VIEW THIS EMAIL IN BROWSER ([link removed])

[link removed]


** SPOTLIGHT
------------------------------------------------------------

[link removed]

Credit: Anushree Fadnavis/Reuters

The AWS outage is a warning call – we need a more resilient digital environment for all

On Monday, millions of people around the world experienced problems with key communications and services apps, from messaging to banking to travel and government services.

With the Amazon Web Services (AWS) outage came questions, confusion, and alarm. How could so many apps, so many services, so many means of communication and methods of accessing news and information be dependant on a single company or provider? The disruptions spoke to a larger, overarching problem regarding the way OUR internet works. They are more than technical glitches – they are democratic failures.

‘When a single provider goes dark, critical services go offline with it – media outlets become inaccessible, secure communication apps like Signal stop functioning, and the infrastructure that serves our digital society crumbles,’ says Corinne Cath-Speth, ARTICLE 19’s Head of Global Team Digital.


‘We urgently need diversification in cloud computing. The infrastructure underpinning democratic discourse, independent journalism, and secure communications cannot be dependent on a handful of companies.’


With the recent crash resulting in so many people being cut off from accessing information, news, and services they rely on, it’s time to look at what we need to do to address these problems. This will certainly not be the last time such disruption occurs.

It’s time to change thinking about digital infrastructure. As Corinne Cath-Speth and Don Le outline in their article in Tech Policy Press, ‘real change requires not just improving existing cloud infrastructure, but building entirely different infrastructures rooted in the needs of communities and people.’


Read more from Tech Policy Press ([link removed])

ALSO IN THE NEWS

[link removed]

The Future of Democracy

The threats posed by the dominance of Big Tech over our information ecosystem were high on the agenda last week in Brussels, where, together with the Open Markets Institute, we hosted the Future of Democracy: Speech, Thought, Sovereignty, and Power in the Age of Platforms and AI conference.

The event provided an invaluable and timely opportunity for the world’s leading voices to come together to discuss the urgent need to stand up to Big Tech’s influence over our speech and information space; the need for bold and brave enforcement of existing digital rules; and how we can imagine and build better alternatives grounded in values and the respect of rights.

You can watch the recordings, including the keynote speech by Nobel Prize winner Maria Ressa on Day 2, via the link below.
Watch now ([link removed])
[link removed]

[link removed]
[link removed]
[link removed]
[link removed]
[link removed]

2025 ARTICLE 19
Copyright © 2025 ARTICLE 19, all rights reserved. Registered charity number 327421.
You are receiving this email because you are currently on our regular subscriber list.
Our mailing address is:
ARTICLE 19
International Office: 72-82 Rosebery Avenue
72-82 Rosebery Avenue
London, London EC1R 4RW
United Kingdom
Want to change how you receive these emails?

You can update your preferences ([link removed]) or unsubscribe ([link removed])
[link removed]