Our Mission
The Freedom Online Coalition (FOC) is a group of countries committed to the human rights and fundamental freedoms proclaimed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
The FOC believes that the human rights that people have offline must also be protected online. The Coalition serves as a coordinating body that advances cross-regional diplomacy and commits to working together, and with all others who share these views, including through multistakeholder engagement, to support Internet freedom and protect human rights online worldwide.
The FOC aims to be a proactive Coalition that works with all stakeholders to ensure Internet freedom issues are on the policy agenda as a way to drive concrete policy changes and outcomes, and shape global norms to promote a rules-based, democratic, and inclusive world where human rights and fundamental freedoms are upheld in online and digital contexts.
Working Methods
To support the FOC’s mission, Members agree to prioritise three primary working methods, as outlined in the Terms of Reference:
- Information and knowledge sharing, including through facilitating learning calls, monitoring and research activities, voluntary funding coordination, and sharing best-practices and guidelines on relevant policy and issue areas, as well as strengthening cooperation and coordination with outside stakeholders, where appropriate;
- Diplomatic coordination, including through developing joint positions and strategies on thematic topics, and coordinating rapid responses to human rights violations; and
- Advocacy, including through issuing of Coalition statements and other outputs, directly engaging in multilateral fora, facilitating joint demarches, and hosting and participating in internal and external events.
Program of Action 2025
The Program of Action represents the efforts of the Coalition to be forward-looking and action-oriented in its work. It builds on the progress the Coalition has made in streamlining its internal operating procedures and clarifying its primary activity areas in the FOC Terms of Reference. Each year, the incoming FOC Chair leads the development of the Program of Action, which outlines the FOC’s vision, priorities, and activities for the defined period.
In 2025, the FOC aims to actively shape the global agenda by focusing on the following priorities of Estonia’s Chairship:
- Governance and use of digital technologies and the Internet;
- Digital inclusion and digital public infrastructure (DPI);
- Cross-regional engagement.
Statements & Other Outputs
The FOC’s Member States strive to develop joint positions and strategies on thematic topics of importance to the Coalition’s mission, in addition to jointly responding to repeated and publicly documented human rights violations online. By reacting to emerging issues through statements and other written outputs, Coalition Members are able to increase the visibility of their positions and use these as the basis for advocacy in multilateral fora.
Task Forces & Working Groups
The FOC’s ad hoc Task Forces and Working Groups provide a mechanism for focused and issue-based engagement, facilitating substantive contributions by the FOC with input from the FOC’s independent multistakeholder Advisory Network. Active Task Forces & Working Groups include:
Recent News
March 21, 2025
UN HRC Side-Event: Keep the Internet On! The Impact of Internet Shutdowns
The Freedom Online Coalition’s (FOC) high-level side event “Keep the Internet On! The Impact of Internet Shutdowns”, co-hosted by Estonia, the Maldives, and Access Now, took place on 25 February […]
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March 17, 2025
Joint Statement Presented at the 58th Session of the UN Human Rights Council
The following statement was presented by Estonia, 2025 FOC Chair and lead drafter, on behalf of 33 Members of the Freedom Online Coalition (FOC) during the 58th Session of the […]
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March 12, 2025
Call for Submissions to the FOC ‘Rights-Respecting Digital Public Infrastructure Principles’
This year, under the Estonian Chairship of the Freedom Online Coalition (FOC), the FOC aims to advance digital inclusion, including through the promotion of inclusive and rights-respecting digital public infrastructure […]
Read moreFOC Members
FOC Members are countries committed to protecting and promoting human rights, both online and offline, domestically and abroad. FOC Members agree to work together through the FOC’s working methods and to adhere to existing FOC commitments as stated in the Coalition’s foundational documents.
Today, 42 governments are part of the Freedom Online Coalition.
Argentina
Armenia
Australia
Austria
Cabo Verde
Canada
Chile
Colombia
Costa Rica
Czech Republic
Denmark
Estonia
Finland
France
Georgia
Germany
Ghana
Iceland
Ireland
Italy
Japan
Kenya
Republic of Korea
Latvia
Lithuania
Luxembourg
The Maldives
Mexico
Moldova
Mongolia
The Netherlands
New Zealand
Norway
Poland
Slovakia
Slovenia
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
Tunisia
United Kingdom
