The Freedom Online Coalition (FOC) is deeply concerned about shrinking civic and democratic spaces online as a result of State-sponsored obstruction of free expression, peaceful assembly, and free association, notably as it relates to human rights defenders and other members of civil society. State-sponsored obstruction of these rights is a direct challenge to the FOC’s goal of protecting and promoting both the exercise of human rights online and an open and interoperable Internet, as affirmed in the FOC’s ‘Tallinn Agenda.’ A robust and protected civic space forms the corner stone of accountable, inclusive, and responsive democratic societies.
