Open Rights Group
Description
Open Rights Group, known as ORG, is a UK-based digital rights organisation. It was founded in 2005 and campaigns to protect people’s rights to privacy and free speech online. It raises awareness, campaigns, lobbies and goes to court to challenge restrictions on digital human rights.
ORG works through a movement of individuals and partner organisations. These include groups that campaign for migrants’ rights, racial justice and LGBTQ+ rights, since digital threats often reinforce structural racism, discrimination and inequality. It challenges surveillance of personal communications by government and the exploitative use of personal data by private companies. It also challenges threats to free speech, such as the criminalisation of online speech, online censorship and restrictive copyright laws.
ORG runs policy programmes on pre-crime and predictive policing, data protection, online safety and free expression, and migrant digital justice. It maintains a free tool called Blocked that checks websites for censorship.
ORG has won five legal victories and runs eleven local supporter groups in towns and cities across the UK. It is overseen by a Board of Directors, an unpaid Advisory Council of technology experts and academics, and a legal panel of barristers and solicitors. It is a member organisation of European Digital Rights, EDRi.
Latest news
Online Safety (Amendment) Bill
The Bill exempts from regulation under the Online Safety Act certain small, low risk user-to-user services. In order to be exempt a service would have to (a) not be conducted for profit, (b) not present a material risk of significant harm to UK individuals and (c) qualify as a small service by...
16 Sep 2026
Nudity scanning tech will leave us more exposed
The Government’s proposals to prevent under 18s from creating or sharing nude images aim to address serious issues such as sextortion, grooming, and abuse. While these are worthwhile objectives, there are unintended consequences of introducing this kind of scanning onto our phones. Security...
10 Sep 2026
AI and the Public Sector: A Human Rights Approach
The UK is at a crossroads. Before it is an opportunity to govern one of the most disruptive technologies in history: AI. Yet the manner in which AI is currently being approached risks cementing this technology as an obstacle – one that obstructs the functioning of a fair, just and prosperous...
3 Sep 2026
ORG and MPs call for public sector use of AI to be regulated
About the report The report finds that the UK’s adoption of AI is a key part of state strategy that appears to be principally motivated by improving economic performance and bolstering innovation. The paper highlights risks resulting from how AI systems are being developed, procured and deployed...
3 Sep 2026
When people migrate, their data migrates with them. They need to be sure that their digital identity and information will be safe. What is Digital Sanctuary? . Why we need Digital Sanctuary When people move countries, their personal data and the devices they communicate with become even more...
27 Aug 2026
Safety Not Surveillance – National Townhalls on AI and ‘crime-predicting’ technologies
This autumn, the #SafetyNotSurveillance coalition will host a series of community townhalls in London, Manchester and Bristol – bringing the public together to discuss the impacts of AI tools and ‘crime-predicting’ technologies used by local police forces. Book your place at one of our townhalls...
25 Aug 2026
Similar organizations
Privacy International, known as PI, has worked since 1990 to promote the human right to privacy worldwide.
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