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
March 22, 2024
Summit for Democracy: Upholding Information Integrity Online to Reinforce Democracy and Human Rights
On Tuesday, 19 March during Day 2 of the Summit for Democracy, the co-Chairs of the Freedom Online Coalition’s (FOC) Task Force on Information Integrity Online (TFIIO), Denmark, the Netherlands, […]
Read moreMarch 19, 2024
FOC Issues Joint Statement on Information Integrity Online and Elections
Today, the Freedom Online Coalition (FOC) issued a Joint Statement on Information Integrity Online and Elections. The drafting of the statement was led by the co-Chairs of the FOC’s Task […]
Read moreMarch 12, 2024
Cabo Verde Becomes the 39th Member of the Freedom Online Coalition
The Freedom Online Coalition (FOC) is pleased to welcome Cabo Verde as its 39th Member. Cabo Verde has demonstrated respect for human rights online, both at the domestic level and […]
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.