Sanjana Hattotuwa, Special Advisor to the ICT4Peace Foundation, was the only Sri Lankan present at Google’s Internet at Liberty 2012 conference held in Washington DC from 23 – 24 May.
Well over 300 participants attended the conference, which featured plenary discussions as well as interesting workshops looking at the cutting edge of citizen journalism practices and tools, online safety and security for activists, new strategies in online activism, the sharing of information, knowledge and experience between activists from around the world leading social and political reform movements and research displays with highlighted some of the most interesting developments around the world on how ICTs were strengthening civil liberties.
Sanjana actively took part in the workshops on New Frontiers in Citizen Journalism and Mobile Security Survival Guide: What Every Activist and Rights Defender Needs to Know About Communicating More Safely and tweeted throughout the conference over @ict4peace and @groundviews. In addition to retweets of pertinent points made by others, conversations over Twitter with other attendees and agencies like UNICEF, original tweets over @ict4peace included,
- great idea! “@jehan_ara: Surveillance by design in mobiles should be replaced by Privacy by design #InternetLiberty” (link)
- No one stresses importance of (new/web) media literacy at Google #InternetLiberty’s 1st debate. Literacy determines use and perception. (link)
- Digital media surely creates new avenues for protection of civil liberties that were weak or non-existent in analog era? #InternetLiberty (link)
- Interesting that Google’s #InternetLiberty 2012 live stream has only 26 others watching 2nd Plenary on ‘net governance youtube.com/citizentube (link)
- @courtneyr One wonders how new media contests and complements old media? Perception of and engagement dynamics of new media important? (link)
- Who is or can be trusted broker or conduit for new secure ICTs for activists who cannot keep up with rapid software dev? @InternetLiberty (link)
- Elephant in the room. No one talking about ‘net freedom promotion outside vs response to Wikileaks within US? #InternetLiberty (link)
- What about public shame from shareholders as motivating force to get US companies to not support repressive regimes? #InternetLiberty (link)
- @InternetLiberty @accessnow Repressive regimes embracing, for parochial ends, same ICTs used for emancipation, but to contain & control. (link)
- @sunil_abraham’s pithy presentation during plenary highlight of @InternetLiberty. Thought provoking, vital, honest. Hope he puts online. (link)
