Illustration by Ellena Ekarahendy (Excerpt from original illustration created for the piece "Stepping outside the algorithm")
Strengthening communities, supporting human rights defenders, finding sustainability and seeking multiple avenues to hold social media platforms accountable. These were the key messages across the most-read original content published on our website in 2025, showing that our readers' interests can help us chart the course for the year ahead.
Among news pieces about advocacy, community-centred connectivity, free/libre and open source software and alternative infrastructures, and resistance actions, the most-read content shows a common thread in the search for technologies that are guided by environmental, social and gender justice rather than accentuating crises, wars, genocide, rights violations and the destruction of the planet. Here, we share a list of the 10 most-read pieces of news and blogs alongside highlights from their content that can help us looking ahead.
10. Can we find sustainability in a precarious funding climate?
The funding landscape as we know it has changed quickly, creating a climate of uncertainty for many civil society organisations and social movements. The ongoing dynamics risk fracturing movements, turning groups against one another in competition for resources and undermining their collective power. In this context, our tenth most-read content focuses on a reflection on how to assess and respond to these challenges, precisely at a moment when we need more – and not less – international solidarity and joint action. Read more.
9. A chance to advance the multistakeholder approach
It is only by truly including the perspectives and priorities of all stakeholders, particularly from the Global South and underrepresented communities, that we give concrete meaning to the “people-centred, development-oriented and inclusive” information society that is the core vision of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS). As 2025 marked the overall review of the implementation of the WSIS outcomes in past two decades (WSIS+20), setting guidelines for implementing its vision in the coming years, the APC network has been actively involved in the review process and has participated in important coalitions to influence it. This article was one such contribution, pointing out ways to build more inclusive and accountable multilateral governance for effective application of the multistakeholder approach. More voices in decision-making spaces can help counteract the concentration of power and fragmentation of collaborative governance. Read more.
8. AI framework biases toward industry growth
On 26 December 2024, South Korea's National Assembly passed the AI Framework Act. Only civil society organisations expressed critical stances regarding it. Find out why in this reflection based on a report recently launched by the Digital Justice Network (formerly the Korean Progressive Network Jinbonet), in collaboration with the Institute for Digital Rights and with support from APC. Read more.
7. Stepping outside the algorithm
Recent changes in how the Big Tech platforms X and Meta operate – specifically, stepping back from the responsibility of moderating disinformation online – have negatively impacted online environments in some regions across the world. That is according to APC members we spoke to while building this piece, asking them how governance changes at the two behemoth social media companies have affected their work – and, importantly, what they think civil society organisations should do about it. Read more.
6. Holding platforms accountable in courts and beyond
The Brazilian Supreme Court concluded a ruling on the country’s Civil Rights Framework for the Internet in June last year, legally establishing that digital platforms are not neutral in relation to the content circulating within their virtual environments. While this decision sets an important precedent, regulating content removal is not a simple task, as it must mitigate the risk of excessive takedowns and at the same time regulate Big Tech without harming other existing models on the internet. The advances, challenges, and risks in Brazil are analysed by our members and partners on the ground. Read more.
5. Going from a map user to an open source map creator
Have you ever tried mapping for OpenStreetMap, a free, editable map of the whole world that is being built by volunteers? Every Door is a mobile app that lets you create and edit objects in it. “With Every Door, I feel like we are bringing power and control to people,” highlights Ilja Zverev from the project in a new interview from our "Building a Free Internet of the Future" monthly series. Appearing in sixth place in our ranking, this interview highlights the importance of open and free technologies and the development of alternatives to centralised models. Read more.
4. Building a more inclusive digital future together
Also within the framework of the WSIS+20 review by the UN, the Global Digital Justice Forum (GDJF) launched the #DigitalJusticeNow campaign during last year's IGF to reclaim a digital order that prioritises people and the planet over profit. The campaign aimed to influence the WSIS+20 review process by sharing testimonies about what digital justice means to us and how we can achieve it. It gathered different voices, especially from the Global South, helping us focus on breaking down the many barriers that still exist in high-level processes. Read more.
3. A bill to expand connectivity addressing the needs of underserved communities
In 2025, we celebrated the Konektadong Pinoy Act – a landmark bill aimed at boosting broadband infrastructure and connectivity in the Philippines. By simplifying licensing, streamlining permits, fostering investments and expanding access to radio spectrum, the bill promises faster network development, especially in rural areas. Appearing in third place, this piece of news helps us remember the importance of building an environment that encourages community alternatives that not only benefit underserved communities, but also place their interests and dreams at the centre while incorporating digital technologies into people's lives. Read more.
2. Groundbreaking resolution on human rights defenders and new technologies
One of the most-read news stories last year was the celebration of an achievement in a year marked by profound crises and complex challenges. In 2025, we welcomed a landmark resolution adopted by consensus at the 58th session of the Human Rights Council, addressing many of the concerns that APC and our partners have been advocating for in recent years. It represents an important step forward for the protection of human rights defenders, including women human right defenders, in the digital age. Read more.
1. Environmental justice and digital autonomy in focus
The most read piece is about a new report carried out by APC members Sursiendo and May First Movement Technology, which is offering a crucial and urgently needed collection of “actions for environmental justice from autonomous and community-based technological infrastructures.” “Contrary to popular belief, corporate internet monopolies are not in the business of facilitating communication,” the report begins. Rather, research repeatedly indicates that these business models rely on large-scale data extraction and surveillance. While public discourse often focuses on the environmental impact of massive data centres operated by tech giants, this report challenges dominant narratives about sustainability in the digital age and redirects attention to community-run technological infrastructures that are grounded in principles of social justice. Read more.
Extra from GenderIT.org: A decolonial feminist analysis on Tech-Facilitated Gender Based Violence
In addition to our main website, apc.org, another highlight in 2025 were the articles and special editions published on GenderIT.org – a think tank of and for women's rights, sexual rights and internet rights activists, academics, journalists and advocates. There, a special edition published in partnership with the Feminist Internet Research Network (FIRN) attracted a great deal of interest. The edition provides important analyses that have emerged from the 10 research projects under the third cycle of FIRN. At the very core of the research are the heartbreaks and resilience of communities; they illustrate the complexities of tech-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV), how it intersects with the hierarchy of identities and belongings, shaped by various geopolitical, nationalist and socioeconomic factors. Read more.