The Chinese Government Just Got the World’s Largest Digital Rights Conference Canceled
Key takeaways
- A week before the conference was scheduled to take place in Lusaka, Zambia, the Zambian government abruptly announced that it would be postponed to an unspecified date.
- They were told to pause their travel plans while the host coordinated with Zambian officials.
- Nikki Gladstone, RightsCon director at Access Now, confirmed to WIRED that the organization had been in contact with Taiwanese participants about potential issues traveling to Zambia.
Why this matters: a development in AI with implications for how people work, create, and decide.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping meets with Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema in 2024.Photograph: Xinhua News Agency/Getty Images Comment Loader Save Story Save this story Comment Loader Save Story Save this story Rights Con, the world’s largest digital rights conference, was canceled this year due to pressure from the Chinese government, according to the nonprofit organization that organizes the annual event.
In a statement, Access Now says it was “told that diplomats from the People’s Republic of China (PRC) were putting pressure on the Government of Zambia because Taiwanese civil society participants were planning to join us in person.”
The Chinese Embassy in Washington, DC and the United States Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office did not immediately respond to requests for comment. When WIRED called the Zambian embassy in Washington, a member of the staff answered the phone and transferred the call to another staff member who then picked up for several seconds before hanging up. A follow-up call went unanswered.