As AI and digital technologies evolve rapidly, so do government efforts to regulate them, sometimes at the expense of civic freedoms. ICNL works to ensure that human rights protections remain central to AI governance frameworks worldwide.

When Myanmar’s military intensified its crackdown in 2024, community groups in ethnic-controlled areas risked being cut off from each other and the outside world. In 2025, a devastating earthquake struck, compounding the suffering and further isolating communities already under siege. With mass internet outages, daily surveillance, and pervasive fear, the question became: How could civil society continue to work together?

In 2025, Tajikistan broke new ground by adopting its first-ever Law on Social Entrepreneurship, a critical step toward financial resilience and innovation for CSOs. 

Following this year’s foreign aid cuts, ICNL convened regional consultations to understand how organizations were being affected and what support they needed most. Across Asia, Africa, MENA and Latin America, 92% of the participating organizations reported moderate to severe impacts. Many were forced to halt core programs, lay off staff and suspend essential services that communities rely on.

In the wake of Hamas’s attack on Israel in October 2023, members of Congress introduced legislation HR 6408 that would allow the Treasury Secretary to designate nonprofits as “terrorist supporting organizations” and suspend their tax-exempt status based on claimed support of terrorism. ICNL was amongst the first organizations to provide analysis and raise concerns that an administration could abuse this overbroad designation process to selectively target and punish nonprofits whose views the administration opposed.

In 2025, Zimbabwe enacted new amendments to its Private Voluntary Organizations Act, expanding government oversight and tightening registration requirements. The new rules introduced complex procedures and significant penalties, including fines, suspension, and potential imprisonment.

Jordan’s Central Bank mandated that international civil society organizations (CSOs) obtain government approval before receiving funds from their headquarters — a move that threatened to delay vital humanitarian projects and services. 

ICNL helps civil society organizations operating in exile to navigate and comply with legal obligations in their countries of refuge so they can continue to pursue their missions.

As technology becomes more embedded
in our daily lives, the amount of personally identifiable data – including our names, addresses, birthdates, and identification numbers – that we share has increased exponentially.

ICNL tracks legislative proposals that would limit the right to protest in the US, alerts partners about these initiatives, and provides nonpartisan analysis of legal issues affecting the freedom of assembly.