Digital Politics: “Disconnected Citizens Are Kept Away from Opportunities”

An activist during COP27 in Egypt. Credit: Oliver Kornblihtt / Mídia NINJABy Bibbi AbruzziniBRUSSELS, Jan 25 2023 (IPS) In 2022, Saudi Arabia “quietly” sentenced Salma al-Shehab to 34 years in prison over her Twitter activity, marking the longest Saudi sentence ever for a peaceful activist. Fast forward and award-winning Ugandan author Kakwenza Rukirabashaija was charged with two counts of “offensive communication” after making unflattering remarks about the president and his son on Twitter. The message is clear: your well-crafted 280 characters can land you in jail. But what if, not only your online expressions could put you behind bars, but that the internet, today’s window to the rest of the world shuts down? No internet connection at all, 100% offline. It is not a plot from a sci-fi movie gone wrong, this is happening today. Access Now and the #KeepItOn coalition documented in 2021 for instance, at least 182 internet shutdowns in 34 countries as a tactic to suppress dissent and quell unrest. In a survey collecting the views of 7,500+ civil society organizations that together serve 190 million people, 95 percent said the internet is critical to their ability to do their work, but 78 percent said that a lack of internet access, tools, or skills limits their ability to serve their communities effectively. The data, based on the largest survey of civil society regarding the barriers they face in a digitalizing world, was published today in a report by Conn...
Source: IPS Inter Press Service - Health - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: Tags: Africa Civil Society Crime & Justice Economy & Trade Education Global Headlines Health Human Rights TerraViva United Nations IPS UN Bureau Source Type: news