Welcome to Resilience Innovation Lab (RIL) ! In this newsletter, we will share our latest updates and the latest development of information access in Hong Kong, along with opportunities from the global community on archives, memory activism, and technology-facilitated human rights initiatives.
International Archives Congress 2025 @Barcelona
In October 2025, RIL attended the International Archives Congress in Barcelona. Every four years, the International Council on Archives (ICA) hosts its Congress — a major gathering that brings together members of the archival community from around the world. The event served as a dynamic platform for professionals, academics, and practitioners to exchange ideas, foster discussion, and build international collaboration. It also offered an opportunity for archive and records management experts to connect directly with professionals from related industries, such as artificial intelligence, data management, digitisation, digital preservation, electronic archiving, and document processing, among many others.
RIL participated in panel discussions and workshops that delved into key themes such as the ethics of archival access, community-driven preservation, and the role of archives in documenting histories of displacement and resistance. RIL also learned the potential applications of emerging AI technologies in archival practice and gained insights from international experts on safeguarding archival collections and planning for emergencies. Participation in the Congress offered RIL a meaningful opportunity to place its work on Hong Kong archives within a wider global context.
RTHK’s Removal of Archived Programmes from University Libraries Sparks Concerns Over Public Access
Multiple local chinese news outlets in Hong Kong reported that Hong Kong’s public broadcaster RTHK has requested local universities to remove its archived television programmes from their library collections, ending long-standing access to series such as City Forum, Below the Lion Rock and The Hong Kong Connection.
Institutions including the Education University of Hong Kong, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and the University of Hong Kong confirmed that their RTHK holdings have been taken offline, citing the expiry of copyright exemptions.
The move has raised concerns about access to public information and historical material, particularly for academics researching Hong Kong’s social and political history.
The Hong Kong government defended the decision, stating that the broadcaster must comply with copyright rules and that programme access remains available through RTHK’s official platforms within a 12-month window.
However, the Hong Kong Journalists Association criticised the decision as self-censorship and a barrier to scholarly research, arguing that content funded by taxpayers should remain publicly accessible. Its chairperson, Selina Cheng, stated that an open and confident government would treat publicly funded media as part of the public domain, accessible to all for study and reference.
Funding Opportunities
We’re happy to share ongoing and new funding opportunities from the global archiving and Web3 communities. Take a look at the details below—you may find something valuable for your work.
The National Archives (UK): Records at Risk Grants | Archives Revealed
ACLS Digital Justice Grants (US)
National Lottery Heritage Grants (UK)
Bitcoin Development Fund, Human Rights Foundation (US)
Upcoming Events
We’re excited to share a selection of upcoming events exploring digital archiving, technology, human rights, and civil society. These gatherings are independently organised and not hosted by RIL, but we think they may be of interest to our community.
Digital Preservation Summit 2026
The Digital Preservation Summit 2026 will take place virtually on 5 February 2026, alongside the DAM & Museums 2026 event. Bringing together professionals from galleries, libraries, archives, museums, academic institutions and corporate collections, the summit will focus on one of the most pressing challenges of our time — ensuring the long-term preservation and accessibility of digital heritage. Participants will explore both fundamental and advanced principles of digital preservation, from assessing an organisation’s digital maturity to developing effective metadata strategies and sustainable workflows. Sessions will also examine how emerging technologies can strengthen preservation efforts and how institutions can future-proof their digital assets amid rapid technological change. Attendees will benefit from expert presentations, live Q&A sessions, networking opportunities and tailored vendor exhibitions, with access to event recordings available on demand.
Details of the event can be found here.
The 2026 General Assembly (GA) & Web Archiving Conference (WAC)
The General Assembly & Web Archiving Conference 2026, jointly organised by the International Internet Preservation Consortium (IIPC) and the KBR (Royal Library of Belgium), will take place in Brussels from 20 to 23 April 2026. The event begins with pre-conference workshops and a symposium on 20 April, followed by the main conference on 21–22 April, and concludes with the General Assembly on 23 April. The focus will be on the growing web-archiving community and how its work can become sustainable across technical, social, legal and environmental dimensions — covering areas such as tools and infrastructure, inclusive collection development, legal and ethical challenges, access and research use, policies and standards, and the environmental impact of web-archiving. This is an excellent opportunity for professionals in archives, libraries, digital preservation and documentation to engage with global peers, exchange ideas and stay at the forefront of web-archiving innovation.
RightsCon Summit 2026 Zambia
The 14th edition of the world’s leading summit on human rights in the digital age, will take place in Lusaka, Zambia and online, from Tuesday, May 5 to Friday, May 8, 2026. The organisers are incredibly excited to bring back RightsCon to the African continent since RightsCon Tunis in 2019, and to host their first-ever summit in Southern Africa! The return to Africa carries deep significance. It was a commitment they made after RightsCon Costa Rica in 2023, to bring RightsCon to the continent, and spotlight the strength, resilience, and global significance of Africa’s digital rights community.
Details of the upcoming programme can be found here.
Useful Resources
Judicial Records in Hong Kong * has made every effort to collect court decisions related to the Anti-Extradition Bill Movement for educational and research purposes. These records are still accessible on the website of Hong Kong’s judiciary, but their continued availability to the public in the future remains uncertain. All judicial records collected and displayed here are secured and maintained using blockchain technology, through which they are decentralized and immutable, ensuring transparency, tamper-resistance, and trust in the integrity of the data. Our goal is to utilize blockchain as a form of censorship resistance to preserve invaluable public records. If there are any omissions in this database, please feel free to notify RIL’s research team: info.dap@protonmail.com .
China Open Courts * aims to preserve and provide public access to judicial records from the People’s Republic of China that are at risk of disappearing from official sources. Below is an overview of the methodology adopted in this project, including our data collection strategies, scope of coverage, and plans for ensuring continued accuracy and relevance of the information. Interested parties are welcome to reach out to our team at chinaopencourts@protonmail.com for further information, collaboration opportunities, or suggestions on additional keywords and topics to include.
*To protect your identity and personal information, you are advised to use these online resources with an encrypted device and VPN.
An Unbreakable Wall? Challenges and Opportunities of Defending Freedom of Information in China is RIL’s first research report on information environment in China. This report provides a comprehensive account of China’s information environment under the rule of the CCP. Drawing on evidence-based insights from multiple perspectives, the report seeks to inform a broad range of stakeholders—from policymakers and international businesses to civil society organisations and academic institutions—and encourages collaborative efforts to address the challenges posed by China’s information landscape and its impact on global information networks. The full report is now available on our website.
Safeguarding Freedom of Information in Hong Kong: Challenges, Opportunities and Remedies is RIL’s second research report, focuding on information freedom in Hong Kong. The report systematically outlines how Hong Kong’s information access environment has been significantly constrained since the implementation of the Hong Kong National Security Law (HKNSL) in 2020 and the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance (SNSO) in 2024. These measures have severely curtailed press freedom and undermined the ability of civil society to hold the government accountable. They have encouraged the withholding of publicly available data and represent a departure from international human rights standards. Access to and dissemination of information is increasingly criminalised, resulting in diminished government transparency, suppression of the media, and reduced accessibility to data for businesses. The repercussions are being felt by journalists, the business sector, researchers, and international organisations alike. The report is published bilingually on our website.
Who we are?
Resilience Innovation Lab (RIL) was founded by Asian veteran researchers and human rights defenders in 2023. RIL is a virtual platform promoting innovation, experimentation, and the exchange of research and educational initiatives that aim to develop and strengthen the democratic and digital resilience of organisations and individuals working in repressive environments.
RIL envisions a synergy of democracy, technology and civil society resilience today, especially when authoritarianism emerges as a common threat to liberal democracies and open societies. Building the capacities of citizens and civil groups to respond to such a new environment with creative and innovative instruments is of paramount importance for their sustainable development.
Our work focuses on researching Web3 technology, digital preservation of collective memory and history in conflict and post-conflict areas, and resilience of rule of law institutions and cultures in non-democratic regimes.
Enquiry: info.ril@proton.me