EngageMedia will showcase its research work on digital safety, film collection on digital rights issues in the Asia-Pacific, and using video for change at the 11th edition of RightsCon on June 6 to 10.

Presented by AccessNow, RightsCon 2022 brings together business and tech leaders, policymakers, academics, journalists, and human rights defenders to discuss human rights issues in the digital age.

On Wednesday, June 8, 9:15AM-10:15AM Bangkok time (UTC+7), EngageMedia will facilitate a workshop on using film storytelling to create social impact. Participants will learn about the values and methods employed by Video for Change practitioners to plan, design, and produce film projects and corresponding impact campaigns. The workshop draws on the core components of the Video4Change Impact Toolkit, a guide for filmmakers and activists to design and evaluate social impact. EngageMedia Network Development and Research Manager Egbert Wits and Video for Change Project Coordinator Demie Dangla will be facilitating the session.

EngageMedia’s Project and Communications Manager Vino Lucero will present the organisation’s research work in the panel discussion titled “Unpacking the state of digital safety and internet freedom in the Asia Pacific region”. Co-hosted with the Oxen Privacy Tech Foundation, the session will be held on Wednesday, June 8, 11:30AM-12:30PM (UTC+7). The discussion will focus on the status of current digital threats and internet freedom challenges in select Asia-Pacific countries, the impact on at-risk communities, and potential solutions for improving digital safety based on participants’ experiences on the ground. EngageMedia’s report will also come out in the same week.

EngageMedia will also be part of a panel discussion on “Digital security advanced threats from the frontlines: regional and local context and capacity” on Thursday, June 9, 7:15PM-8:15PM (UTC+7) as part of the Greater Internet Freedom (GIF) program. GIF consortium partners in Eastern Europe, Africa, Latin America, and Asia will share their insights and experiences on how they react and adapt to advanced digital threats in their line of work. EngageMedia Digital Security Specialist Md. Ashraful Haque will be among the speakers in the session.

Tech Tales films screenings

Three short films from Tech Tales: Films about Digital Rights in the Asia-Pacific will be screened during the summit. The Tech Tales films zero in on some of the most pressing digital rights issues in eight Asia-Pacific countries and highlight the connections and parallel experiences across the region.

Watch the following short films:

• Black Out, a film dramatising the experience of a mother and daughter during the Myanmar coup (Tuesday, June 7, 10:15 AM -10:30 AM Bangkok time, UTC+7). Watch here.
• Pattani Calling, a documentary on the experiences of Malay Muslims in insurgency-hit southern Thailand, and how they became biosecurity rebels against the state (Wednesday, June 8, 9AM – 9:15 AM Bangkok time, UTC+7). Watch here.
• The Offensive Internet, a film highlighting the Malaysian government’s clampdown on free expression (Friday, June 10, 11:15 AM – 11::45 AM Bangkok time, UTC+7). Watch here.

Video4Change Network sessions

Members of the Video4Change Network will also be hosting panel sessions and workshops on using video for social change and upholding digital rights. EngageMedia is the convenor of the Video4Change Network, a consortium of organisations catalysing the use of video for human rights, social justice, and environmental change.

Network member WITNESS will share its work on leveraging the power of video to fight human rights abuses, particularly its initiatives on deepfakes, misinformation, and manipulated media. Another Network member, eyeWitness to Atrocities, will host a panel discussion on using tech tools to document environmental crimes. Learn more about the sessions hosted by Network members here.

Register here to learn more about RightsCon and to attend the sessions.