Queering Digital Security: Linking the missing links

Part 1 - Lead Organizer

Contact Person

kabita - bahing

Organization / Affiliation (Please state "Individual" if appropriate)

Body & Data

Designation

Programme Coordinator

Gender

Female

Economy of Residence

Nepal

Primary Stakeholder Group

Civil Society

Part 2 - Session Proposal

Your proposal is for

Main Conference (Day 1-3)

Session Title

Queering Digital Security: Linking the missing links

Track

Inclusion

Session Format

Panel Discussion

Where do you plan to organize your session?

Virtual / online

Specific Issues for Discussion

The session will bring the issues and concerns around digital security within the broad digital rights need from the lens of intersection with kye focus on the marginalized section of society based on caste, class, gender, and identity, and so on. The discussion will unpack the dominant digital security discourse and queer the colonial traits of digital security practices, especially in the South Asia. Who represents the community and who gets benefited, what tools and strategies, who are experts, and how the entire digital security course is designed are the major concerns that need to be questioned and re-narrated with existing digital security practices considering its interconnection with hackability, affordability, capacities and opportunities of practicing digital rights? The discussion will investigate the missing links within digital security practices and highlight alternative shifts to bridge the gaps ensuring suitable and sustainable strategies to secure the presence and engagement of people from all walks of life in online spaces. The speakers will facilitate to bring these know-hows for the narratives and experiences from the underprivileged and marginalized communities from south Asia in particular.

Describe the Relevance of Your Session to APrIGF

Majorly, the session falls under the theme of INCLUSION, however, it also overlaps with the Sustainability and Trust themes of year. Session aligns with the deep value of digital rights and human rights, accessibility, capacity building, equal opportunity, and secure digital engagement of people. The session focuses on how conventional digital practices contribute not only practical but strategic exclusion of certain communities, their rights and creates vulnerabilities. We have been experiencing and witnessing the west-driven concept and contents, orientation, and practices of digital security that is dominant in the Global south which does not really accompanies the need in communities, rather contributing dependencies and unsustainability. Language, tools hinder the access to digital spaces however, marginalized communities are never considered in the conversation, their needs and experiences are not validated. Thus, considering the need of putting people at the center, recognizing the socio-cultural aspect of digital security, enabling agency and expertise, the session will priorities the intersectional ideas from marginalized and underprivileged people with the diverse aspect of digital rights and security. This conversation and experiences sharing in APRIGF will enrich the discourse of digital rights and internet governances to with the nuances to achieving the broader objective of the forum.

Methodology / Agenda

It will be the panel session as a format. There will be speakers from South Asia working on with marginalized communities in their own country who will present their ideas and thoughts in the event based on their work and experiences. The major role of the facilitator is to moderate the session and will be the key person to coordinate with the APFIGF programme committee and speakers along with setting the agendas for the session. The session time will be allocated as follows: 8 min - Introduction - Ground setting and topic - Speakers - Collaborative space 35 min - Panel discussion 10 min- Question and Answer - participants 3 min- conclusion and closing (4 min- flexible time) The session is imagined to be co-created by the speaker and participants in the room. Thus, a co-working space will be created for the participants to share their thoughts, experiences on the session themes beyond questions to speakers. The chat room will be majorly used for interaction with participants through questions and answers.

Please provide 3 subject matter tags that best describe your session.

#DigitalSecurity #CapacityBuilding #MarganilizedCommunity

Moderators & Speakers Info (Please complete where possible)

Please explain the rationale for choosing each of the above contributors to the session.

To meet the goal of the session and looking at the subject matter, we are very conscious about the selection of the speakers and moderators. Digital rights itself is an emerging discourse in South Asian countries like Nepal and India, there are many chances of left out of certain communities and issues. Thus, the speakers and organizations we are collaborating with are activists working in the field of Digital Rights, Freedom of Expression, Access, and just, free and open internet spaces with the local communities who are marginalized and underprivileged like Rural women, Queer communities, disability communities, and other vulnerable communities. They have been working in the field of disrupting existing practices and introducing alternative knowledge generation, capacity building, and movement building, and showcasing their expertise and experiences can totally justify the event. Point of View is a non-profit organization based in India that works to build and amplify the voices of women and people of other marginalized genders. Point of View primarily works at the intersections of sexuality, gender, technology, and disability. A lot of POV's work seeks to ensure that women, queer and trans persons can inhabit, occupy and navigate digital and online spaces freely, with a sense of belonging. Body & Data is based in Nepal and works around Digital Rights with the intersectional perspectives and creating a accessible, safe, and just digital spaces. Its works are based on enhancing understanding and access to information on digital rights amongst women, queer people, and other minority groups through the cross-movement building, facilitation for access to information, knowledge building, and dissemination of digital rights. Aaja cafe and wellness space in the premise with Mental health counseling, one-on-one, couples, and family. Aaja is a Queer space, nurtured by food, art and conversations and we are all about emotional well-being.