Challenges to freedom of expression

• The right to freedom of expression is a “foundation right” in society. Defined in Universal Declaration of Human Rights

• It protects the right to:

- Express ourselves in words, music etc.

- Receive and exchange ideas and information

- Operates “regardless of frontiers”

Why is it important

• Essential to our humanity to express ourselves

• Enables us to better protect other rights and freedoms

• Provides the basis of democracy by allowing the exchange of ideas and opinions

• Enables human development

What does it need?

• To express ourselves we need means of communication

• - One to one conversation

• - To meet as groups in association

• - One speaking to many

• Otherwise the right is meaningless

• All of these operate in different ways and by different rules

What limits free expression?

• Geographical and linguistic boundariesCreate a global, accessible communications network carrying all

kinds of content available through different devices

• Technical limitsAn environment where 1 to1, group conversations and 1 to many

communication happen side by side

• Censorship, direct and indirect

Traditional “gatekeepers” and bottlenecks - government, corporations, “mediators” -undermined

• Commercial factors

Do networked digital communications affect these limits?

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• It depends who controls the new environment.

• Actors and institutions can exercise influence at a vast number of places in the environment…

The Physical layer – the physical infrastructure that makes communications possible.

Connectivity & code layer – the ‘language’ or protocols of the communication.

The Application layer – tools to navigate content.

The content layer – the subject matter of the communication

A communication democracy?

The issues

• How networked communications – Expands the way we get information and

debate issues– Increases our ability to act– Offers the possibility of changing politics and

empowering people– Increases the opportunities to share and

develop human creativity

The result

• We strengthen and enhance freedom of expression– We increase the capacity of humanity to

realise its own potential– We strengthen democracy and democratic

participation– We will have new opportunities for sustainable

development

Unless

• Governments control networked communications for their own ends

• Traditional media companies take over the environment

• Private companies use it exclusively for commercial ends

• The technology is turned against us

The questions?

• Can networked communications help overcome the limitations of monopolisation and censorship in Africa

• Can it help build a democratic politics, a more equal society and a vibrant culture

• Can we have a global communication environment that is under “public” control, rather than government or business