Chinese Government Got the Largest Digital Rights Conference Canceled

3 hours ago

RightsCon, the largest digital rights conference, was canceled due to pressure from the Chinese government over Taiwanese participation.
The Zambian government postponed the event, citing administrative and security clearances, after Chinese diplomats reportedly pressured Zambia.
Access Now, the organizer, stated they were told to exclude Taiwanese participants and moderate topics to proceed, which they refused.
Planned panels included discussions on China's digital authoritarianism, disinformation in Africa, cyberattacks, and surveillance technology exports.
Taiwanese attendees were warned of potential travel issues, and other human rights events in Zambia were also disrupted or moved.
Zambia has strong economic ties with China, including major infrastructure investments, which may have influenced the decision.
This marks the first time RightsCon faced overt pressure from China, despite past risk assessments and surveillance concerns.
Organizers view the cancellation as an attempt to silence global digital rights movements, but vow to continue their work.

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