Extending Encryption: Adebunmi Akinbo leads way to RightSCON 2023.
In 2011, Access Now hosted the first-ever RightsCon (then the Silicon Valley Human Rights Conference).
It met with the intention to create something different: a civil society-led space where all stakeholders – from tech companies to government representatives to human rights defenders – could come together to build a rights-respecting digital future.
Since then, RightsCon has rotated between five continents and grown, both in size and in scope to meet the evolving needs of a movement.
The RightsCon Costa Rica a first hybrid summit, will host a projected 10,000 participants from 150 countries. Building on more than a decade of experience convening both online and in-person, their 2023 edition will draw on the unique environment of the host country and region, and will continue to strengthen the accessibility of their custom virtual event platform.
Categories
- RightsCon Costa Rica will support 19 program categories, which capture the full breadth of the issues facing the technology and human rights communities. These categories include:
- Artificial Intelligence
- Business, Labor, and Trade
- Conflict and Humanitarian Action
- Content Governance
- Data Protection
- Digital Security for Communities
- Emerging Technologies
- Freedom of the Media
- Futures, Fictions, and Creativity
- Global Cyber Norms and Encryption
- Governance, Politics, and Elections
- Human Rights-Centered Design
- Internet Access and Inclusion
- Internet Shutdowns and Disruptions
- Justice, Litigation, and Documentation
- Online Hate and Violence
- Organizational Capacity and Funding
- Privacy and Surveillance
- Tactics and Contexts for Activists
- The Program Committee reviews proposals based on category, to prevent duplication or repetition, and identify topics which need further exploration. In addition, proposals may be assigned to one of their “intersecting themes” – such as health or disability rights – which cut across some or all of their program categories.
Proposal Accepted
The RightsCon Costa Rica Team as affirmed that the proposed session “Encryption: Toolkits and Interventions by the Media” has been accepted into the program. It would be delivered by Adebunmi Adeola Akinbo, Founder/CEO, DNS Africa Media and Communications. Recall that this document was developed in the 2022 Global Encryption Day, with a support grant from Global Encryption Coalition (GEC). Encryption is a critical technology that helps keep people, their information, and communications private and secure. However, some governments and organisations are pushing to weaken encryption, which would create a dangerous precedent that compromises the security of billions of people around the world. Actions in one country that undermine encryption threaten us all.
GEC calls on governments and the private sector to reject efforts to undermine encryption and pursue policies that enhance, strengthen and promote use of strong encryption to protect people everywhere. We also support and encourage the efforts of companies to protect their customers by deploying strong encryption on their services and on their platforms. The Global Encryption Coalition is a three-year old coalition with over 330 members in 99 countries around the world who are dedicated to protecting and promoting the use of encryption.
More details in the coming weeks. Register to be part of history.
