Proposal

APrIGF 2022 Session Proposal Submission Form
Part 1 - Lead Organizer
Contact Person
Ms. Radhika Jhalani
Email
Organization / Affiliation (Please state "Individual" if appropriate) *
SFLC.in
Designation
Legal Counsel
Gender
Female
Economy of Residence
India
Primary Stakeholder Group
Civil Society
List Your Organizing Partners (if any)
Internet Society
Part 2 - Session Proposal
Session Title
Let us #LetTheNetWork
Session Format
Panel Discussion
Where do you plan to organize your session?
Onsite at the venue (with online moderator for questions and comments from remote participants)
Specific Issues for Discussion
The session will aim to engage with the participants to cull out state and legal mechanisms which can be used to increase accountability and transparency around internet shutdowns and net disruptions around the world. The session will identify these methods and discuss their feasibility. The discussion will refer to some important case studies and discuss mechanisms that have worked in the past.
Describe the Relevance of Your Session to APrIGF
Internet shutdowns have immense costs in terms of human rights violations and economic costs and generally go unaccounted for. Yet many governments across the world use internet shutdowns indiscriminately as tools to curb freedom of speech and press, control narrative and clamp down on dissent. There are multiple recourses that can be adopted to create resistance to these shutdowns and engage with the government. Internet shutdowns exclude a number of people from everyday activities thus breaking their trust. Internet disruptions around the world are a tool of exclusion. In the recent Russia Ukraine crisis, cutting off Internet access has impacted thousands of people and delivered them to a dark panic-stricken mode.

Internet Disruptions need active on ground advocacy. The use of state mechanisms such as filing of Right to Information Applications and engaging in strategic litigation go a long way in holding the government accountable and seeking remedy for arbitrary state action. Intervention by civil societies through state mechanisms helps in creating awareness and increased judicial intervention and oversight. This session will equip participants to fight against these arbitrary bans by speaking to them about the impact of advocacy against shutdowns.
Methodology / Agenda (Please add rows by clicking "+" on the right)
Time frame (e.g. 5 minutes, 20 minutes, should add up to 60 minutes) Description
Introduction of the Issue (5 mins) The issue will be introduced through the means of an anecdote
Moderators & Speakers Info (Please complete where possible)

  • Moderator (Primary)

    • Name: Radhika Jhalani
    • Organization: SFLC.in
    • Designation: Counsel
    • Gender: Female
    • Economy / Country of Residence: India
    • Stakeholder Group: Civil Society
    • Expected Presence: In-person
    • Status of Confirmation: Confirmed

  • Moderator (Back-up)

    • Stakeholder Group: Academia
    • Expected Presence: In-person
    • Status of Confirmation: Proposed

  • Speaker 1

    • Name: Prasanth Sugathan
    • Organization: SFLC.in
    • Designation: Legal Director
    • Gender: Male
    • Economy / Country of Residence: India
    • Stakeholder Group: Civil Society
    • Expected Presence: In-person
    • Status of Confirmation: Confirmed

  • Speaker 2

    • Name: Samuel Woodhams
    • Organization: Top10VPN
    • Designation: Research Lead
    • Gender: Male
    • Economy / Country of Residence: UK
    • Stakeholder Group: Private Sector
    • Expected Presence: Online
    • Status of Confirmation: Proposed

  • Speaker 3

    • Name: Oliver Spencer
    • Organization: Free Expression Mynmar
    • Designation: Consulant
    • Gender: Male
    • Economy / Country of Residence: Mynmmar
    • Stakeholder Group: Intergovernmental Organizations
    • Expected Presence: In-person
    • Status of Confirmation: Proposed

  • Speaker 4

    • Name: Hija Kamran
    • Organization: Media Matters
    • Designation: Senior Program Manager
    • Gender: Female
    • Economy / Country of Residence: Palistan
    • Stakeholder Group: Civil Society
    • Expected Presence: In-person
    • Status of Confirmation: Proposed
Please explain the rationale for choosing each of the above contributors to the session.
Radhika Jhalani is leading the Internet Shutdowns Project at SFLC.in. She helps run one of the only real-time Internet shutdown trackers in the world.

Prasanth Sugathan has led various challenges on Internet shutdowns in different courts in India.

Samuel Woodhams has led a team to calculate the economic cost of Internet Shutdowns in the world.

Oliver Spencer has been actively advocating against Internet shutdowns in Myanmar.

Hija Kamran has advocated against internet shutdowns in Pakistan and has been documenting the impact it has on society.
Please declare if you have any potential conflict of interest with the Program Committee 2022.
No
Are you or other session contributors planning to apply for the APrIGF Fellowship Program 2022?
Yes
Number of Attendees (Please fill in numbers)
    Consent
    I agree that my data can be submitted to forms.for.asia and processed by APrIGF organizers for the program selection of APrIGF 2022.