Over 120 co-created sessions on key digital rights issues will be featured at the DRAPAC23 Assembly from May 22 to 26, 2023, in Chiang Mai, Thailand.
Check out the list of breakout sessions open to the public for Day 4, May 25. The panels and talks, roundtables and discussions, workshops, and other sessions below have been shared with the consent of the organisers.
To join these sessions, register and complete the peer verification process on drapac.engagemedia.org. Only attendees who have been verified will have access to the full DRAPAC23 programme and schedule. For Cinemata Big Screen sessions, check out the film screenings and talkback sessions here.
All times are in UTC+7.
Panels and Talks
Internet and Digital Safety for Children and Basic Cyber Security
Date and time: May 25, 2023, 11:15-12:30
Organiser: U.S. Consulate General Chiang Mai and U.S. Embassy Bangkok
Speakers:
- Starla Sanchez, Special Agent, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Embassy Bangkok
- Raymond Morton, Regional Security Officer, U.S. Department of State, U.S. Consulate Chiang Mai
- Pairin Tosirikul, Investigator, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Embassy Bangkok
- David Hudgens, Agent Advisor, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, International Computer Hacking and Intellectual Property – Asia
The session will include a presentation of the U.S. Homeland Security Investigation’s (HSI) mission and its iGuardian initiative. The initiative is designed as outreach for school-aged children, parents, and teachers to raise awareness of online safety and the dangers of online sexual abuse. Tools to prevent online victimization will be shared and victim consultation approaches will be taught.
Connecting the dots: Feminist tech organising in Asia Pacific
Date and time: May 25, 2023, 11:15-13:15
Organiser: Numun Fund
Speakers:
- Syar S Alia, Numun Fund
- kathleen azali, Numun Fund
What does feminist tech organising look like in the Asia Pacific, and what does it take to resource, seed, grow, and sustain the movement across the region? Numun Fund wants to deepen the conversation through our current trends and opportunities analysis from our very first feminist tech grant call. Join us in this exchange with various actors working at different intersections of gender, social justice and tech, to discuss our movements’ challenges and opportunities in organising within and across countries, how resourcing plays a role, and collectively imagine alternative economies and organising infrastructures that can further strengthen our movements in the region.
Disrupting Dissent: Ethno-religious Hate Speech and Disinformation during and in the aftermath of the 2022 Anti-Government Protests in Sri Lanka
Date and time: May 25, 2023, 13:30-14:45
Organiser: Hashtag Generation
Speakers:
- Dulanjaya Mahagamage
- Omar Rajaratnam (joining virtually)
- Suchith Abeywickreme (joining virtually)
- Swasthika Arulingam (joining virtually)
- Saritha Irugalbandara (moderator)
The islandwide anti-government protests in Sri Lanka were an unprecedented display of collective public dissent that began as a hashtag, #GotaGoHome, and burgeoned into a mass movement which included the establishment of a protest village, teach-outs and knowledge-sharing sessions, and public pushback against state repression. Attempts to discredit the popular movement were rife, too, particularly in online spaces, often in the form of attempting to invoke and reinvigorate existing ethno-religious fault lines that have in the past resulted in both communal and State-sanctioned violence against minority groups. Hate speech and disinformation targeting minority communities, namely Muslims, Tamils, Christians/Catholics, and the Veddha indigenous community to varying degrees at different points in 2022 and during the current aftermath of the protests were observed and mapped by Hashtag Generation as part of its social media analysis exercise. This session attempts to unpack the different ways in which ethno-religious hate speech and disinformation have been used to the end of attempting to discredit a peoples movement, the implications it poses at the intersection of the State, collective imaginaries, and the right to dissent, while also dissecting the developments since July 9, 2022, that threatens the freedom of expression and peaceful dissent of several overlapping groups.
Combatting Internet Scams & E-Commerce Public, Health, and Safety
Date and time: May 25, 2023, 14:15-15:30
Organiser: U.S. Consulate General Chiang Mai and U.S. Embassy Bangkok
Speakers:
- David Hudgens, Agent Advisor, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, International Computer Hacking and Intellectual Property – Asia
- Starla Sanchez, Special Agent, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Embassy Bangkok
- Pairin Tosirikul, Investigator, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Embassy Bangkok
- Raymond Morton, Regional Security Officer, U.S. Department of State, U.S. Consulate Chiang Mai
The session focuses on intellectual property and cybercrime. The subject matter will include law enforcement capabilities and examples of cases. Information will also highlight global efforts to combat online fraud to protect consumers.
Roundtables and Discussions
Never Ending Repression: How Digital Rights Violations in West Papua
Date and time: May 25, 2023, 11:15-12:45
Organiser: SAFEnet
Untangling AI’s societal implications from individual harms: what are possible governance mechanisms?
Date and time: May 25, 2023, 11:15-12:45
Organiser: Jun-E Tan, Khazanah Research Institute; Arthit Suriyawongkul, ADAPT Centre, Trinity College Dublin
Speakers:
- Jun-E Tan, Khazanah Research Institute
- Arthit Suriyawongkul, ADAPT Centre, Trinity College Dublin
Most discussions on AI governance focus disproportionately on individual interests such as data privacy and leave out societal dimensions such as implications on democracy, culture, and equality. In this session, we hope to shift the perspective from individual to societal, and discuss governance mechanisms that may be more suitable for harms of a societal nature.
Stories of Online Gender Based Violence Survivors from Indonesia and India
Date and time: May 25, 2023, 13:00-14:30
Organiser: PurpleCode Collective
Speakers:
- Idha Saraswat, PurpleCode Collective
- Rohini Lakhsane, Factor Daily
A roundtable discussion to share research findings of two independent and unconnected studies, one in Indonesia on online gender-based violence (OGBV) and the other on non-consensual intimate imagery (NCII) in India.
Whither Open Data? Creating Synergies and Reflections for Moving Forward
Date and time: May 25, 2023, 13:00-14:30
Organiser: Michael Canares, Step Up Consulting, Philippines; Siti Nurliza Samsudin, Sinar Project, Malaysia; Yan Naung Oak, Thibi.co, Singapore; Pyrou Chung, East West Management Institute, Thailand
The session aims reflect on the progress of open data in the region, drawing insights from the results of the Global Data Barometer and the chapter update on Asia in the State of Open Data Report. More than seven years ago, a vision of open data was drafted in Indonesia across representatives from the region and this roundtable/facilitated discussion will revisit that vision, reconnect stakeholders, and define what this means in pursuing advocacy for open data, freedom of information, and data for development and empowerment in the region.
Bridging Digital Security Helpdesk and Pro Bono Legal Services for Digital Rights in the Asia Pacific Region
Date and time: May 25, 2023, 14:45-16:00
Organiser: IDEALS Inc.
Speakers:
- Atty. Artkario Bian Villanueva
- Atty. Gail Ann Diola
This is a roundtable session where the speaker shall share insights on creating a regional referral network system and facilitate an informal discussion regarding a possible partnership among representatives from various countries in the Asia Pacific Region on setting up a regional referral network that links existing Digital Security help desk service providers and pro bono legal services providers.
Workshops
Freedom of Expression and Assembly in the Digital Sphere of the Philippines
Date and time: May 25, 2023, 11:15-12:45
Organiser: IDEALS Inc
Speakers:
- Atty. Artkario Bian Villanueva
- Atty. Gail Ann Diola
This is a roundtable session where the speaker will share insights and facilitate an informal discussion on the state of freedom of expression and assembly in the digital sphere in the Philippines, and thereafter encourage the audience to share similar or varying developments experienced in their own country or using their own platforms. The discussion will focus on what are the laws, what is happening in reality, and how digital rights-related laws could be fully utilised in advancing human rights.
Narrating Change – Visual Tool Aided Strategy Session on Building Positive Narratives and Dismantling Harmful Narratives on Digital and Human Rights
Date and time: May 25, 2023, 12:45-14:00
Organiser: DAKILA – Philippine Collective for Modern Heroism
Speakers: Andrei Venal, Organizational Strategist of DAKILA – Philippine Collective for Modern Heroism
Narrating Change – Visual Tool Aided Strategy Session on Building Positive Narratives and Dismantling Harmful Narratives is a focus group discussion designed using visual tools to facilitate the understanding of narrative change and draft up steps in developing tactics in shifting public consciousness on a specific advocacy issue. For DRAPAC23, Narrating Change is facilitating discussion among Digital and Human Rights advocates to draft up possible steps in addressing narrative issues surrounding digital access, platforms, security, and governance.
Preventing Online Hate Speech through Community Radio
Date and time: May 25, 2023, 13:00-15:00
Organiser: Centre for Communication and Development of Bangladesh
Speakers: G M Mourtoza, Founder and Director Centre for Communication and Development of Bangladesh (CCD Bangladesh)
Hate speech and misinformation are being spread rapidly in Bangladesh and social media has become a big platform for circulating hate speech, misleading information, and rumours. Due to online hate speech a lot of unexpected incidents and violence happen at the grassroots level in the country. This causes uncountable losses for people. But in most of the cases, religious and ethnic minority people get victimised. As community radio is playing an important role in meeting the information needs of local people, community radio can also play a significant and vital role to sensitise and educate people about freedom of speech and hate speech as well. It has already been proven by a project that we have implemented in 2022.
Tech Cafe & The Responsible Cloud
Date and time: May 25, 2023, 13:00-15:00
Organiser: Greenhost
Speakers: Mart van Santen, Greenhost
Digital Rights comes with data sovereignty. However, most of us depend on products from big tech such as Google Workspace, Office 365 etc. What are the bottlenecks and pain points in current open-source alternatives and how can responsible cloud infrastructure regain ownership of data?
Developing & Reviewing Lists of Websites for Internet Censorship Monitoring
Date and time: May 25, 2023, 15:15-16:15
Organiser: Sinar Project
Speakers:
- Siti Nurliza Samsudin, Sinar Project
- Kelly Koh, Sinar Project
This session will look into developing and updating the country test-list using the approaches developed by CitizenLab and Netalitica. For countries with existing test-lists, this session will also share the approaches taken to review and update the test-lists under 30 existing categories in ensuring relevance to the local context. The session will highlight how to ensure a balanced test-list is developed and go through some of the common problems encountered when reviewing the test lists.
Digital Rights and Trade Agreements: Why should you care about FTAs?
Date and time: May 25, 2023, 15:15-16:30
Organiser: Digital Trade Alliance, a global alliance coordinated by Public Citizen
Speakers:
- Rishab Bailey
- Deepika Yadav
We propose conducting a virtual session featuring a presentation followed by a panel discussion, and then a brief interactive discussion. The last decade has seen increased attempts by governments around the world to regulate the digital ecosystem, to prevent harm to consumers. However, the ability of governments to implement governance frameworks that protect and promote consumer and public interest is being silently eroded through binding rules imposed through trade agreements. In this context, the session will seek to introduce participants to issues concerning the nature and scope of e-commerce related clauses in free trade agreements. How are free trade agreements likely to affect digital rights and consumer interests? Why should digital rights activists engage in trade negotiation processes?
Other Sessions
Mapping Out Needs & Capacities in the Region: Networking Session for Digital Safety Trainers
Date and time: May 25, 2023, 13:45-14:45
Organiser: Digital Defenders Partnership (DDP)
Digital safety trainers operate in a space of changing context as they respond to attacks on human rights defenders that take on new forms. The session gathers digital safety trainers from different organizations and countries in the region to create a space to check in with one another on their needs, challenges, and capacities with a focus on identifying ways we can collaborate.
Children and Young People’s Digital Rights in Digital Age
Date and time: May 25, 2023, 15:00-16:30
Organiser: Khmer Youth Association
Speakers: Yeng Sopheng, Program Manager
The session will voice out children’s and youth’s perspectives on digital rights in Cambodia’s context, including the situation and experiences of practising digital rights. In addition, the session will share the best practice for children and youth engagement in digital rights as well.
