In this live recording of our Podcast "Digital Rights Explored: Local Fights, Global Perspectives," we talked about content moderation by social media platforms taking a wrong turn. From their initial hands-off approach when it came to content, they turned to today’s invasive approach using also automated processes in making decisions. The platforms get to decide what stays up, and what gets to be taken down. What are the effects of these binary processes on us as society? Our expert Vladimir Cortés (Article 19) shared with us the situation from Mexico where content moderation affects differe ..read more

Being online means being at risk. This episode is dedicated to a problem affecting us all, worldwide - cybercrime.   We travel to Kenya where cybercrime is on a steep rise. There has been a 37.3 % jump in cyber criminal activities in Kenya between April to June in 2021 alone. The pandemic played a major role in the rise of cyber crimes like impersonation, online fraude, abuse online etc as the use of the internet grew. We talk with Tevin Mwenda, a lawyer based in Kenya and specialized in Technology Law, Data Protection and Cyber Security.  Tevin introduces us to Rukshar, who has been ..read more

In this episode we talk about the biggest hype of our time when it comes to our digital lives: the Metaverse. Ever since Mark Zuckerberg made the announcement of what his company Meta is developing, everyone in the digital rights community is talking about the implications of this new immersive digital world on our personal lives and on our (digital) human rights. That is why we want to engage with our Podcast in this important discussion too. With this episode we will attempt to answer some of the most basic to more complex questions when talking about the Metaverse. What is the Metaverse (fr ..read more

Some of you listeners have asked us to explain the basics of digital rights, “what type of rights are there exactly”? Our response is this special episode of Digital Rights Explored where international experts talk with us about the major digital rights stories of our time. In this episode we will recap some of the most important digital rights news stories of last year- 2021. When you hear them, you will certainly remember them. Using the real-life examples you already know, we will explain the specific digital rights being at stake there. Whether it is access to the internet, violation of pr ..read more

As people get online, they are encouraged or even forced to share significant amounts of personal information. What happens when this data is collated? And what happens when this data gets into the wrong hands? This can have very real effects offline, putting individuals’ lives in danger. Large corporations and government bodies, while digitising their services for more data-driven societies, violate also (whether deliberate or not) citizens' digital rights by surveilling them, criminalising citizens based on their (digital) data, and/or sharing their data and violating their right to privacy ..read more

In the face of the global pandemic, many countries have imposed different control measures on their citizens under the veil of curbing the further spread of the virus. In this episode we will discuss with Agnes Venema - an expert on national security and emerging surveillance technology digital surveillance - measures taken in Australia during the Covid-19 pandemic. Australia is a country that took perhaps one of the strictest measures globally in containing the spread of the virus.  With closed international borders, constant lockdowns, rigorous home quarantine, and no movement between t ..read more

The founder of Tinder said: “Nobody joins Tinder because they’re looking for something.” “They join because they want to have fun. It doesn’t even matter if you match because swiping is so fun.” However in this episode we have examined how dating apps have revolutionised the world of dating and relationships. We explore with an anthropologist and expert on partner choice, sexology, dynamics of long-term relationships and relationship satisfaction - Jaroslava Varella Valentova - why dating apps are so popular in Brazil. We hear the personal testimonies of Jaroslava’s student, Bruno from São Pa ..read more

In this episode we talk about digital censorship of independent and critical voices on major social media platforms. This is a contradictory circumstance since it is exactly these platforms that serve, in particular in countries with oppressive regimes, as the channels for dissenting voices to be heard and seen. The platforms often state that the content removal is due to a “technical bug,” but many independent journalists and activists believe they are being silenced by political reasons.  In this episode we travel to Turkey, where we speak to Gürkan Özturan, executive manager at the new ..read more

In this episode we explore the topic of the smartphone divide in Namibia amongst its youth. In Namibia, smartphones are the main entry point to the Internet for young people. The country officially has an excess of smartphones per capita. Yet the distribution of smartphones shows a deep urban-rural gap, and therefore leaves around half of the population disconnected from the Internet. In this episode we explore what is at stake for young Namibians who are not digitally connected, in terms of their livelihood opportunities. Petrina Mathews and Opeyemi Toriola are both experienced MIL facilitat ..read more

Across Latin America, Indigenous human rights defenders have been targeted by enemies who wish to see them silenced because of their work. According to the Colombian non-governmental organization, Indepaz, 269 Indigenous leaders have been murdered in the country since 2016, with 94 leaders in the state of Cauca.  As with most types  of activism, digital communications figure prominently in organizing among their community, as well as for raising awareness and international solidarity. As more and more communities are getting online, so does the risk of harassment and threats, hacking ..read more