Wikimedians champion digital rights and free knowledge at RightsCon 2026: Join the global conversation, wherever you are! – Diff

Wikimedians champion digital rights and free knowledge at RightsCon 2026: Join the global conversation, wherever you are! – Diff
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Lunar rainbow shines over Victoria Falls on the border of Zambia and Zimbabwe. Image by
United States Army | Staff Sergeant Luke Wilson
CC0
, via
Wikimedia Commons
Wikimedians from around the world will join civil society leaders, technologists, researchers, and policymakers at
RightsCon 2026
, the world’s leading summit on human rights in the digital age. This year, RightsCon will take place in Lusaka, Zambia, from May 5–8, and have a hybrid format.
The free knowledge movement has participated in RightsCon for over a decade, highlighting how open knowledge, collaboration, and community-led governance strengthen digital rights online. Wikimedia projects depend on open access to reliable information, strong protections for freedom of expression, modern and flexible copyright, and an inclusive digital ecosystem where everyone can participate in building and sharing knowledge. Attending RightsCon and engaging with the global digital rights community is essential to the future of our projects.
This year, Wikimedia Foundation staff and Wikimedians from across the movement will contribute to important conversations on artificial intelligence (AI) governance, information integrity, coalition building, and equitable access to knowledge. From workshops on closing knowledge gaps on Wikipedia to dialogues on safeguarding the digital commons in the age of AI, these sessions highlight how the free and open knowledge movement intersects with global digital rights debates.
Below are some of the sessions at RightsCon 2026 that feature Wikimedians and our allies from across the open knowledge ecosystem. You can tune in virtually and attend in-person! Learn more about how to register
here
Bridging gender gaps in AI: Advancing equity through open knowledge
Host:
Wikimedia Foundation
Format:
Dialogue | In-person
AI systems are increasingly shaping how knowledge is created and accessed online, but persistent gender gaps in data, participation, and representation risk reinforcing existing inequalities. This session explores how open knowledge communities can help address gender bias in AI systems by expanding inclusive datasets, strengthening community participation, and supporting equitable knowledge production.
Stronger together—or stuck together? Rethinking civil society coalitions for a new digital era
Hosts:
Wikimedia Foundation, Paradigm Initiative, Global Partners Digital (GPD), Derechos Digitales
Format:
Roundtable | In-person
As digital policy challenges become more complex, civil society coalitions are becoming increasingly essential. How can these alliances remain effective, inclusive, and responsive? This roundtable will explore lessons learned from cross-regional advocacy efforts and discuss how civil society can build stronger, more sustainable coalitions to defend digital rights.
Building alliances for information integrity on climate change
Host:
Climate Action Against Disinformation (CAAD)
Format:
Dialogue | Online
Climate misinformation and disinformation undermine public understanding of and policy responses to the climate crisis. This session examines how collaborations between researchers, civil society organizations, and open knowledge communities can strengthen information integrity and improve access to reliable climate knowledge online.
Co-creating a South–South agenda for digital rights: ASEAN and African Union
Hosts:
Oxfam International, Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA), Wikimedia Foundation, Access Now, Mzalendo Trust
Format:
Roundtable | Hybrid
Digital governance conversations are often dominated by perspectives from the Global North. This roundtable brings together advocates from Africa and Southeast Asia to explore shared priorities, exchange experiences, and identify opportunities for South–South collaboration on digital rights policy.
Fighting for an internet in the public interest: From vision to action
Hosts:
Wikimedia Foundation, Center for Studies on Freedom of Expression and Access to Information (CELE)
Format:
Roundtable | In-person
What does the internet look like when it truly serves the public interest, and how do we build it? This discussion will explore governance models, regulatory frameworks, and community-led initiatives that support an open, inclusive internet aligned with democratic values and the public good.
Whose knowledge counts? Fighting access gaps on Wikipedia in Africa
Hosts:
Wikimedia User Group Kenya, Wikimedia User Group Tanzania, Wikimedia User Group Uganda
Format:
Workshop | In-person
Access gaps remain one of the biggest challenges facing the global knowledge ecosystem. This interactive workshop highlights community-led efforts in East Africa to expand representation on Wikipedia, addressing knowledge gaps and supporting contributors working to document local histories, cultures, and perspectives.
From fact-checking to free knowledge: Building resilient information ecosystems for elections
Hosts:
Open Foundation West Africa, Wikimedia Foundation
Format:
Workshop | In-person
Healthy democracies depend on reliable information to inform public debate and action. This session will explore how collaborations between fact-checkers, journalists, and open knowledge communities can strengthen information ecosystems during elections and counter misinformation.
Papers please: Responding to the growing trend of digital age verification
Host:
The Information Policy Lab at Dalhousie University
Format:
Dialogue | In-person
Governments around the world are introducing digital age verification requirements to access online services and platforms. This discussion examines the implications for privacy, freedom of expression, and access to knowledge, and considers how civil society can respond to emerging regulatory approaches.
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it! The governance models of internet exchange points
Hosts:
Wikimedia Germany, Youth Internet Governance Forum (IGF) Germany
Format:
Lightning Talk | In-person
Internet exchange points (IXPs) are a critical, yet often overlooked, part of internet infrastructure. This lightning talk explores how their governance models—often collaborative and community-driven—can offer lessons for other areas of internet governance.
Collective action for the commons: Safeguarding open knowledge in AI
Host:
Creative Commons
Format:
Dialogue | In-person
As AI systems increasingly rely on large datasets, questions about the future of the digital commons are becoming more urgent. This session explores how communities, organizations, and policymakers can work together to protect and sustain open knowledge resources in the AI era.
Small, local, just: Reimagining AI for people and planet
Hosts:
Digital Futures Lab, AI + Planetary Justice Alliance, Open Knowledge Foundation, Deutsche Gesellschaft für internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), Digital Public Goods Alliance (DPGA)
Format:
Workshop | In-person
Can AI be designed to support local communities and environmental sustainability? This workshop will explore alternative approaches to AI development that prioritize community governance, local knowledge, and planetary justice.
Join the global conversation
RightsCon continues to be a vital space for the Wikimedia movement to connect with global partners working to defend digital rights and strengthen the online information ecosystem.
Whether you are attending in-person or following online, we invite you to join
these sessions
, share your perspectives, and connect with Wikimedians working to advance free knowledge around the world. Let’s work together to create a future online where everyone, everywhere, can participate in the sum of all human knowledge!
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Photo credits
Lunar rainbow shines over Victoria Falls (8366304)
U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Luke Wilson
Public domain