Our Mission
The Freedom Online Coalition (FOC) is a group of countries committed to the human rights and fundamental freedoms proclaimed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
The FOC believes that the human rights that people have offline must also be protected online. The Coalition serves as a coordinating body that advances cross-regional diplomacy and commits to working together, and with all others who share these views, including through multistakeholder engagement, to support Internet freedom and protect human rights online worldwide.
The FOC aims to be a proactive Coalition that works with all stakeholders to ensure Internet freedom issues are on the policy agenda as a way to drive concrete policy changes and outcomes, and shape global norms to promote a rules-based, democratic, and inclusive world where human rights and fundamental freedoms are upheld in online and digital contexts.
Working Methods
To support the FOC’s mission, Members agree to prioritise three primary working methods, as outlined in the Terms of Reference:
- Information and knowledge sharing, including through facilitating learning calls, monitoring and research activities, voluntary funding coordination, and sharing best-practices and guidelines on relevant policy and issue areas, as well as strengthening cooperation and coordination with outside stakeholders, where appropriate;
- Diplomatic coordination, including through developing joint positions and strategies on thematic topics, and coordinating rapid responses to human rights violations; and
- Advocacy, including through issuing of Coalition statements and other outputs, directly engaging in multilateral fora, facilitating joint demarches, and hosting and participating in internal and external events.
Statements & Other Outputs
The FOC’s Member States strive to develop joint positions and strategies on thematic topics of importance to the Coalition’s mission, in addition to jointly responding to repeated and publicly documented human rights violations online. By reacting to emerging issues through statements and other written outputs, Coalition Members are able to increase the visibility of their positions and use these as the basis for advocacy in multilateral fora. Recent outputs include:
Task Forces & Working Groups
The FOC’s ad hoc Task Forces and Working Groups provide a mechanism for focused and issue-based engagement, facilitating substantive contributions by the FOC with input from the FOC’s independent multistakeholder Advisory Network. Active Task Forces & Working Groups include:
Recent News
November 23, 2023
FOC Strategy & Coordination Meeting Held in Geneva, Switzerland
From 14-15 November, Freedom Online Coalition (FOC) Members, alongside the Coalition’s multistakeholder Advisory Network (FOC-AN), Observers, and other stakeholders, convened in Geneva, Switzerland for the final Strategy and Coordination Meeting […]
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October 27, 2023
Internet Governance Forum 2023: FOC Session Summaries
The 2023 Internet Governance Forum (IGF), which took place from 8-12 October in Kyoto, Japan, featured four multistakeholder panel sessions hosted by the FOC and its sub-entities. The IGF provided […]
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October 11, 2023
Publication of the Donor Principles for Human Rights in the Digital Age
Today, the Freedom Online Coalition (FOC) has published the “Donor Principles for Human Rights in the Digital Age” during a hybrid launch-event at the 2023 Internet Governance Forum in Kyoto, Japan. […]
Read moreFOC Members
FOC Members are countries committed to protecting and promoting human rights, both online and offline, domestically and abroad. FOC Members agree to work together through the FOC’s working methods and to adhere to existing FOC commitments as stated in the Coalition’s foundational documents.
Today, 38 governments are part of the Freedom Online Coalition.
Argentina
Australia
Austria
Canada
Chile
Costa Rica
Czech Republic
Denmark
Estonia
Finland
France
Georgia
Germany
Ghana
Iceland
Ireland
Italy
Japan
Kenya
Republic of Korea
Latvia
Lithuania
Luxembourg
The Maldives
Mexico
Moldova
Mongolia
The Netherlands
New Zealand
Norway
Poland
Slovakia
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
Tunisia
United Kingdom
