Welcome to the Official Schedule for RightsCon 2019, the world’s leading summit on human rights in the digital age.
Together at RightsCon Tunis, our first summit hosted in the Middle East and North Africa, more than 2500 expert practitioners will come together across over 400 sessions to shape, contribute to, and drive forward the global agenda for the future of our human rights.
Important note: Whether you’re a session organizer, speaker, or participant, you’ll need to login to Sched or create an account in order to get the most out of the program (including creating a profile and building your own customized RightsCon schedule).
Throughout the Middle East, security concerns do not exist merely in the physical landscape but equally in digital space. The past years have seen the introduction of laws that give the state access to user data in web-based applications, broad and controversial legislation regulating behavior on social or other online media, and the aggressive use of technology to target political dissidents or those who do not conform to state norms (like LGBTQ individuals). These efforts are carried out most often in the name of protecting national security, referencing the proliferation of threat actors that seek to mobilize digital space for their violent ends. How do different governments both in the Middle East and around the world, use data? What are the ethical and legal obligations of these governments as well as other actors (technology companies, social media companies, citizens etc.)? How do states utilize user data in repressive ways? What impact does this have on citizens' security, and in what ways can citizens protect their data?
