Cyberbytes: Digital Advocacy & Safety Series

Cyber bytes is a series that delves into the nexus between digital advocacy and cyber safety, acknowledging the multifaceted identities and experiences of individuals within marginalized communities and how these intersecting factors shape their interactions with digital platforms.

Participants will explore how these intersecting axes of identity compound vulnerabilities and barriers to digital security (Elgamal 2018). By learning about digital safety, individuals can participate more effectively in online activism, amplify their voices, and mobilize for social change without fear of retribution or retaliation.

Surveillance risks faced by Canadians activists encompass a broad spectrum of intrusive practices, ranging from government surveillance and counterterrorism measures to cyber surveillance and social control mechanisms. These risks have profound implications for community members’ ability to conduct their work freely, maintain their safety, and uphold democratic principles of freedom of expression and assembly.

In Canada, various marginalized communities endure disproportionate surveillance as a result of systemic discrimination and historical injustices (Crosby & Monaghan, 2018). Indigenous peoples, racialized communities, and immigrant/refugee populations are particularly targeted, subjected to heightened monitoring by government agencies and law enforcement (Maynard, 2017). Furthermore, LGBTQ+ individuals face surveillance based on their sexual orientation and gender identity, while low-income and homeless communities encounter scrutiny in public spaces. Activists and dissenting groups advocating for social justice also experience surveillance aimed at monitoring and stifling dissent (Tremblay et al., 2015). This pervasive surveillance perpetuates inequality, erodes rights, and reinforces stereotypes, underscoring the urgent need for systemic change to uphold the dignity and rights of all individuals, irrespective of their social identities.

Workshops
⭐Digital Advocacy
⭐Digital Security 101
⭐Protest + Digital Safety
⭐Combating Gendered Violence and Online Harassment

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Source:

  1. Elgamal, H. (2018). “Privacy and Security in the Internet of Things (IoT) in Canada: Challenges and Opportunities.” In Proceedings of the 4th Canadian Conference on Advances in Education, Teaching & Technology 2018 (CCAETT, 2018)
  2. Crosby, Andrew, and Jeffrey Monaghan. Policing Indigenous Movements: Dissent and the Security State. Fernwood Publishing, 2018
  3. Maynard, Robyn. Policing Black Lives: State Violence in Canada from Slavery to the Present. Fernwood Publishing, 2017
  4. Tremblay, Manon, et al., editors. Queer Mobilizations: Social Movement Activism and Canadian Public Policy. UBC Press, 2015