Launch of GISWATCH 2014 on Communications Surveillance

The latest version of the Global Information Society Watch reviews the effects of national, global mass surveillance of citizens around the world

A groundbreaking report on national and global mass surveillance will be released on 4 September 2014 at the Internet Governance Forum in Istanbul by the Association for Progressive Communications (APC) and the Humanist Institute for Cooperation with Developing Countries (Hivos). The report explores the surveillance of citizens in today's digital age by governments with the complicity of institutions and corporations.

Global Information Society Watch (GISWatch) aims for an open, inclusive and sustainable information society and has produced reports yearly since 2007. This year's edition of GISWatch is entitled "Communications surveillance in the digital age" and contains thorough contextual analyses from civil society representatives in 58 countries. The reports in GISWatch 2014 expose governments' use of weaknesses in legal systems and user ignorance to monitor, intercept, collect, analyse, use, preserve, retain and interfere with global internet communications.

APC and Hivos invite you to enjoy presentations by authors of critical and relevant reports featured in GISWatch 2014. Presentations will be followed by an open discussion on solutions to protect human rights on the internet, followed by a light lunch.