We’re coming to RightsCon this week! Come say hello, as we’ll be participating and hosting a number of sessions this year:
June 12th
The Digital Language Divide: Why Prioritizing Underrepresented Languages Matters.
As policymakers continue to address the growing digital divide, special attention must be paid to underrepresented language users who are continually relegated to the peripheries of the Internet. What obstacles do underrepresented language communities face as a result of their online exclusion? And what role can policymakers, developers, and activists play to bring linguistic diversity to the forefront? Our panel discussion brings together key stakeholders to shed light on the challenges they face, both as Internet users and as individuals working to promote their languages online. The session will discuss issues from digital security risks and economic obstacles to technical challenges when incorporating languages with no script and creating keyboards with new font types. We will also discuss the ways that communities are successfully leveraging technology to preserve and promote language.
"Data Driven" Foreign Aid and "Digital Development" Strategies: Are we disrupting disenfranchisement - or scaling It?
Public and private donors and INGOs increasingly highlight the importance of "data-driven" programming, and the launch of GDPR in 2018 deepened internal discussions throughout Europe and North America on data management and acquisition standards. But where are the voices of the "beneficiaries" of foreign assistance in these strategies, and how are their perspectives and rights informing the decisions donors and INGOs make with regard to data collection, aggregation and use within foreign aid? With current legal and procurement structures, and the political drivers, inherent in foreign aid, can our current assistance structures truly "empower beneficiaries" in new or powerful ways by shifting to data-driven or digital strategies, or are these moves primarily designed to diminish costs and increase efficiency among large Western institutions?
If you keep suggesting blockchain, I swear to God I will f—ing scream
When we make decisions in humanitarian and development projects based on solutions we want to use, instead of user needs, we could be exposing beneficiaries to bigger risks, by leaving them out of decision-making process. Our panel of experts will discuss the following points: *What is technosolutionism and how to avoid it in projects? *How organizations and individuals can deal with technosolutionist demands from funders and partners. *So, what is blockchain and when *should* it be used in projects? *In praise of low-tech or no-tech solutions: How to shift media focus from shiny new toys in tech, to the mundane, consentful, and trusted solutions--and the complexity of the development work, participation, and research necessary that leads to successful and sustainable projects.
June 13th
Digital Identity for Refugees: Special considerations for protection and privacy
How does Digital ID apply to refugee communities?
Data Protection and Refugees: Informed consent in asylum process and access to aid
Refugees must give biometric data, as well as very sensitive information about why it is that they left their country and why they are afraid to go back. This information might include details about war crimes, crimes against humanity, or sexual violence--information that is extremely sensitive and must be protected. In this panel session, we will discuss how this affects the asylum process.
Datafied Refuge: Navigating new digital borders for refugees in the city
This workshop convenes a critical session surrounding the development, use, and experience of emerging ICTs for ‘integration’ amongst refugees, asylum seekers, and vulnerable migrant populations at destinations. With smartphones to hand, many refugees today document their traversals and communicate with family scattered across the globe, creating and leaving data trails. Once they reach an intermediary or final destination, biometric data is recorded in order to process visas or asylum documents, even to grant access to benefits schemes.
June 14th
More Than Words Can Say: Localization as a human rights issue
This session will review different types of human rights manuals, digital security training manuals and immigration legal manuals that are available online, and what user needs they meet before discussing localizability and adoption challenges. We will work in small groups to identify challenges and opportunities in adopting the framework in the guide for a particular audience.