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At RightsCon in Taipei, activists reckon with a US retreat from promoting digital rights
- RightsCon in Taipei brought together over 3,200 digital rights activists, policymakers, and tech representatives to address the challenges faced by civil society organizations promoting human rights in technology decisions.
- The event felt urgent due to the significant cuts to funding for digital rights work by USAID, leading to concerns about the erosion of multistakeholderism and support for a free and safe Internet.
- The withdrawal of funding from the US government has global implications, with oppressive regimes using justifications from the US administration to target critics and clamp down on civil society organizations.
- The Trump administration's policies are being weaponized in other countries, such as Brazil and Serbia, impacting human rights defenders and creating false narratives for crackdowns on civil society.
- Trump and Musk's actions have inspired similar trends in countries like Brazil and Uganda, leading to challenges in content moderation, hate speech, and online attacks, further exacerbated by the inadequacies of AI-based moderation systems.
- The United States' retreat from supporting digital rights defenders and journalists under attack is creating a moral vacuum, leaving a void in international support for these groups.
- Participants at RightsCon emphasized the need to rethink power dynamics, challenge Big Tech platforms, and build localized solutions to create a safer internet environment.
- The solidarity and community spirit at the event, held in Taiwan, highlighted the shared commitment to addressing the challenges faced by digital rights advocates globally.
- Efforts to counter unresponsive Big Tech platforms and repressive governments were discussed, with a focus on building context-specific language models and supporting smaller platforms that align with values.
- The impact of Doge on digital rights globally is significant, with implications for funding, content moderation, and the support network for civil society organizations and journalists advocating for human rights in the digital sphere.
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