As a pre-event of the IGF 2014 APC convened a meeting of sexual rights activists, women’s human rights defenders and gender equality advocates to discuss the intersections between sexuality and internet rights in the framework or internet governance. In the context where a discourse on human rights are increasingly taking their legitimate place in the discussions surrounding internet governance with thanks, in large part, to civil society activists presence at the forum, sexual rights is slowly but surely making it’s way into the various discussions at the forum. The event enabled various stakeholders to engage and bring to the fore issues of gender and sexuality and it was also an opportunity to launch our Feminist Principles of the Internet
This year has seen major debates and developments in the internet sphere. The Snowden revelations have brought to the attention of the public problematic issues regarding surveillance and privacy online. In addition, the presence of the IGF this year in Turkey also directed the attention of internet stakeholders to the internet censorship practice in this country and in other nations. We know from the EROTICS research and global monitoring survey that internet has become an important space for sexual rights activism. Furthermore issues regarding online misogyny, hate speech and online discrimination have been exemplified this year through multiple cases and stories, often pushed to the attention of the public by women’s rights and sexual rights activists. Rebecca MacKinnon reminds us how the governance and the structure of technology is important for activists:
“It is time to stop debating whether the internet is an effective tool for political expression, and to move on to the much more urgent question of how digital technology can be structured, governed, and used to maximize the good it can do in the world, and minimize the evil”.
Read the full article in GenderIT.org .