CEPPS was on the ground in Costa Rica recently for the 2023 RightsCon conference where we asked people to explain what democracy means to them! Check out their answers and hear from CEPPS DRG Cross-Sectoral Initiative Youth Advisory Group Member, David Aragort.
This June, with support from USAID under the Democratic Elections and Political Processes (DEPP) Cooperative Agreement, CEPPS attended RightsCon, an annual summit focused on democracy, human rights and governance in the digital age. Hosted by “Access Now”, an international nonprofit organization, this year’s conference took place in San José, Costa Rica. RightsCon provides an opportunity for representatives from civil society, technology companies, and governments to come together to help create a safer experience for individuals on and offline and to help safeguard democratic norms, such as freedom of speech and access to trustworthy information. Topics this year included ensuring digital privacy and security for all, protecting the rights and safety of marginalized people on and offline, and keeping people connected during authoritarian-led internet shutdowns.
CEPPS core partners, the International Foundation for Electoral Systems, the International Republican Institute, and the National Democratic Institute, and three of our senior technical partners, the American Bar Association, the Center for International Private Enterprise, and Internews attended RightsCon to present innovative projects aimed at protecting democratic norms.
Presentations included new legal guidance for disability-inclusive election technology, successful methods to counter internet shutdowns, and best practices in providing protections for democratic activities in the tech space, and more. For more information on these presentations, check out the Instagram Highlight Reel.
As the internet and technological innovations allow people to be more connected, they also impact information integrity and can be targets for authoritarian regimes seeking to shut down dissent. At the same time, the introduction of artificial intelligence continues to create new threats and opportunities in the digital space, increasing the need for critical thinking on these topics.
Interested in learning more about what CEPPS is doing on this topic? Check out the latest issue of “Beyond the Ballot” for a look at the fight against online hate speech by the LGBTQI+ community.
