New terms and concepts emerge with overwhelming frequency in the technology world. At APC we present this glossary as a practical way of igniting debate and thinking around these concepts. The APC glossary aims to provide accessible definitions of the terms we use while also giving a political perspective of what they mean and why we use them. It is also a useful resource to share with editors and translators in order to facilitate their job in terms of understanding the political nuances of various terms that APC frequently uses, and other new terms that we are adopting.
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Universal Access to ICT refers that everyone in a population has access to publicly available communication network facilities and services (Karla added this). Access refers to access to the…
(Karla) The Internet is such a complex network that to understand its functioning and governance, a three-layer analogy is used: The internet is comprised by the socio-economic layer, the logic…
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We can define the circular economy of digital devices as extending the useful life of digital devices through improved manufacturing and reuse, maximising the positive social impacts of devices,…
An internet access infrastructure set up by, owned and run by a local community for the community's benefit. Although this definition can vary according to multiple experiences, these networks are…
The term refers to connectivity that is shaped by the community itself in a manner that reflects the different interests and relationships within the community.
This refers to the provider – whether it issomeone or some entity in the community itself,or an outside actor – who provides community-centred connectivity (as defined above) servicesto the…
The development of norms, protocols and technical protections to ensure the safety and integrity of infrastructures, networks, information and systems from outside cyber attacks. APC believes these…
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Data extractivism refers to the massive extraction of user data by private companies such as Meta, Google, Amazon, and Microsoft, often without appropriate privacy checks and protocols. This…
Data justice refers to fairness in the way people are made visible, represented and treated as a result of their production of digital data, which is necessary to determine ethical paths through a…
A term more frequently used now instead of 'internet governance', taken to involve the governance of a broader spectrum of digital services and infrastructures in a time of rapid digitalisation and…
For APC digital inclusion is not just about more people getting connected to the internet. Digital inclusion involves creating mechanisms and processes to progressively realise the meaningful…
The ability to understand and recognize threats that exist on the internet, as well as having the skills and knowledge to avoid and minimize these threats.
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Environmental justice is concerned with protecting, promoting and defending the rights of all life on Earth to a healthy, safe and sustainable environment, including access to justice for socio-…
Environmental sustainability is concerned with preserving environmental systems for "sustainable development" that is "development that meets the needs of the present without…
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As an autonomous infrastructure, these are alternative networks that reflect the valuesand principles of communities around the world. They are proposed and built under feminist perspectives and…
A feminist approach to foreign policy would center human security over state and national security, and focus on dismantling the global economic and political structures that reproduce gender…
A series of statements that offer a gender and sexual rights lens on critical internet-related rights. They were drafted at the first Imagine a Feminist Internet meeting that took place in…
Software with source code that is available and can be reused and modified by anyone with the appropriate tools and skills. APC believes the use of FLOSS is critical to building an open internet…
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Karla changed this definition, hope that's ok! Access is not just about being online. Access is about the inclusion and meaningful participation of all women and gender-diverse people in the…
A free market system in a digital society in which temporary positions are common and organizations contract with independent workers for short-term engagements.
APC advocates on behalf of marginalised peoples in the global South. However, its use of the term “global South” is relatively fluid. It refers to issues of social justice and the marginalisation…
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The practice of designing a digital safety model that is holistic, and prioritises safety in all fronts including physical, digital and pychosocial. This model is customised based on a person…
We understand hybrid event as an event that has both on-site and online participants and/or speakers, and where participation and engagement are mediated through and by technology.
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Internet governance is the development principles, norms, rules, decision-making procedures, and activities that shape the evolution and use of the Internet. APC believes that this governance should…
An internet shutdown is an intentional disruption of the internet and digital services by the state so that they cannot be used in the normal way. Internet shutdowns often occur on a spectrum from…
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The region traditionally known as the Global South or developing world that encompasses the majority of humankind.
The term “meaningful community-centredconnectivity” should be understood to meanconnectivity that operates in a local contextwhere it is affordable and accessible in terms ofthe locally used…
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One of APC's key principles of building a just, inclusive and fair interent, where all stakeholders are involved in its governance and development, in particularly marginalised and…
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Net neutrality is the principle of letting all internet traffic flow equally and impartially, without discrimination. It allows internet users to access any web content or applications they choose…
The term refers to the phenomenon where the speed of the internet is reduced to discourage active engagement online. This is usually done on orders of the governments during political instability…
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Technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV)– such as cyberstalking, online harassment and doxxing – encompasses acts of gender-based violence that are committed, abetted or aggravated, in…
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The right for wellness that people of all walks of life to access the relevant and necessary resources for them that supports their well-being. Caring for self is an intentional and revolutionary…
The massive collection of user data by private companies such as Meta, Google, Amazon, and Microsoft, is often done without appropriate privacy checks and protocols. This collection of data (a…
Systemic oppression occurs when the current economic system and international and national laws and practices systemically reflect and produce inequities based on, but not limited to, sex (…