- SITUATION UPDATES
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SPOTLIGHT: MYANMAR/BURMA
Situational updates and analysis, along with Take Action and up-to-date Video News, Media News, Maps and assessments of FoRB and human rights.
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UPDATES: USCIRF
Read news, alerts, and reports from the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF).
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UPDATES: U.N. FORB NEWS
Search U.N. website and ReliefWeb for current and historical news related to FoRB and human rights.
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- TAKE ACTION
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ONLINE ACTION TOOLS
Here you can access resources and platforms you need to engage in targeted action campaigns.
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- ONLINE RESOURCES
- MY RESOURCES
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CUSTOMIZED RESOURCES
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- LIBRARY
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Online Library
Click on image above to access the Library. Search or browse the knowledge base library for multimedia content and source materials organized by categories and meta tags.
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- U.S POLICY & LEGISLATION
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U.S. Congressional Scorecard
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Who Represents me in Congress?
Use your address or click on the map to find your U.S. Senators and Representative.
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IRF Legislative Tracker
Current and historical legislative activity --Search Congress.gov and explore IRF related legislation, activity, and actors.
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U.S. Senate & House IRF Voting Records
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1998 IRF Act Retrospective
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USG FoRB Resources
Search U.S. Govt legislation, policies, federal codes, events, reports, etc: Congress, Executive Branch, Library of Congress, CRS, State legislatures, treaties, etc.
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- COUNTRY ANALYSIS
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World Constitutions
Search and explore 197 national constitutions (those in draft and in force) and compare how they protect or restrict FORB.
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Intl Conventions
Read international conventions and agreements related to FoRB and other human rights.
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Perspectives of Religious Freedom – by Country
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- KEY ISSUES
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Internet Freedom
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Uyghur Religious Freedom
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- MY RESOURCES
Internet Freedom
It only takes one spark to light a torch.
Internet freedom tools can provide the spark that lights the torch of liberty for those living under authoritarian censorship of information. For the over 3.8 billion users of the internet, it can be either a route to freedom or a tool of oppression. With the rise of government crackdowns on the freedom of information, internet freedom is a vital lifeline for the promotion of freedom around the globe. We are actively working with individuals, businesses, and policymakers to ensure that a full suite of diverse internet freedom tools are strongly supported.
Currently the demand is surpassing the capacity of several of these tools, leaving many people behind the wall of censorship. With your help, we can help put these tools in the hands of millions of more people who rely on them for secure communication and uncensored access to information.
Page Overview
Of people live in countries where people were arrested for their internet or social media posts
1
%
of people live in countries where internet networks or social media platforms were temporarily or permanently blocked
1
%
*Statistics from Freedom House 2019 Freedom on the Net Report
Get Informed
Circumvention Technologies
Multiple circumvention technologies have a long history of successfully circumventing firewalls in countries such as China and Iran for millions of users.
It is alarming that since 2017 a reduction in US government funding has resulted in these same developers having 70% less capacity to operate servers that run firewall circumvention tools.
Visit our "Tools" section below to learn more about one of these circumvention tools.
It is alarming that since 2017 a reduction in US government funding has resulted in these same developers having 70% less capacity to operate servers that run firewall circumvention tools.
Visit our "Tools" section below to learn more about one of these circumvention tools.
Securing Communications
Human rights advocates and others living under repression need secure methods of communication
End-to-end encryption communication tools can help provide a level of protection for the sensitive information of human rights defenders. Read more about this topic in the link below.
End-to-end encryption communication tools can help provide a level of protection for the sensitive information of human rights defenders. Read more about this topic in the link below.
U.S. Government Response
There are several departments and offices within the U.S. Government that work for global internet freedom
In the State Department the Internet Freedom and Business & Human Rights Section works to coordinate U.S. policy.
The U.S. Agency for Global Media also works for internet freedom through its Open Technology Fund. Visit the Open Technology Fund's website by clicking below to learn more.
In the State Department the Internet Freedom and Business & Human Rights Section works to coordinate U.S. policy.
The U.S. Agency for Global Media also works for internet freedom through its Open Technology Fund. Visit the Open Technology Fund's website by clicking below to learn more.
Internet Freedom in China
China heavily restricts the flow of information on the internet to its people through its "Great Firewall"
Internet Freedom in Iran
The Iranian government continues to monitor, slowdown, and cut off the internet access of their people
Internet Freedom in Venezuela
President Maduro’s regime often blocks critical news sites and detained
Take Action
Actions for Individuals
Stand with citizens in China who are seeking access to accurate information on that internet that is censored by China's Communist Party. Sign the petition by clicking on the button below to ask the U.S. government to help meet the emergency need for uncensored information to people around the globe.
Sign PetitionActions for the U.S. Government
While current circumvention tools have brought uncensored information to millions of users, their server capacities are often limited. We ask that the State Department and the U.S. Agency for Global Media work together to immediately dedicate $20 million dollars to rapidly increase traffic in highly censored environments by funding Freegate, Lantern, Psiphon and Ultrasurf. A diverse coalition of 60 civil society organizations have signed on to a letter supporting the appropriation of this emergency funding. Click on the button below to view the whole letter.
View LetterTools
Resources
Freedom on the Net Reports
For a detailed summary of trends and research on internet freedom around the globe, explore Freedom House’s annual Freedom on the Net reports.
For a detailed summary of trends and research on internet freedom around the globe, explore Freedom House’s annual Freedom on the Net reports.
HRW Internet Freedom Page
Human Rights Watch continually releases articles, videos, and resources on their site that provide updates on the freedom of information on the internet.
GreatFire
GreatFire is an organization that helps build anti-censorship tools specifically to promote access to information in China. Check out some of the projects they have launched.