Technology, human rights & movement building around the world

Technology is constantly evolving and internet and mobile phone access continue to rise dramatically around the world, changing every area of life - including human rights and social justice. New technologies such as social media and mobile have been key to movements such as the Arab Spring. For anyone working internationally, it is essential to understand these technologies and use them effectively.

The way technology has been used for human rights also has a lot to teach us here in Canada about how we run our campaigns, build movements and create change. As well, human rights issues - and the way that technology is also used by human rights violators in surveillance, censorship and propaganda - are important for all of us to be aware of.

This month, Chris from the Sentinel Project will introduce the principles needed to successfully incorporate technology into a campaign, drawing on mini case studies such as Kenya, Iran and the Arab Spring. Whether you work in human rights or not, the event will challenge you to think differently about your work and help you to be more aware of the variety of ways that technology is being used for different causes.

Livestreaming
This event will be livestreamed, so you can attend no matter where you are! Joining is easy as there is no need to RSVP; just go to http://www.livestream.com/techsoupcanada around 5:30pm Eastern Time.

Who should attend?

Nonprofits, charities, and social enterprises that want to incorporate technology into their campaigns Professionals, students, or activists who currently work in (or want to work in) human rights, development, or journalism and want to better understand the role of technology
Speaker: Christopher Tuckwood
Chris is the co-founder and executive director of the Sentinel Project (http://www.thesentinelproject.org/), a Toronto-based NGO that uses technology to predict and prevent mass atrocities such as genocide in cooperation with communities at risk of violence. Recent accomplishments at the Sentinel Project include the early-stage development of an SMS-based system to recognize and counter misinformation in the violence-prone Tana Delta of Kenya as well as the launch of Hatebase (http://www.hatebase.org/), the world’s largest online repository of hate speech. Chris also teaches the Sentinel Project’s training course, “Human Rights and Technology (https://sentinelproject.herokuapp.com/course),” which is relaunching soon in an all-online format.

Hashtag: #Net2TO

Donation price: $5.00 (Pay in cash at the door. Receipts available.)

If you RSVP and find out later that you can’t attend, please change your RSVP to “Not Attending” to accommodate others who may be interested.