01
Larry Kwirirayi: 3 Men on a Boat

“Online activism
without the proper
privacy enhancing
tools enhances the
effectiveness of State
sponsored surveillance.”

The first lightning talk was moderated
by Larry Kwirirayi who led a panel
which discussed the concept of digital
rights.
Baba Jukwa, #Tajamuka, Women of
Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA), and #ThisFlag
come to mind.

02
Natasha Musonza, digital Society of Zimbabwe

“On Online Social Movements,
Activism & Security.”
Natasha Msonza gave a short talk
on online security entitled “On
Online Social Movements, Activism
& Security.” Her presentation centred
on online social movements and the
security concerns such movements
face. This was a timely talk which took
into consideration the fact that since
2013, Zimbabwe has seen a steady
rise in the number of online social
movements and activists. Examples
of online social movements such as

15

Misa Zimbabwe Second Internet Governance Multi
Stakeholder Conference 21 September 2017

These social movements face threats
from State organs such as the police
and other security services. The social
movements are also exposed to
corporate spying from service providers
and other data harvesting private
sector actors. Social movements have
proved popular in Zimbabwe mainly
because they facilitate digital activism
in a country where it is difficult to freely
express political opinions in an offline
environment. Indeed, social media and
the digital world have amplified political
opinion and are now considered
“megaphones for social movements.”
Some digital activists make use of
digital technologies which keep them
safe in the online environments, but
most still do not. Online activism
without the proper privacy enhancing
tools enhances the effectiveness of
State sponsored surveillance. The
State remains largely in control of
the physical infrastructure necessary
to communicate online. Most States

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