first-ever thematic edition of RightsCon carries 50+ community-sourced sessions drawn from the approved RightsCon 2026 programme, built around a common thread of resilience, adaptation, movement building, and multistakeholder solidarity. The Opening Ceremony reflects on rapidly shrinking civic space and the escalating challenges facing civil society globally — transnational repression, surveillance risk, and tightening financial and legal pressures — and makes the case for convening spaces like RightsCon being actively sustained and protected. The Closing Ceremony sends a multistakeholder group forward to the year 2050, returning as reporters from the future on what has become of digital rights.
Registration closed on 21 September 2026. Programming rans on the RightsCon Summit Platform in five formats — Dialogues, Roundtables, Workshops, Meetups, and Fireside Chats. Dialogues and Fireside Chats are available to rewatch on the platform afterwards; roundtables, workshops, and meetups were not recorded. One session is available via YouTube
SPONSORS
Internet Society (ISOC)
Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA)
DAY 1 – TUESDAY 22 SEPTEMBER 2026
13:00 UTC — RIGHTSCON CONTINUES OPENING CEREMONY – MAIN STAGE
Susan Mwape – Common Cause Zambia
Sally Wentworth – President and CEO, ISOC and ISOC Foundation
Arzu Geybulla – Co-Executive Director, Access Now
Alejandro Mayoral Baños – Co-Executive Director, Access Now
Nikki Gladstone – RightsCon Director, Access Now
Leopoldo Maldonado – UN Special Rapporteur on the Promotion and Protection of the Right to Freedom of Opinion and Expression
Adriana Fernández Calderón – RightsCon Senior Community Engagement Coordinator, Access Now
Laura Tyrylyte – Nord Security
Ulrika Sundberg – Swedish Ambassador and Special Envoy to the OIC
14:15 UTC — BRIDGING THE DIGITAL DIVIDE WHILE FIGHTING FOR FREEDOM: THE CASE OF ZAMBIA’S DIGITAL FUTURE
Richard Mulonga – Bloggers of Zambia
Michelle Mwinga – Lawyer
James Wamathai – Partnerships Manager
14:15 UTC — BUILDING BRIDGES: NEXT STEPS IN TACKLING CYBER-ENABLED CRIMES UNDER INTERNATIONAL LAW
Marko Milanovic – University of Reading
Chantal Joris – Article 19
Harriet Moynihan – Oxford Institute of Technology and Justice, Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford
14:15 UTC — GLOBAL PLATFORM WORKERS SOLIDARITY PROJECT (GPWSP): TOWARDS LABOUR JUSTICE IN THE PLATFORM ECONOMY
Aju John – Migrant*innen für Menschenwürdige Arbeit
Christine Agan – BIEN (BPO Industry Employees Network)
Joan Kinyua – Data Labelers Association (DLA)
Pía Garavaglia – Researcher
Yonatan Miller – Tech Workers Coalition (TWC)
14:15 UTC — LOCALIZED LINGUISTIC MACHINE LEARNING MODELS TO COUNTER OGBV IN THE MENA REGION
Hayder Hamzoz – Founder, INSM for Digital Rights Foundation in Iraq
Wafaa Heikal – Researcher and Analyst
Asia Anwer – Project Coordinator
Safwan El Jadi – JOSA
Yara Alrafie – Program Officer, Jordan Open Source Association (JOSA)
14:15 UTC — SHARED STRUGGLES AND COLLECTIVE STRATEGIES: STRENGTHENING THE SAFETY OF LGBTQIAP+ DEFENDERS IN HOSTILE CONTEXTS
14:15 UTC — SPYWARE’S CORRIDORS OF POWER: THE POLITICAL INFLUENCE OF THE COMMERCIAL SPYWARE INDUSTRY
Vas Panagiotopoulos – WIRED (freelance), Deakin University
Natalia Krapiva – Senior Tech-Legal Counsel
John Scott-Railton – Senior Researcher
Ben Grazda – Reporters Without Borders
14:15 UTC — SURVEILLANCE AS WARFARE: BIOMETRIC CONTROL, AI TARGETING, AND CORPORATE COMPLICITY IN PALESTINE
Ahmad Qadi – 7amleh
Dima Samaro – Tech & Human Rights Researcher
Mohammed Al-Maskati – Digital Security Helpline Director
14:15 UTC — WHO’S RESPONSIBLE FOR PROTECTING CHILDREN IN THE DIGITAL WORLD?
Marie-Ève Nadeau – 5Rights Foundation
Luis Pedernera – Former Chair and Member
Jennifer Kaberi – Founder and Executive Director
Dr. Ahmad Sofian – ECPAT Indonesia
Joshua Ongwae – Senior Advocacy Manager, Africa & African Union Liaison, ChildFund International
15:30 UTC — SAFEGUARDING CIVIC SPACE IN THE DIGITAL AGE: PROTECTING FREEDOM OF ASSEMBLY AND ASSOCIATION IN AFRICA – MAIN STAGE
Maria Sarungi Tsehai – Activist, Change Tanzania movement
Bridget Andere – Access Now
Aisha Dabo – AfricTivistes
Chivuli Ukwimi – International Development Specialist
16:45 UTC — A PARTICIPATORY LAB FOR COMMUNITY-LED AI ACCOUNTABILITY
Asma Derja – Ethical AI Alliance
María Celia Fernández Aller – Universidad Politécnica de Madrid
Genner Llanes-Ortiz – Global Voices
Marcelle Chagas – Founder
16:45 UTC — CREATIVITY AGAINST TORTURE: HOW DO ACTIVISTS REIMAGINE DIGITAL RESISTANCE IN SHRINKING CIVIC SPACES?
Farida Bemba Nabourema – Executive Director, Katutu Civil Rights Center
Isidore Ngueuleu – Head of Regional Desk Africa, World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT)
16:45 UTC — DECOLONISING DIGITAL HEALTH PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS IN ASIA AND AFRICA
Shweta Mohandas – Centre for Health Equity, Law and Policy
Sharifah Sekalala – Professor of Global Health Law
Abhineet Nayyar – Senior Associate – Research and Policy Engagement
Timothy Wafula – Kenya Legal & Ethical Issues Network on HIV and AIDS (KELIN)
16:45 UTC — PRIVATE SECTOR MEETUP
16:45 UTC — TOOLS FOR ACCOUNTABILITY: DUE DILIGENCE AND UYGHUR FORCED LABOUR IN GLOBAL SUPPLY CHAINS
Zumretay Arkin – World Uyghur Congress
16:45 UTC — UBUNTU ECONOMICS: BUILDING SUSTAINABLE FUNDING MODELS FOR DIGITAL DEMOCRACY IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA
Gabriella Razzano – OpenUp
Reana Rossouw – Next Generation Consultants
16:45 UTC — UNDERSTANDING YOUR RIGHTS STARTS WITH MEASURING WHAT’S WRONG
Jane Ruffino – Internet Society
Maria Xynou – OONI
16:45 UTC — WHO CONTROLS THE STORY? NARRATIVE POWER IN THE AGE OF BIG TECH
Jovana Djordjevic – Nebula Fund
18:00 UTC — BEYOND THE CLICK: BUILDING TECHNOLOGY CHILDREN CAN TRUST
Caroline Makumbe – CEO & Co-Founder, Kutunga Design Academy
Abby Roberts – Technical Expert – SEC, Terre des Hommes Netherlands
Angeline Corvaglia – Executive Director, SHIELD
Mutwiri Kiogora – Senior Technical Consultant, Kutunga Design Academy & Innovation Lab
Dr. Mashilo Boloka – CEO, OS Lab
18:00 UTC — REFORMING COBALT SUPPLY CHAINS: PROTECTING HUMAN & ENVIRONMENTAL RIGHTS IN DRC DURING THE DIGITAL BATTERY BOOM
Hannah Draper – Payne & Routledge
Laura Bingham – Director
Olivier Ndoole – Director
Erick Kassongo – Centre Congolaise pour le Droit du Developpement Durable (CODED)
18:00 UTC — THE SUSTAINABILITY STRUGGLE: BUILDING DIGITAL TOOLS THAT ENDURE IN CRISIS SETTINGS
Abeera Akhtar – UNICEF
Therese Marie Uppstrøm Pankratov – Innovation Norway
Shalini Subbiah – Monitoring & Evaluation Specialist, UNICEF Office of Innovation
18:00 UTC — THEMATIC MEETUPS: DISABILITY RIGHTS, ENVIRONMENT & GENDER JUSTICE
Relebohile Lefojane – Southern Africa Youth Forum (SAYoF)
Kenny Owen – CHEVS
Maria Reyes – Climate Activist Defenders (CAD)
19:15 UTC — TOWARDS INCLUSIVE GLOBAL AI GOVERNANCE: MULTISTAKEHOLDER APPROACHES IN PRACTICE – MAIN STAGE
Diana Mosquera – Executive Director and Co-Founder, Diversa
Udbhav Tiwari – Vice President for Strategy and Global Affairs, Signal
Daniel Leufer – Senior Policy Analyst, Access Now
Andrew Strait – Head of Societal Resilience, UK AI Security Institute
Isabelle Lois – Senior Policy Advisor, Swiss Federal Office of Communications
Jamal Tonzua – Deputy Director-General, Cybersecurity Authority (Ghana)
20:30 UTC — CAUGHT IN THE CROSSFIRE: ENGAGING TECH COMPANIES ON HUMANITARIAN IMPERATIVES IN CONFLICT ZONES
Hisham Zawil – United Nations Refugee Agency
Mark Silverman – ICRC
Shannon Raj Singh – Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue
Stephanie Linden Seale – Advisor, Partnerships and Outreach B-Tech Project, Business and Human Rights
Gisella Lomax – UNHCR
20:30 UTC — REGIONAL MEETUP: NORTH AMERICA AND LATAM
jes ciacci – sursiendo
Neal Mccarthy – Oxfam
20:30 UTC — RESISTING SURVEILLANCE UNION BUSTING: GLOBAL STRATEGIES FOR COLLECTIVE WORKER POWER
Abigail Kunkler – EPIC
Mayu Tobin-Miyaji – EPIC
20:30 UTC — THE INVISIBLE HAND OF BIG TECH: TRACK TECH GIANTS’ INFLUENCE ON GOVERNMENTS, LAWS, AND COURTS
Jose Luis Peñarredonda – Centro Latinoamericano de Investigación Periodística (CLIP)
Rigoberto Carvajal – Centro Latinoamericano de Investigación Periodística (CLIP)
20:30 UTC — TRACKING CENTRAL BANK DIGITAL CURRENCIES (CBDCS): A THREAT TO HUMAN RIGHTS
Femi Longe – Human Rights Foundation
Roger Huang – Contributor, Forbes Digital Assets
Charlene Fadirepo – CEO, Mango Digital Strategies
Nicholas Anthony – Center for Monetary and Financial Alternatives, Cato Institute
20:30 UTC — UPDATE AVAILABLE: THE TECH, BUSINESS, AND HUMAN RIGHTS FIELD AT 15
Lindsey Andersen – BSR
Dunstan Allison-Hope – Independent Consultant
Jason Pielemeier – Executive Director
Rebecca MacKinnon – Freeman & MacKinnon
Samantha Ndiwalana – Director of Advocacy, Ranking Digital Rights
21:45 UTC — WHO CONTROLS THE AGENTS? BUILDING RIGHTS-BASED FRONTIER AI
Marlena Wisniak – European Center for Not-for-Profit Law (ECNL)
Roya Pakzad – Taraaz
Abby Lawson – Google
Jonas Brunschwig – Consulate General of Switzerland in San Francisco
21:45 UTC — WOMEN BEYOND WALLS: FILLING IN THE DATA DESERTS TO KEEP WOMEN OUT OF PRISONS
Sabrina Mahtani – Women Beyond Walls
Thalia Kehoe Rowden – Human Rights Measurement Initiative
Pamela Winn – Founder, RestoreHER
Meridith Lavelle – Digital Rights Lead, Human Rights Measurement Initiative
23:00 UTC — MINDFULNESS AND SELF-SUPPORT BREAK – MAIN STAGE
Luisa Ortiz Pérez – Executive Director, Vita Activa
César Montesano – Mental Health Specialist, Vita Activa
DAY 2 – WEDNESDAY 23 SEPTEMBER 2026
00:15 UTC — WHOSE BOARD IS IT ANYWAY? LESSONS FROM BUSINESS PARTICIPATION IN MULTI-STAKEHOLDER GOVERNANCE
Dunstan Allison-Hope – Independent Consultant
Elonnai Hickok – Managing Director
Andy George – Deputy CEO
01:30 UTC — MINDFULNESS AND SELF-SUPPORT BREAK – MAIN STAGE
Luisa Ortiz Pérez – Executive Director, Vita Activa
César Montesano – Mental Health Specialist, Vita Activa
02:45 UTC — FROM SURVEILLANCE TO GOVERNANCE: RECENTERING HUMAN RIGHTS IN THE UN AI AGENDA – MAIN STAGE (video)
Alejandro Mayoral Baños – Co-Executive Director, Access Now
Beatriz Busaniche – Director, Fundación Vía Libre
Luda Svystunova – Senior ESG Analyst, Amundi
Wafa Ben Hassine – Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights
Louise Lund Henneberg – Acting Director, Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs
02:45 UTC — REGIONAL MEETUP: ASIA PACIFIC
Red Tani – APC
04:00 UTC — A REGION UNDER WATCH: THE RISE OF STATE SURVEILLANCE IN LATIN AMERICA
Carolina Botero – AlSur
Dilmar Villena Fernandez Baca – Executive Director
Ana Gaitan – Coordinadora
04:00 UTC — CONFRONTING FEAR, EXCLUSION AND NATIONALISM: HOW SHOULD CIVIL SOCIETY RESPOND TO CHINA’S DIGITAL AUTHORITARIAN PRACTICES
Jing-Jie Chen – Amnesty International (Taiwan)
05:15 UTC — BUILDING POWER TO INFLUENCE DECISION MAKERS
Durga Nandini – Co-Founder and Chief Advisor, Nguvu Collective
Olga Mugyenyi – Director, Nguvu Collective
05:15 UTC — RESILIENT INTERNET LIFELINES IN CONFLICT ZONES FOR HUMANITARIAN ACCESS: INSIGHTS FROM MANIPUR IN INDIA
Syed Sultan Kazi – Council for Social and Digital Development (CSDD)
Amrita Choudhury – Director CCAOI, Chair APrIGF, Chair IGFSA, Chair APRALO, UN IGF MAG Member
Dr. Nemthianngai Guite – Associate Professor, Centre of Social Medicine and Community Health, School of Social Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi
Dr. Thiyam Bharat Singh – Associate Professor, Centre for Study of Social Inclusion (CSSI), Manipur University
06:30 UTC — MOVEMENT-BUILDING AGAINST DIGITAL AUTHORITARIANISM AND TRANSNATIONAL REPRESSION – MAIN STAGE
Samuel Chu – President, The Campaign for Hong Kong
Htaike Htaike Aung – Myanmar Internet Project
Mykola Kostynyan – Co-Founder, RESIDENT.NGO
Mahsa Alimardani – Associate Director, WITNESS
Naro Omo-Osagie – Africa Policy and Advocacy Manager
07:45 UTC — FUNDING FREEDOM: REWIRING FINANCE AGAINST AUTHORITARIAN CONTROL
Yucca Wai – Amnesty International
Annie Zaman – Advisor, Free Press Unlimited
07:45 UTC — INTERNET AFTER GAZA: FROM ERASURE TO INFRASTRUCTURAL AUTONOMY
Mais Qandeel – University of Galway, Ireland; Örebro University, Sweden
Fabio Cristiano – Assistant Professor
Jalal Abukhater – Policy Manager, 7amleh
07:45 UTC — REGIONAL MEETUP: EUROPE AND EECA
Simeon Debrouwer – EDRi
Hamdi Firat Buyuk – Balkan Investigative Reporting Network
07:45 UTC — SAY THEIR NAME: A TIMELINE OF THE HISTORY OF WOMEN AND TRANSGENDER PEOPLE IN TECHNOLOGY
Thiane Neves – Transfeminist Network of Digital Care
07:45 UTC — THE LEGAL VACUUM: UPHOLDING JUSTICE WHEN LAW ENFORCEMENT REACH ACROSS BORDERS
Alex Tinsley – Doughty Street | Lawyers against TNR
Tanya Boulakovski – MENA Rights Group
Ben Saul – UN Special Procedures
Kate Robertson – Citizen Lab
07:45 UTC — UNLOCK IMPACT THROUGH CROSS-MOVEMENT LITIGATION FUNDING
Nikita Kekana – Digital Freedom Fund
Cheryl Akinyi – Open Society Foundation
Waikwa Wanyoike – Open Society Justice Initiative
Erin Simpson – Programme Manager
07:45 UTC — WHEN THE NET GOES DARK: HOW SHUTDOWNS UNDERMINE DEMOCRACY IN AFRICA
Felicia Anthonio – #KeepItOn Campaign Manager, Access Now
Zaituni Njovu – Executive Director, Zaina Foundation
Willium Kahale – Policy Analyst, Zaina Foundation
09:00 UTC — A LITTLE LESS TALK AND A LOT MORE ACTION: MOBILISING FOR FEMINIST TECH INDUSTRY STANDARDS
Mrinalini Dayal – Equality Now
Stephanie Mikkelson – UNFPA
Amina Soulimani – A+ Alliance
Mallory Knodel – Executive Director
Irene Mwendwa – Independent
09:00 UTC — COULD YOU BE HACKED? CYBERSECURITY EXPERT SHOWS YOU HOW EASY IT IS
Miguel Fornes – Surfshark
09:00 UTC — FROM HATE TO HOPE: DIGITAL PROTECTION FOR REFUGEES
Gisella Lomax – UNHCR
09:00 UTC — REGIONAL MEETUP: AFRICA AND MENA
Lama Nazeeh – 7amleh
Eugenia Temba – Activist for Media Freedom and Gender Justice
09:00 UTC — RESISTING TRANSNATIONAL SURVEILLANCE: BUILDING SOLIDARITIES ACROSS ASIA AND AFRICA
Anneke Meerkotter – Southern Africa Litigation Centre
Bradley Fortuin – Program Officer, Southern Africa Litigation Centre
Melusi Simelane – Southern Africa Litigation Centre
Siona Sharma – Researcher
Jordan Cohen – Southern Africa Litigation Centre
09:00 UTC — THE ANTI-ENCRYPTION EFFECT? STANDING UP TO ENCRYPTION THREATS IN AFRICA AND BEYOND
Dawit Bekele – Internet Society
Naro Omo-Osagie – Africa Policy and Advocacy Manager
Svea Windwehr – Product Policy Manager
Lillian Nalwoga – Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA)
09:00 UTC — WHEN THE LIGHTS GO OUT: LITIGATION STRATEGIES AGAINST INTERNET SHUTDOWNS IN THE GLOBAL SOUTH
Prasanth Sugathan – Legal Director, Software Freedom Law Center, India (SFLC.in)
Sarah Ngachi – Legal Officer, Thomson Reuters Foundation
Miriam Beatrice – Programme Officer, East Africa, Paradigm Initiative
Usama Khilji – Director, Bolo Bhi
10:15 UTC — A DECADE OF MOVEMENT BUILDING AGAINST INTERNET SHUTDOWNS: THE #KEEPITON CAMPAIGN – MAIN STAGE
Jalal Abukhater – Policy Manager, 7amleh
Felicia Anthonio – #KeepItOn Campaign Manager, Access Now
Catherine K. Mulika – Co-Founder, Cavendrys
Prasanth Sugathan – Legal Director, Software Freedom Law Center, India (SFLC.in)
Jessica Rooney – Human Rights Manager, Vodafone
11:30 UTC — BEYOND DATA EXTRACTION: BUILDING EQUITABLE DATA GOVERNANCE FRAMEWORKS
Franco Giandana – Policy Analyst, Access Now
Alek Tarkowski – Open Future
Francis Tyers – Mozilla Data Collective
Chenai Chair – Director
Patricia Diaz Charquero – CENIA
11:30 UTC — BEYOND DONOR DEPENDENCY: BUILDING SUSTAINABLE, AUTONOMOUS RESOURCING MODELS FOR MARGINALIZED AND FEMINIST MOVEMENTS IN AFRICA
Sibusiso Malunga – The Lotus Identity/Resurj
Chantal Umuhoza – Executive Director/Resurj Member
11:30 UTC — BRIDGING THE ACCOUNTABILITY GAP: GLOBAL MAJORITY ADVOCACY IN EU TECH AND POLITICS
Lama Nazeeh – 7amleh
Taysir Mathlouthi – Senior EU Advocacy Officer
Ritumbra Manuvie – Executive Director
11:30 UTC — CO-CREATING A COLLABORATIVE MULTISTAKEHOLDER EMERGENCY RESPONSE MECHANISM TO PROTECT INTERNET ACCESS IN CONFLICTS AND CRISES
Anriette Esterhuysen – Association for Progressive Communications
Wim Degezelle – IGF Policy Network on Cybersecurity and Resilience
Valeria Betancourt – Association for Progressive Communications
11:30 UTC — DIGITAL ACTIVISM OF HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS IN EXILE: NAVIGATING THREATS AND SEIZING OPPORTUNITIES ACROSS BORDERS
Jean-Sébastien Vallée – Equitas – International Centre for Human Rights Education
Ryota Jonen – Democracy and Human Rights Expert, Community/Movement Builder
Maiwand Rahyab – Founder and CEO
11:30 UTC — GEOPOLITICAL CONSIDERATIONS IN SPYWARE ACCOUNTABILITY: REGULATING SPYWARE IN AN AGE OF DEMOCRATIC BACKSLIDING
Natalia Andrade – Fundación Karisma
Nadine Farid Johnson – Policy Director
Juan Diego Castaneda – Executive Director
Alessandra Prezepiorski Lemos – Office of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression
11:30 UTC — PRESS FREEDOM IN CENTRAL ASIA ONLINE: CHALLENGES AND THREATS
Diana Okremova – Director, Legal Media Center
Gulmira Birzhanova – Lawyer, Legal Media Center
11:30 UTC — PROTECTING MINDS: NEUROTECH, HUMAN RIGHTS, AND THE FUTURE OF CHILDHOOD
Allan Mccay – Academic Fellow, Sydney Law School
Lorraine Finlay – Human Rights Commissioner
Steven Vosloo – Digital Foresight and Policy Specialist
11:30 UTC — THEMATIC MEETUPS: INDIGENOUS RIGHTS, HEALTH AND YOUTH & CHILDREN’S RIGHTS
Nikita Bulanin – Advisor, International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs
Sharon Nakandha – Open Society Foundation
12:45 UTC — RIGHTSCON CONTINUES CLOSING CEREMONY – MAIN STAGE
Alejandro Mayoral Baños – Co-Executive Director, Access Now
Arzu Geybulla – Co-Executive Director, Access Now
Wim Geerts – Human Rights Ambassador, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands
Nikki Gladstone – RightsCon Director, Access Now
Esther Mwema – Artist and Digital Inequalities Expert
Adeboye Adegoke – Principal, Luminate
Jessica Wan – Redwheel
#RightsCon #RightsConContinues #DigitalRights #HumanRights
