LCN at RightsCon Taipei

On February 27th, the Leading Change Network (LCN) attended RightsCon Taipei 2025, the global summit on digital rights. This gathering brought together over 3,000 participants, including activists, journalists, academics, and digital rights advocates, to discuss the evolving challenges and opportunities in the digital space.

A highlight of the conference was Junko Yoda, LCN Board Member, who shared her journey of building people power using the People, Power, Change framework, which is a set of tried-and-tested five leadership practices of Community Organizing. From leading anti-human trafficking campaigns across Asia to igniting Community Organizing Japan, Junko has been instrumental in localizing leadership tools to organize for change.

Her voice in the summit was part of an ecosystem of stories that connect the Leading Change community together—a global network of changemakers who are relentlessly fighting for justice and committed to strengthening the capacity of leaders, organizations, and movements to build real power and drive locally rooted change. 

Conference highlights:

• Powerful Opening—Taiwan’s Vice President welcomed 3,000+ participants, celebrating Taiwan’s democracy and support for civil society.
• Sessions on Crucial Topics—engaging discussions that impact organizing in today’s reality, including cybersecurity, malware, deepfake threats, internet shutdowns, and digital rights protections.
• Cybersecurity is non-negotiable—we need better protection for activists, journalists, and communities.
• In this day and age, what we need to protect the most is our data — it’s time to rethink security strategies alongside organizing strategies!

Reflecting on the conference, Junko shared: “Living in the 21st century, all activists, journalists, and human rights NGOs need basic technology knowledge on encryption, VPNs, malware awareness, data protection, and digital rights to protect ourselves and our community. If we’re not there yet, now is the time!”

The insights from RightsCon Taipei 2025 reinforced a crucial reality: as threats against organizers increase, our strategies must evolve. The fight for justice is also a fight for secure and resilient communities.