Access Now

Description

Access Now defends and extends the digital rights of people and communities at risk. It was formed in 2009, in the moment of the Iranian election, as an emergency response team helping activists get back online and communicate safely. Brett Solomon co-founded and led the organization for fifteen years.

Its work today spans a 24/7 Digital Security Helpline, offering real-time technical assistance in nine languages to civil society groups, activists, media organizations, journalists and human rights defenders. It also does grantmaking, providing flexible funding to grassroots and frontline organizations, including through its Access Now Grants Program. Its advocacy combines campaigning, digital engagement, legal expertise and policy work, educating and pressuring decision makers on issues at the intersection of human rights and technology, from freedom of expression to digital identification systems.

It leads the #KeepItOn campaign against internet shutdowns, a coalition of more than 345 organizations across 106 countries. It also organizes RightsCon, a global summit on human rights in the digital age, held in cities including Rio de Janeiro, Manila, Brussels, Toronto and Tunis.

Access Now is a grassroots-to-global organization with regional centers covering Africa, Asia Pacific, Central Asia and Eastern Europe, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, the Middle East and North Africa, and North America. It has registered offices in Belgium, Costa Rica and the United States, and staff presences in cities such as New York, Brussels, Berlin, Tunis, Delhi, Nairobi and Manila. It is funded by foundations, development agencies, companies, individuals and civil society organizations, and publishes audited financials and tax filings.