Monthly Digest: September 2021

Must-read Articles of the Month

Whether it's opinions on fostering digital human rights - or simply the valuable lessons learned along the way, here's a round-up of the past month's most interesting articles and stories.

The right to privacy in the digital age: report (2021)

The UN Human Rights Office recently published the ‘Right to Privacy in Digital Age’ report that analyses how AI affects peoples’ right to privacy and other rights. It notes the risks posed by the increased use of such systems both by government & private agencies.

Of time and the practice of human rights in the digital age

This article reflects on the internet as a constitutive site for rights work, considering its architecture and its interconnectedness with other social institutions may allow us to usefully open it to a different kind of scrutiny.

State of Internet Freedom in Africa Report (2021)

Do you want to understand how State Surveillance is Stifling Democratic Participation in Africa? This is the latest addition to the State of Internet Freedom in Africa series from CIPESA, just launched at the #FIFAAfrica21 conference.

Community Updates

With so much going on it’s easy to lose track of what’s happening in the world of social impact. Stay informed and inspired with our handpicked content from the DHRLab Community.

ICT4Advocacy CoP Virtual Retreat

The Community of Practice on ICT4Advocacy continues to make significant strides. Between 20-24th September conducted a virtual retreat and key on their agenda was a reflection on activities implemented by the CoP over the past months and planning ahead which among others included morphing into a fully-fledged consortium to ensure sustainability.

Children’s Safety Online

As part of their Child Safety Online project, Encrypt Uganda convened a 3-day capacity building workshop on digital security for ICT teachers in Northern Uganda. Their project seeks to improve the safety and security of children online while using the internet, and this was one of their final deliverables.

How do DATA, ART + MENTAL HEALTH impact each other?

Read how Pollicy has empowered a community of creatives with the knowledge and skills that they need to tackle their mental health challenges through meetups and group discussions.

Podcast: Human Rights and the Digital by DHRLab

Human Rights and the Digital Podcast presents voices and perspectives of Human Rights defenders in Uganda, focusing on how technology is being used to the realization of Human Rights. This podcast is produced by the Digital Human Rights Lab. b.

Opportunities | Tips | Resources

Every month, we collate the very best opportunities, tips and resources for digital human rights practitioners in our community.

Empowering civil society to challenge systemic exclusion

Join Defenders Protection Initiative (DPI) is #DigiDecCon21 conference that seeks to provide a forum to interrogate the dynamics, and develop mechanisms to unearth the existing legacy and emergent forms of inequality that radically diminish individuals’ agency and augment the power of technology creators, big tech, and other already powerful social actors in order to underpin exclusion in this digital era.

UN World Data Forum

On 5th October, the Digital Human Rights Lab and Pollicy will host an interactive event that brings together Human Rights Defenders from grassroots to established organisations, and identified data stakeholders to engage, share and learn from each other. Sessions include the topics: Data and Technology for Fact Checking; Data Governance; Privacy and Digital Security. We will have open discussions, gaming sessions, guide launches, broadcasts and more!

3rd Privacy Symposium

Our partner and community member, Unwanted Witness, will hold their 3rd Privacy Symposium Africa under the theme Data Protection A New Dawn In Africa, which will take place from 3-5th November. If you would like to present a research paper or join a panel, send your request to info@unwantedwitness.org, or register to attend here: https://privacysymposiumafrica.com/ . You may alo register for a training on Data Protection taking place at the symposium here: https://privacysymposiumafrica.com/training/

Engendering AI: A Gender and Ethics Perspective on Artificial Intelligence in Africa Series Launch by Pollicy

This is a three-part series that will explore the landscape of Artificial Intelligence (AI) across the African continent through a feminist lens. This first part outlines existing AI applications on the continent, factors that drive or hinder AI innovation, and ethical concerns surrounding the impact of AI on women in the African context.

If you have an activity, article or up-coming event that you would like to share with the DHRLab Community, please email dhrlab@futurechallenges.org / info@dhrlab.org