RightsCon Tunis 2019

The deepening of global internet infrastructure comes with an invigorated capacity and intent by adversaries to control and limit the information that flows across it. Inextricably, embedded power structures underlie the networks through which we interpret and understand our societies and our world - censorship threatens the integrity of the public sphere itself. Media organizations act as a conduit for the free flow of information in the face of such adversity, but are likewise threatened by the technical and often physical capabilities that endeavour to restrict that fundamental freedom. This panel discussion will share experiences and lessons learned from major international broadcasters and independent media organizations affected by internet censorship in different contexts, and discuss the effectiveness of various strategies and responses, lessons learned, and other established best practices. This session will outline significant new developments, innovations, and trends in that emerged over the course of 2018 and discuss the effects on organizations' ability to successfully reach their audiences, as well as broader impacts observed in the media ecosystem. The panel will discuss the various censorship resilience strategies and approaches pursued by the media organizations represented in response to both established regimes of information control and more acute censorship events.