Digital Rights Lounge

The digital rights lounge seeks to bring together digital rights organisations to share experiences and showcase their work related to advancing digital rights in Africa. This will include a visual mural representing a spectrum of internet freedom issues in Africa including insights gathered since the inception of our annual Forum on Internet Freedom in Africa reports. The mural includes references to press freedom, the gender dynamics of internet, access to information, data protection and privacy, affordability, non-discrimination on line and offline as well as internet shutdowns. A short animation to complement the mural will also be produced.

A help desk will provide participants with information about the different works of digital rights activists. Additionally, a reading corner will be setup to allow participants time to comprehend the different digitals rights materials showcased at the lounge.

The lounge will also provide a digital security hub where participants at the re:publica can learn about current digital security tools they can use to secure their online information. The lounge is based on the premised that internet users especially at-risk groups such as human rights defenders, women, LGBTI in several African countries face regular online and offline threats and attacks from state and non-state actors. Whereas safety tools can be crucial in securing their communications, enhancing mobilisation, and effectuating support systems, there is often a low level of digital safety skills among the at-risk users. With increasing digital connectivity among the at-risk users comes new threats, unless the they embrace diligent digital safety practices and adhere to them. Poor digital security skills, including on social media, have often resulted in blackmail and extortion of members of the community, and in cyber harassment, and sometimes physical attacks. Drawing on research and the experiences of individuals that work to secure at-risk users, the digsec clinic will this seek to examine critical internet users’ ICT behaviour and practices that pose risks to them; and share experiences on building mechanisms to support at-risk activists and critical users in a coordinated, multi-faceted manner, e.g. security support, legal support, awareness raising, and digital security support.

An number of digital rights organization will be present and hosting different programme elements at the lounge.

Participating organisations and sessions