Bruno Rodríguez

HUMAN RIGHTS & INTERNET IN SPAIN:

TECHNOLOGY, STATE & REPRESSION

http://www.eldiario.es/amnistiaespana/Guia-basica-tortura-Espana_6_357724242.html

This is a presentation on Internet Freedom

for the unit “Internet Governance” in The

University of Sydney.

I selected a news story about the rise of

torture in Spain, and tried to connect it with

the strategies and tactics of the Spanish

Government after the Global Financial Crisis

to limit and control public access to the

Internet.

In addition, I tried to illustrate in which ways

different social groups use technology to

overcome state repression and censorship

in Spain.

TRADITIONAL MEDIA

Traditional media is either owned by the state or rely on it to certain extent (lobbying, advertising, new policies).

Given that, chances are they don’t report human rights violations and they tend to show a highly biased viewpoint on any protest against the government.

CITIZEN JOURNALISM AND SHARING CULTURE

To offer a different viewpoint, citizens and activists tend to:

1. Document social protests to prevent abuses.

2. Use Social Media to share and spread these viewpoints.

3. Use new technologies (like crowdfunding) to form a collaboration network.

THAT WAY,CITIZEN PRODUCTION AND SHARING OF INFORMATION BECOME THE OBJECTIVE.

https://youtu.be/9zJCgUu5mtE?t=1m

THE STATE TRIES TO BENEFIT FROM THE SAME TOOLS

Government forces tend to identify new ways to fight the access and production of information about the social reality by citizens and NGOs.

1. Using citizen produced media and social channels against these users (identifying protesters in pictures, suing bloggers and twitter users, etc.)

2. Trying to limit citizen’s ability to produce content.

3. Trying to limit citizen’s ability to share, consume and find content outside official channels and politically aligned content producers.

HOW IS THE SPANISH GOVERNMENT TRYING TO LIMIT THE NET?

1

NEW LAW OF CIVIL SECURITY

1. Taking pictures of law enforcement units is now illegal2. Uploading, sharing (e.g. RT), or using images of law enforcement units it’s now illegal3. Police can seize any items (cameras, phones) if they see a evidence they’re being used

against the law (i.e. to record or take a picture of the protest)4. Organising a protest through the internet is now illegal if you aren’t granted

permission from the authorities.

2

NEW LAW OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

1. Any website linking to selected Internet news outlets will have to pay them a compensation

2. Any website listing content made by third parties can be shut down without a trial3. Universities now they’ll have to pay for any kind of content in their virtual campuses,

even if that content has a Creative Commons license

THE ROLE OF CORPORATIONS

Some of them have adopted society’s protest tone in their marketing communications.

Still, they do it carefully enough so they don’t offend or make direct references to

the government.

In the end, most Social Networks, ISPs and companies

directly collaborate with the government.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m26NEW9peJs

THE ROLE OF CORPORATIONS

CONSEQUENCES

1. You could go to jail for recording or sharing a protest, and that material wouldn’t count

as evidence.

2. If you start a Facebook or Twitter event in a public space for more than 20 people you

can go to jail

3. Pages like Reddit would be illegal or unsustainable in economic terms.

4. The government can shut down your web if a committee decides so.

WAYS TO PREVENT IT

1. Internet is not the only channel: be politically active and exercise your rights.

2. Use Software that guarantees anonymity (proxies, DNSs, Thor, Telegram, etc.)

3. Try to limit your exposure to global corporations such as Twitter, Facebook or Google

to express yourself or to browse the Internet.

4. Create and share. Collaborate financially or through any other means with

independent media outlets or initiatives.

QUESTIONS

Do you believe that the internet is a tool to fight governmental and corporate interests, or

rather a tool for governments and corporations to effectively monitor and control civil

society? Is there a trend towards one of the two?

How can civil society fight corporate and governmental power online? How can we make

a stand from our citizen-consumer perspective? Could this happen in your country?

THANKS!