RightsCon Toronto 2018

Field research in Africa and other regions, for example, Turkey, reveal that authority-led information manipulation is assuming different patterns: reflecting a range of motivations, and can include efforts undertaken to open up access to information or secure privacy as much as efforts undertaken to do the opposite.

While the current focus on internet shutdowns remains of utmost importance, less discussed are instances when authorities keep the internet on, for their benefit including by seeking to control the public discourse on it to achieve political goals. This trend is increasingly seen during key political events such as elections and coups. Such controls which are often applied in highly dynamic ways often respond to events on the ground. For instance, during public uprisings, authorities view the Internet as a double-edged sword, therefore to shut it down or to keep it open is the authoritarian's biggest dilemma.

The session will debunk the notion that the internet needs to be "controlled" to be safe. This session therefore seeks to develop a stronger analytical and conceptual understanding of the strategies being pursued by the set of leading authoritarian powers in Africa and globally in controlling information online; to assess the nature of the challenge this presents to the Internet Freedom Community; and to determine what opportunities may be available to digital rights activists within these countries—and to those outside seeking to support them—that have not been adequately explored or exploited. It will also equip advocacy strategists with solid facts to lead the global fight against censorship and disruption of networks, information, and communication by presenting an opportunity to discuss other emerging trends in surveillance and censorship, such as new forms of surveillance by police officers and intelligence services such as social media intelligence (SOCMINT) and offer recommendations.