Sunday, July 26, 2020

Digital Rights: Latin America - Part II

              This post is a summary og the same book from last weekend, the book published in 2017 at   https://itsrio.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/digital-rights.pdf

             What has been traditionally associated to journalism is now extended to people that elected the internet as their main tool of expression, for instance, bloggers, editors of websites and internet users. There are signs which indicates that freedom of expressions violations have the potential of getting more intense against these communicators, who are generally acting autonomously, without any support from the big companies of the communication sector. Thus, bloggers' and users' rights to protect themselves and to fully assure their right to freedom of expression on internet become an emergent theme concerning web governance. In 2012, Article 19 did the entire registration of the gravest cases of freedom of expression violations on the online environment in Brazil and produced a report called "Threats on the web." Unfortunately, the threats exceed the scope of judicial censorship. Journalists and bloggers are victims of physical aggression, death threats and murders because of what they say on internet. Article 19's research found 16 cases of serious threats to freedom of expression in 2012. It correspond to three homicides, three attempted murders and ten death threats against communicators that disseminated information, ideas and opinions on the web. The right to freedom of expression has been defined as "the fundamental pillar" of the democratic system. Network neutrality ensures that internet will remain open so that dissenting voices may express themselves and gain relevance from the interest of citizens and not by their economic power. The production of independent online content is gaining ground in Brazil to address the broadcasting oligopoly and media concentration in the hands of conservative families. The Civil Rights Framework for Internet Use ensures that requests for removal of content from net should only be imposed when there is a court order. This regulation has proved to be relevant in the case of the 2014 elections. Some politicians have invested against information disclosures, satires and online critiques, but now they need to pass the scrutiny of justice. In the case of privacy, the text states that private communication is inviolable and operators of telecommunications networkd are not allowed to monitor their clients. In dictatorships, surveillance is an essential tool that protects the regime. This is what makes the right to privacy a pillar for freedom of expression, freedom of opinion, and fundamental to democracy. The 8th Internet Governance Forum held in Bali, Indonesia. had as was expected, an intense agenda focused mainly on aspects related to security, privacy and human rights.The need to create workspaces and debates around how we want the internet to be built in the future is not only inevitable but also urgent. It seems unreasonable to think that strengthening the benevolent self-refulation and monitoring by the U.S. government into a multisectoral model full of vices, is the best way of solving the current problems. The role of governments is also important and urgent, but with respect for human rights and multisectoral involvement as a starting point. The internet management, the way in which decisions on its infrastructure, protocols and services are taken, is what is called internet governance. This refers to the development and application of principles, norms, rules, and decision-making procedures, and programmes that shape the evolution and use of the internet. These topics cover the internet entire universe and generally augment tensions between various components, for instance, security and privacy, freedom of expression and the protection of intellectual property, among others. The great advantage of digital activism is that it breaks space and time barriers. You can participate at any given time, at the level of engagement that your time and workload allow for. You can participate from home, from work, from the bus. Online activism is the only way to assure the democratic inclusion of the majority of the working population in political participation. But access to the internet is not enough to include people. It is essential to make good use of the internet. In fact, complaints which don't channel demands, or voice causes, don't generate change. Networks for mobilization such as Avaaz, Change, All Out, etc are able to help people articulate their demands, connect them to decision makers to whom these must be voiced and create a solidary community to deal with several causes. Online activism is what gives Brazil a chance to continually and consistenly democratize political disputes, which, for a long time, remained in the hands of forerunners and elites. This workhelp us deal to dispel the haze of confusion that seems innate to the citizen of the beginning of the 21st century. We can't deny the obvious: we are all confused. The chosen macro themes bring very deep and intriguing questions, starting with the protection of privacy. The world of today is a universe of obvious paradoxes. At first glance, we have more access to information, power of expression and interactivity. As public and private institutions are increasingly exposed, we have the impression of living in a more transparent world, closer to the truth. a lot of information, interaction and transparency leave us stunned by the relativization of everything.The selected articles contained in this book, present us with the current picture of difficult and intense times with controversial, polemic and complex dilemmas. They allow us to better understand how the various issues and problems being discussed in the region take place in the richness of the variety of their contexts. 

No comments:

Post a Comment