| APrIGF 2022 Session Proposal Submission Form | |||||||||||
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| Part 1 - Lead Organizer | |||||||||||
| Contact Person | |||||||||||
| Ms. Namrata Maheshwari | |||||||||||
| Organization / Affiliation (Please state "Individual" if appropriate) * | |||||||||||
| Access Now | |||||||||||
| Designation | |||||||||||
| Asia Pacific Policy Counsel | |||||||||||
| Gender | |||||||||||
| Female | |||||||||||
| Economy of Residence | |||||||||||
| India | |||||||||||
| Primary Stakeholder Group | |||||||||||
| Civil Society | |||||||||||
| List Your Organizing Partners (if any) | |||||||||||
| Neeti Biyani, Policy and Advocacy Manager, Internet Society. Email address: <biyani@isoc.org> | |||||||||||
| Part 2 - Session Proposal | |||||||||||
| Session Title | |||||||||||
| Threats to encryption in the Asia Pacific: Common challenges and potential advocacy tools | |||||||||||
| Session Format | |||||||||||
| Panel Discussion | |||||||||||
| Where do you plan to organize your session? | |||||||||||
| Offsite from the venue at a local hub (with online moderator for questions and comments from remote participants) | |||||||||||
| Specific Issues for Discussion | |||||||||||
| Much of the encryption debate globally has been focused on and driven by the Global North. We propose to highlight through this session the challenges and developments pertaining to encryption in the Asia Pacific region, which will in fact inform the trajectory of encryption globally in the coming years. From a regional perspective, given the common threats encryption is facing in several countries in the Asia Pacific, we think it is important to share notes on the common challenges as well as the potential avenues for advocacy to demonstrate that encryption is crucial for protecting people's right to privacy, ensuring a resilient cybersecurity infrastructure as well as bulwarking the economy. In addition to sharing insights on common challenges, participants will discuss questions such as: What is the role of civil society, the private sector and the government respectively in balancing the human rights impacts of undermining encryption? In addition to the focus on secure communication channels, what are the other benefits of encryption that must be safeguarded for stronger cybersecurity, economy and national security? How can we contextualise other global and regional developments, such as policy proposals in the EU, UK and the US, and reports such as the recent one by BSR, for our work in the Asia Pacific region? To this end, we propose to invite speakers from civil society, the private sector and Internet governance forums from South Asia, South-East Asia as well as Australia -- all regions where there is a pressing need to defend encryption -- to ensure that the discussion is enriched through diverse perspectives, experiences and inputs. |
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| Describe the Relevance of Your Session to APrIGF | |||||||||||
| This session will complement the Trust and Inclusion tracks at AprIGF 2022. Trust: The Trust track at AprIGF focuses on maintaining a balance between security and people’s fundamental freedoms and rights. Policy debates on encryption in our region are centered on this very balance and in neutralising two polarising arguments: one from lawmakers and law enforcement claiming that backdoors to encryption are necessary to maintain online security; and one from privacy advocates and tech companies claiming that such backdoors or other methods to access encrypted communications will weaken encryption and violate people's rights and freedoms. We hope that our panel discussion will shed light on how this is a false binary and encryption is really a matter of security for all, and how this point can best be developed cohesively to drive positive policy developments across regions. Inclusion: In the Asia Pacific region, dissenters, journalists, people belonging to the LGBTQ+ community and other marginalised communities rely on secure, encrypted communication channels to protect themselves from being targeted by state and non-state actors. Millions of people also rely on encryption for routine financial transactions, trade, secure storage of their health and biometric data and several other purposes. This session will help showcase that protection of digital rights and inclusion is not possible without encryption. Without accessible encryption, vulnerable communities and those who do not have technological know-how would be unsafe online. |
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| Methodology / Agenda (Please add rows by clicking "+" on the right) | |||||||||||
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| Moderators & Speakers Info (Please complete where possible) | |||||||||||
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| Please explain the rationale for choosing each of the above contributors to the session. | |||||||||||
| Shahzeb Mahmood: Shahzeb is a Research Associate at the Centre for Governance Studies and an Associate at Syed Ishtiaq Ahmed & Associates in Bangladesh. He has been a key actor in analysing and submitting expert evidence on the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Authority’s recent 2021 Rules, which include clauses that could undermine encryption -- this marks one of the most worrying moves against encryption in South Asia in recent times. Aishani Rai: Aishani is a Research Analyst with the Aapti Institute in India. She has undertaken exhaustive research on the socio-economic advantages of strong encryption, approaching the issue from various angles including the state, citizens and users, and firms. Her contributions would be helpful in enabling a well rounded conversation. Alex Linton: Alex is a member of the team at Session which is an end-to-end encrypted messenger that minimises sensitive metadata, designed and built for people who want absolute privacy and freedom from any form of surveillance, and would bring a helpful perspective from industry and the pacific. Irene Khan: Irene Khan has, in her role as UN SR, advocated for free expression, privacy and highlighted the role of encryption in upholding these (and other) human rights. Her experience working with intergovernmental organisations and other stakeholders would enrich the discussion. Brinda Dash: Brinda Dash is a youth with experience in social impact and internet governance oriented work which links directly to the scope of this panel. She is also a Teach for India Alumnus. Damar Juniarto: Damar has over a decade of experience in the communications industry, a digital/new media business leader, and wide knowledge of online freedom of expression and democracy conditions in Southeast Asia. He has assisted several stakeholders on policy discussions over the years. |
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| 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. |
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