PRESENTED BY NATASHA MSONZA Her Zimbabwe Operations Manager & Volunteer Digital Security Trainer Natasha currently manages operations within Her Zimbabwe, a non-profit women’s rights organization that uses alternative media to comment on women’s issues and promotes women’s activism using ICT- based and digital media. • The internet undoubtedly offers a space for women to amplify their voices in a patriarchal society where their issues occupy the backbench, particularly in the mainstream media that is increasingly pre-occupied with the politics of the day. other (ICTs) in general are powerful tools for social mobilisation and development and resistance to injustices and promoting freedom of expression. • Article 19 UDHR: Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media regardless of frontiers. • Women’s platforms such as Her Zimbabwe are a space where difficult conversations that relate to women or women’s opinions can be heard. To an extent, this is achievable. Women still have their fears online as demonstrated by the fact that while others are emboldened to contribute by the mere fact that they are on a platform that is for women, others still feel hindered. Very often women will contribute to a conversation via the inbox rather than publicly own that opinion on a comment section, a social dynamic obtaining in our everyday lives. The online space is not devoid of sexism and patriarchal attitudes that permeate society today, while invalidating women. • When supposedly empowered women still feel subjugated and still cannot publicly have an opinion on potentially controversial issues, it opens your eyes to the fact that for instance, the Internet, while providing many opportunities, can also be a very cruel space, presenting many subtle obstacles to participation. • It is not just a place where one is confronted by threats of hacking, identity theft, privacy invasion or surveillance. It is a place where cyber bullies, trolls and misogynists assume avatar like powers and behind the veneer of their screens, hog all conversations and silence others. • Open Internet, as is the case with ‘open society’, does not mean equal, or neutral, hence the need for mechanisms that address inequalities that exist in the web’s architecture, while reinforcing human rights of all. • The moment there is a threat to such freedoms – either through internet-based content, or by illegitimate surveillance, or limitations on freedoms of expression, and self-censorship, this undermines enjoyment of fundamental rights, including freedom of expression, association, and political participation. • All these rights naturally require or need people to be able to communicate freely, without the chilling effect of being under the microscope. It then boils down to finding that balance between national security and observing the right to privacy. Key considerations for the regulation of online content production and audiences online. • Internet content regulation means any kind of widespread content restriction or monitoring as mandated by government or regulatory authorities. The reasons for the need to regulate the internet range from social values to political objectives, including national security and preventing cybercrimes. This regulation of the Internet is achieved through different means such as: policy, Internet Protocol (IP) blocks, state directed content filtering schemes and blocking technologies and induced self-censorship among users. Ethics (copyright), freedom of expression, and digital rights • With user-generated content – it is difficult to realistically expect adherence to journalistic standards such as accuracy and fairness. The reality is that people are more concerned about meeting the terms and conditions of contributing than the actual ethics around what they produce. It is important in conversations around internet governance to agree on how to ensure that all content producers are subject to some general standards e.g. protecting children from harmful content, and protecting their identity. • The ability to share information and communicate freely using the Internet is vital to the realisation of human rights as enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) (1948). The Internet and Her Zimbabwe founder member, Fungai Machirori (in head scarf ) attended the conference INTERNET GOVERNANCE MULTISTAKEHOLDER CONFERENCE REPORT 2015 019 www.misazim.com @misazimbabwe MISA Zimbabwe