After attending multiple sessions across RightsCon 2025 we walked away with a deeper understanding of the most salient debates in the digital rights landscape. With hundreds of sessions covering topics such as AI governance, technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TF-GBV), and mis/disinformation, one thing was clear: while the challenges are mounting, so too are the strategies for resistance, adaptation, and change.

The Digital Rights Landscape

The state of digital rights is becoming increasingly precarious, particularly in light of the political climate in the U.S., the reductions in aid across multiple countries and the conservative turn of the platforms. These shifts are straining the ability of organizations to defend democracy, free speech, and journalism, as well as to combat dis/misinformation, TF-GBV, and other digital threats. Despite these obstacles, many speakers at RightsCon emphasized that there are still pathways for resistance. While frustration is warranted, participants underscored the importance of strategic action, community-driven solutions, and innovative policy solutions to counter these threats.

Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence (TF-GBV): TF-GBV continues to escalate, disproportionately targeting women and gender-diverse individuals, particularly those in politics and public life. At RightsCon, multiple panels tackled this issue from different perspectives. We heard from a young Taiwanese female politician who has endured intimate-image abuse online, as well as researchers and advocacy organizations working to push for stronger platform regulation.

A key takeaway was that TF-GBV is both a mirror and an amplifier of real-world violence. Speakers agreed that efforts to address it must be multi-faceted, involving:

• • Policy change
  • Shifting social norms
  • Research into perpetrators
  • Stronger platform regulations

From prevention to punitive measures, every sector has a role to play in dismantling online gender-based violence.

Mis/Disinformation 

The spread of mis/disinformation remains one of today’s most urgent challenges. Discussions at RightsCon explored:

• How shifting news consumption habits—along with digital divides in regions like Africa—affect how mis/disinformation spreads.
• Strategies to monitor false information during elections.
• Legal advocacy efforts to promote information integrity and policy reform.

A recurring theme was that mis/disinformation is highly contextual, meaning that localized solutions are critical to effectively countering its impact.

Content Moderation

RightsCon sessions on content moderation reinforced the complexity of this issue, emphasizing the need for:

• Stronger technical solutions to protect users in all languages from harmful content.
• Greater transparency in content moderation outsourcing, ensuring that moderators receive fair wages and mental health support.

Some speakers described current moderation practices as a form of “modern slavery”, highlighting how big tech outsources content moderation to firms in the Global South under exploitative conditions.

While some argue that content moderation risks creating ideological silos, experts countered that harmful and violent content spreads due to platform design itself. The key call to action? “Decentralize interventions on content moderation” to create more equitable, transparent, and effective solutions.

Research and Data Access

Access to social media data is becoming increasingly restricted, with rising costs and limited availability creating barriers for research. These challenges hinder the ability of academics, civil society organizations, and policymakers to:

• Analyze digital harms
• Develop evidence-based interventions
• Monitor online trends

This issue, which has been worsening for over a decade, underscores the need for alternative research strategies and advocacy for data transparency.

Journalism Under Threat

Discussions at RightsCon also highlighted the mounting threats to journalism. While some governments claim to be combating disinformation, new laws are instead being used to restrict freedom of expression, particularly in:

• Conflict zones like Ukraine
• Authoritarian regimes

However, the erosion of press freedom is not limited to these contexts—even in democratic nations, journalists are facing increased attacks and declining public trust.

Despite these challenges, the resilience of journalists and independent media outlets was a recurring theme. Many are finding creative and legal avenues to continue their work and hold power to account.

Rethinking Platforms: Stay or Leave

A key debate at RightsCon centered on whether we should:

• Continue fighting for reform within existing platforms, or
• Move to alternative spaces that align with digital rights and ethical tech values.

Some speakers argued that real change requires abandoning mainstream platforms and investing in new, decentralized alternatives like Bluesky. Others countered that new platforms may eventually face the same governance issues, and that big tech remains too powerful to ignore.

The emerging consensus? A multi-pronged approach—pushing for stronger regulations while simultaneously developing and investing in alternative platforms—may be the most effective path forward.