In 2008 the APC Women's Programme began a two and a half year research project looking into the role of sexuality online. The study, called Exploratory Research on Sexuality and ICTs -- or "EroTICs" -- looked at the experiences of a diversity of users, primarily women and girls of different ages, classes, sexual orientations and identities. Research was conducted in five countries: Brazil, India, Lebanon, South Africa and the United States.

This year the annual report of the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression and Opinion focuses for the first time on the internet. Over recent decades, the internet has become a platform for shared learning, innovation, and collaborative action for justice. Yet, as the report details, freedom of expression and association on the internet is increasingly at risk.