October 12 2023 GM

Glitter Meetups What are Glitter Meetups Notes from Past Glitter Meetups Virtual Events Calendar Join the TCU Mattermost

Glitter Meetup is the weekly town hall of the Internet Freedom community at the IF Square on the TCU Mattermost, at 9am EDT / 1pm UTC. Do you need an invite? Learn how to get one here.

• Date: Thursday, October 12
• Time: 9am EDT / 1pm UTC
• Where: On TCU Mattermost "IF Square" Channel.
  • Don't have an account to the TCU Mattermost? you can request one following the directions here.

What is happening with digital rights around the world?

Come to share emerging and existing digital rights conversations happening around the world and in your region at this Glitter Meetup! There is something new, specific or special that you would like to bring to the technology and human rights table? Join us and let's talk about it!

Notes

What are some of the conversations or issues related to digital rights happening in your regions, area of expertise and interest, that you think people should be aware of?

LATAM:

• In Colombia the Constitutional Court declared that the government violated freedom of expression by interrupting internet access during the national strike in 2021.
• Argentina passed the "Ley Olimpia" (like the one in Mexico), which recognizes digital violence as a form of gender-based violence. The law includes provisions for the creation of protective measures for victims, public policies for digital literacy, and strategies to prevent such aggressions. Some orgs are a little worried, however, with some articles related to content removal and how this can be delicate regarding freedom of expression.
• In Mexico there are worries around digital ID: in a recent attempt two Senators tried to disguise the Citizen Identity Card as a “CURP with photo”. Some orgs say this identity document poses serious risks to human rights, such as massive state surveillance or exclusion from access to public services.
• Pegasus is a whole subject and continues to be a threat for human rights defenders and journalists.
• In general, surveillance is a whole issue in the region, with the typical "protection" discourse to sell it our, but definitely a way to surveil and control
• The Engine Room is starting a new project aimed at contributing to a healthy and robust information ecosystem in Latin America and the Caribbean, supported by OSF. we're kicking off the project with this community call. we’ll be joined by speakers Nathaly Espitia and Maria Juliana (Universidad Icesi, Cali. Colombia) from Colectivo Noís Radio, Júlia Rocha from Artigo 19, and Ramiro Alvarez Ugarte from CELE, who will be sharing learnings and insights about their work in the region.

There is a lot of conversations on digital identity in Kenya. Recently Kenya signed an MOU with UNDP to support the country's digital identity program.

From the current conversation, we seeing trends in surveillance, digital IDs and censorship in very similar yet different ways. Are there any cross regional cases that you have observed as well?

One participants says: I think there are many threads that go beyond borders, with states sharing notes and "inspiring" each other. There's even more and more of transnational repression, with Russian journalists being targeted in countries where they're living in exile. On that last issue I've seen this report from Citizen Lab

How the digital rights community could reflect on ways to learn from each other, approaches and techniques and build collaborative spaces in general.

A community member says: I think we should be more present in each other's events. I know, for example, that Karisma, a Colombian org was at Bread & Net. I think we should aim to build more bridges like this one, and encourage more cross-regional conversations, not just go to our region's spaces in international events; and also organize either reports or presentations highlighting issues we have in common