Civil and political rights
Show me all types of advances during COVID-19
| Measure | Country |
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| Affordable Connectivity Program | United States |
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The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) is an extension of the Emergency Broadband Benefit (EBB) which provided “a temporary discount on monthly broadband bills for qualifying low-income households,” including “[u]p to… |
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| Overview of Support Funds for Non-Profit 0rganization – Support Fund (Unterstützungsfonds für Non-Profit-Organisationen im Überblick) | Austria |
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The “NPO support fund” provides grants in the form of cash for organizations, including “non-profit organizations . . . that are officially closed due to the lockdown” to enable them… |
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| Supreme Court of India, Writ Petition No. 154 of 2020, Vinod Dua versus Union of India & Ors. | India |
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The Supreme Court quashed the FIR (first information report) that had been brought against journalist Vinot Dua in June 2020 while rejecting “the prayer that no FIR be registered against… |
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| IPIB Information on Open Meetings/Public Records & COVID-19 | United States |
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According to this directive, the Governor will “continue to temporarily suspend” provisions of the Iowa Code “imposing a requirement to hold a public meeting or hearing, to the extent that… |
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| IPIB Information on Open Meetings/Public Records & COVID-19 | United States |
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According to this directive, the Governor will “continue to temporarily suspend” provisions of the Iowa Code “imposing a requirement to hold a public meeting or hearing, to the extent that… |
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| Supreme Court of India, Writ Petition No. 154 of 2020, Vinod Dua versus Union of India & Ors. | India |
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The Supreme Court quashed the FIR (first information report) that had been brought against journalist Vinot Dua in June 2020 while rejecting “the prayer that no FIR be registered against… |
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| 2021 COVID-19 Stability Fund for Community and Voluntary, Charity and Social Enterprises | Ireland |
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“A funding of €10 million [was] announced for the COVID-19 Stability Fund for 2021.” The Fund builds on an earlier fund and is “open to all Community and Voluntary organisations,… |
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| Arizona Department of Education Announces $1.5 Million Dollars to Fund Final Mile Project | United States |
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“Federal relief and recovery funds available to [the Arizona Department of Education] will fund high-speed internet infrastructure to homes located in six geographically diverse rural areas of Arizona. The project… |
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| National Policy on Radical Inclusion in Schools | Sierra Leone |
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The National Policy on Radical Inclusion in Schools, under the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education “provide[s] a roadmap for the day-to-day operations of schools and the Ministry of… |
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| Revised Phase Two Guidance Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19): Guidance for Mass Gatherings | United States |
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In the District of Columbia, while the guidelines prohibit “[i]ndoor gatherings of more than 10 people and outdoor gatherings of more than 50 people,” an exception to this order is:… |
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| Hundreds of Thousands More Laptops to Support Disadvantaged Pupils Learn at Home | United Kingdom |
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As “[p]art of the Get Help with Technology Programme,” an additional 300,000 laptops and tablets, in addition to the already “700,000 laptops and tablets . . . delivered to schools… |
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| Order Granting Plaintiffs’ Motion for Preliminary Injunction, Johnson v. Iowa Dep’t of Pub. Safety, No. 4:20-cv-00306-RGE-CFB (S.D. Iowa Dec. 10, 2020) | United States |
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After plaintiffs were banned “from the Iowa State Capitol and Capitol Complex grounds for periods ranging from six months to one year” following a protest, they sought “an order preliminarily… |
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| BiblioTechs: Transforming Public Libraries into Functional Ones | Albania |
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“‘BiblioTech: public libraries into functional ones’ is an initiative of the Municipality of Tirana and UNICEF Albania, implemented in close collaboration with Albanian Sustainable Development Organization (ASDO). The initiative aims… |
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| Joint Statement on International Access to Information Day 2020 | Australia, New Zealand |
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“Information Access Commissioners and Ombudsmen from across Australia and New Zealand . . . released a joint statement to mark International Access to Information Day” in September 2020. The statement… |
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| $50 Million in Grant Funding Available to Help Students Gain Internet Access | United States |
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In Ohio, “[t]he lieutenant governor announced the state will set aside $50 million of funding through the federal CARES Act to provide hotspots and internet-enabled devices to students.” According to… |
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| Agreement Signed to Cover Villages And Population Centers With Telecommunications And Internet Services Via Satellite | Oman |
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“The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) and Oman Broadband Company (OBC) signed an agreement . . . to provide telecommunications and internet services to [598] villages and population centers by satellite… |
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| Legislators Agree to Create Special Commission that Investigates, among Other Things, Harassment of Salvadoran Journalists (Legisladores Acuerdan Crear Comisión Especial que Investigue, entre Otras Cosas, Acoso a Periodistas Salvadoreños) | El Salvador |
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The legislature voted to create a “Special Commission for the investigation of harassment suffered by media journalists due to their work and editorial line and the use of public funds… |
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| Order Prohibiting Larger Assemblies and Access to and Restrictions on Premises and Locations in Connection with the Handling of Covid-19 (Bekendtgørelse om Forbud Mod Større Forsamlinger og Mod Adgang til og Restriktioner for Lokaler og Lokaliteter i Forbindelse med Håndtering af Covid19) | Denmark |
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Under COVID-19 restrictions it was “forbidden to hold and participate in indoor and outdoor events, events, activities or the like, where there are more than 100 people present at the… |
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| Governor Ivey Allocates $100 Million for Alabama Broadband Connectivity for Students | United States |
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“Alabama Broadband Connectivity (ABC) for Students, will provide vouchers for families of students currently eligible for free and reduced-price school meals, or other income criteria. The vouchers will help cover… |
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| Chicago Launches Groundbreaking Initiative to Bridge Digital Divide, Providing Free High-Speed Internet Access to Over 100,000 Chicago Public School Students | United States |
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“‘Chicago Connected’ . . . will provide free high-speed internet service to approximately 100,000 Chicago Public Schools (CPS) students in their households.” The program “will provide high-speed internet for households… |
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| Connected Beyond the Classroom | United States |
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The City of San Antonio “propose[s] to build a collaborative, citywide, multi-government agency network between the City and other governmental entities to expand fiber capability and student access in San… |
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| COVID-19 Contact Tracing Privacy Act under House Bill 2016 (New Sec. 16) | United States |
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The stated purpose of the COVID-19 Contact Tracing Privacy Act of Kansas is: “to protect the privacy of persons whose information is collected through contact tracing and the confidentiality of… |
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| Juneteenth Rally Planned in Madison Amid COVID-19 Pandemic, Social Unrest | United States |
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In Madison, Wisconsin, although Juneteenth, “an annual nationwide day of celebration to commemorate the freeing of the slaves after the Civil War” was originally “shifted online due to the COVID-19… |
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| New York Contact Tracing Law: Senate Bill S8450C | United States |
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The New York legislation includes provisions on: confidentiality (“All contact tracing information shall be kept confidential by any contact tracer and contact tracing entity, and may not be disclosed except… |
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| The Summary Judge of the Council of State Suspends the General and Absolute Ban on Demonstrating on the Public Highway (Le Juge des Référés du Conseil d’État Suspend L’interdiction Générale et Absolue de Manifester sur la Voie Publique) | France |
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The French Council of State decided that “the ban on demonstrations” resulting from a May 31, 2020 decree that prohibited “gatherings, meetings or activities bringing together more than ten people”… |
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| Three Guidelines for Large-Scale Demonstrations (Drei Vorgaben für Großdemonstrationen) | Austria |
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The government “organized a round table . . . with representatives of the City of Vienna, the police, the health authorities and demonstration organizers” following a “protest against racism and… |
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| Application for the Issuance of an Interim Order against a Ban on Assembly Partially Successful (Antrag auf Erlass einer Einstweiligen Anordnung gegen Versammlungsverbot teilweise erfolgreich) | Germany |
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The First Chamber of the First Senate of the Federal Constitutional Court found that “[t]he assembly authority had incorrectly assumed that the ordinance of the Hessian state government to combat… |
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| Efforts to Support Singapore’s Media Sector | Singapore |
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The Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA), a “statutory board in the Singapore government” “is strengthening its efforts to support the media sector in Singapore during the current COVID-19 situation.” Initiatives… |
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| Notice Issued By Tra-Oman On The Measures Taken By The Sultanate Of Oman To Guarantee The Provision Of Telecommunication Services, Limit The Spread Of The Coronavirus (Covid-19) Pandemic And Mitigate Its Effects | Oman |
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A series of “measures were taken to ensure the continuity of the telecom services and avoid network congestion due to increased demand.” Among others, these include: “provide free distance learning… |
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| NOVISSI | Togo |
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“To support eligible Togolese citizens in the informal sector whose daily income has been disrupted by the Coronavirus crisis, the Government of Togo has set up the ‘NOVISSI’ cash transfer… |
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| Regulations Issued in Terms of Section 27(2) of the Disaster Management Act, 2002 | South Africa |
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Pursuant to these regulations, “The National Department of Health shall develop and maintain a national database to enable the tracing of persons who are known or reasonably suspected to have… |
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| Rural Broadband Upgrade to Boost COVID-19 Recovery in Remote Communities | New Zealand |
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As part of an effort towards economic recovery from COVID-19, “[t]he Government has allocated up to $15 million in savings from the Ultra-fast Broadband initiative to improve rural broadband capacity”… |
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| U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), “Lies in the Time of COVID19” | United States |
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“The United States Agency for Global Media and its networks have remained committed to providing accurate and unbiased information about the coronavirus, clarifying any misinformation, and exposing disinformation related to… |
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| Coronavirus: Polygraph and Directorate-General of Health Establish Partnership against “Fake News” (Coronavírus: Polígrafo e Direção-Geral da Saúde Estabelecem Parceria contra as “Fake News”) | Portugal |
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Coronavirus related material published by the fact-checking platform Polígrafo “will be previously subject to scientific validation by an expert appointed by the Directorate-General for Health.” This effort is being undertaken… |
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| Etisalat and Du Provide Mobile Internet for Families Who Have No Home Internet to Enable Distance Learning | United Arab Emirates |
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The “TRA [Telecommunications Regulatory Authority] announced that it has coordinated with service providers to provide free internet data via mobile phone to families with no home internet services, in order… |
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| Ministerial Agreement No. 009-2020 (Acuerdo Ministerial No. 009-2020) | Ecuador |
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The Ministry of Telecommunications and Information Society, noting the country’s constitutional obligation to guarantee that public services respond to principles of, among others, universality, accessibility, and quality, issued guidelines regarding… |
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| The People-Centric Economic Stimulus Package (PRIHATIN): No One Will Be Left Behind | Malaysia |
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“Several packages will be offered in collaboration with various telecommunications companies (telcos), including efforts to improve telecommunications network and free Internet offerings, that are collectively worth RM1 billion. To ensure… |
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