Report from RightsCon: Digital Access as a Human Right

The Arab Spring has reminded us of the power of technology and the prominent role it can play in social upheaval. But despite the extraordinary events of the Spring, it remains to be seen if technology is the great equalizer it could be, or yet another tool that concentrates power in the hands of the few who try to speak for the many.

These thoughts were on my mind as I attended the Silicon Valley Human Rights conference (aka Rights Con), October 25 and 26 in San Francisco. A production of Access, an organization dedicated to mobilizing for digital freedom, the conference sought to bring together the big names from the Valley (Google, Facebook, Twitter, and Yahoo were all represented); human rights activists; and policy analysts to discuss the human rights implications of new technologies, particularly the “relationships of corporations, governments, and end users.”

Yet, strangely, considering the primary event sponsor was an organization named Access, (who did a fabulous job of starting this conversation),there was little discussion about digital access and digital inclusion. Yes, there is no doubt that censorship and disruption of connectivity at the hands of repressive regimes is a bad thing. But what about the millions of people around the world who have never had access to the Internet, due not to government intervention, but simple economic inequality, both in the developing world and here at home? And to the point of technology and social change, if the revolution will be tweeted, what role do the unwired masses play?

One speaker who did address this issue was a Ugandan journalist named Rosebell Kagumire. When she spoke about her discomfort at being in a position to speak for a woman from war-torn Northern Uganda, who lived at the mercy of rebel forces and had been raped so violently her uterus prolapsed, I was moved. But Rosebell did speak for her because she has a blog and she has a voice. She was able to bring attention to the plight of the people of Northern Uganda and raise enough money for this woman to have the surgery she needed to heal herself. In her speech she said:

“In June, the UN declared internet access a human right. What does this mean for Uganda? When you look at a map, there’s such a deep digital divide in the world. And only those who have access to the internet can express themselves.”

After the revolutions of the Arab Spring, and in other post-conflict regions, comes the hard, slow work of rebuilding (or building) the infrastructure and processes necessary for  sustainable democracy. Any society that is socially just must be inclusive; and inclusion means giving everyone a voice. As new civil societies begin to emerge from the ashes of revolution, their shape will be determined by the plurality of voices allowed to speak. Will the revolutions of our times yield oligarchies or participatory democracies? As we push for greater transparency in government, open data, and the proliferation of e-government initiatives, the key to inclusion is access to information. And access to information generally means access to the Internet.

So, what is the role for TechSoup in regards to digital inclusion? This is a question with which I am personally grappling. We support public access computing through libraries and telecentres, both in the U.S and abroad; we support BTOP grantees in their work to expand broadband access to underserved communities across the country; and we are in discussion with the EC to work on their digital agenda. But I’m not sure we’ve hit that sweet spot that will let us fully leverage our experience and the assets of our networks towards the goal of universal access. Perhaps in the interest of cultivating a multiplicity of voices, I should turn the mic over to you. Any thoughts or suggestions for TechSoup?