Stockholm Internet Forum 2019

To access SIF you need to register at the lower lobby.
There will be Cloak rooms and Luggage rooms available.
Please wear your badge at all times.

Margot Wallström, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Sweden 

Speech by - Carin Jämtin, Director General, Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) 

Session in brief: In many contexts, the Internet has provided increased freedom and opportunity for citizens and civil society to communicate, gather and share information, to collaborate and organise, in ways and to an extent, never before seen in history.

However, the online landscape is shifting rapidly, and the space for online, democratic discourse is shrinking.

The threats have evolved over the past decade. The mostly inept responses from government to popular protests in the Arab world a decade ago have given way to the complex mesh of threats that is the Internet 2019: an increasingly securitised space that is becoming the main battleground for power in the 21st century. This development mirrors the offline space, with repressive measures spreading and becoming more diverse. With governments emphasising the security perspective, the role of citizens and civil society in advocating for a principled, rights-based approach to the online sphere is more significant than ever.

We are at a fork in the road. A toxic mix of state and non-state disinformation, hoarding of personal data, information attacks on core democratic functions, increased authoritarianism and surveillance has created real risks for global democratic development. Use of algorithms and commercially driven polarisation are poisoning the public debate. The normative space is also changing, as the (sometimes intentional) insecurity created by some actors has succeeded in increasing the demand for regulation and limiting the online space, also in democratic countries.

The situation is grave and requires coordinated action between all those working for democratic online space, whether in civil society, technology, politics or business. This session seeks to unwrap this complex mesh of issues, nuance how the phenomenon of “shrinking space” is expressed in different contexts and to different actors, and frame discussions for upcoming panels and chart possible ways forward to support a free, open and secure Internet.

There vill be several activities taking place during this break.

Join the Speed dating 
Meet new people within the community in this interactive speed-dating activity.

Visit the Safety Clinics in the Lobby
Staying safe online is crucial for HRDs. Digital Protection Clinics at SIF provide you a safe space for questions and direct support; to protect you, your organization or partners from digital threats. Support (in English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Russian, Arabic and other languages) is provided ongoing by Access Now, Digital Defenders Partnership, Front Line Defenders and Tactical Technology Collective, and can range from implementing safe communication practices, to mobile, laptop or data protection, anonymous internet use, to holistic emergency support and advice or referrals. You find us in the lobby outside the plenary room.

Hang out in the Lounge
Visit the lounge and relax for a while.

Visit the prayer room 
Open to everyone regardless of religion.

Co-organizer: Alliance for Affordable Internet
Session in brief:  This session aims to explore how the goal of increasing affordable internet access to bring everyone online must be coupled with the responsibility to provide safe and private online spaces for all.

The panel will reflect on how current initiatives towards digital inclusion are leading us to rethink how to harness the power of technology to address the threats of exclusion, especially as these mirror offline marginalization and inequality.

The panel will be challenged to propose responsible actions to improve access for all and discuss what their organisations are doing to embrace our collective responsibility towards universal, affordable and meaningful digital inclusion.

Co-organizer: Internews
Session in brief: The future business model for sustainable independent journalism is unclear everywhere in the world.  Advertisers have diverted spending to those online giants that offer massive data-driven consumer targeting. Direct sales to local advertisers, once the lifeblood of local news, is becoming outdated in most developing markets. However, there is some reason for hope. Trials with small, local news outlets serving modest markets have demonstrated that they can optimise their quality online media products to raise revenues. This panel will touch on a broad range of models for funding information sites through consumer and advertising revenue, which could serve as alternatives to grant funding.

Co-organizer: Association for Progressive Communications (APC)
Session in brief: During the last years, concerns about Gender-Based Violence Online have gained wide recognition. The 2018 Human Rights Council Resolution’s inclusion of ‘violence against women and girls in digital contexts’, the updated CEDAW General Recommendation 35’s reference to ‘violence occurring on the internet’, and the Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women’s latest report are evidence of this. At the same time, the shrinking democratic offline and online space has worsened the situation for women and other communities at risk, and in particular for women human rights defenders. This panel recognises a shifting terrain which requires agilility in reflection and strategies for the future.

Lunch Break
There vill be several activities taking place during this break.

13:30 Mindfulness for human rights defenders - while saving the world, learn to take care of yourself
Welcome to enjoy some peace of mind. Learn simple but powerful breathing techniques to relax and find your center. The practice of mindfulness builds resilience to cope with stress and can teaches us to live and work in a more sustainable way. Together with Civil Rights Defenders, yoga instructor Anna Gordh Humlesjö will guide you through a moment of mindfulness – helping you to find calm and focus within the setting of Stockholm Internet Forum and beyond. Between sessions, Anna is also available for one-on-one sessions and organizational consultations. Wellbeing and burnout prevention is key to maintain sustainable organizations, for which mindfulness can be a key element.
Instructor: Anna Gordh Humlesjö, yoga instructor with a BA in Cognitive Neuroscience focused on research on mindfulness and self-compassion.

Visit the Safety Clinics in the Lobby
Staying safe online is crucial for HRDs. Digital Protection Clinics at SIF provide you a safe space for questions and direct support; to protect you, your organization or partners from digital threats. Support (in English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Russian, Arabic and other languages) is provided ongoing by Access Now, Digital Defenders Partnership, Front Line Defenders and Tactical Technology Collective, and can range from implementing safe communication practices, to mobile, laptop or data protection, anonymous internet use, to holistic emergency support and advice or referrals. You find us in the lobby outside the plenary room.

Hang out in the Lounge
Visit the lounge and relax for a while.

Visit the prayer room 
Open to everyone regardless of religion.

Titel:  A Dark Place
Organiser: The Office of the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media

The documentary on the effects of online harassment and abuse of female journalists produced by the Office of the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media and the International Press Institute.

The online safety of women journalists goes beyond gender equality and press freedom, directly impacting the quality of our democracies and right of society to access a plurality of information.

This simple truth unfolds in the film, A Dark Place, through first-hand experiences shared by those journalists targeted with online violence and experts in the fields of human rights, gender and media freedom.

Meet the Freedom Online Coalition.
An informal lunch gathering on the balcony upstairs.

With ever more innovative technologies connecting the farthest reaches of the planet, crucial issues remain unresolved. People living in poverty risk not having either resources, physical connectivity nor capacity to take advantage of new technology, being excluded from yet another development leap. For people living in poverty, lower quality of access limits possibilities for participating in and enforcing the internet as a genuinely democratic space.  

The shrinking space online takes many forms, which often have negative consequences on both civil and political rights as well as social, cultural and economic rights and development. Online opportunities may be hampered by already existing power dynamics, particularly affecting women and other discriminated groups. The discussion on a rights-based approach to access must, therefore, include both the opportunities and risks presented by increased connectivity.

Previous SIF’s have looked at issues of expanding access (2015) as well as access and power (2017). This year’s session will unpack the concept of access, to look more closely at the drivers and interest behind the expansion and limitations of connectivity. It will attempt to identify practices that might limit the agency of the newly connected and try to devise ways to ensure that increased connectivity empowers individuals, rather than merely create new markets for one-way digital consumption. It will also look at the interface between economic growth and reliable, open connectivity.

There vill be several activities taking place during this break.

15:30 Mindfulness for human rights defenders - while saving the world, learn to take care of yourself

Welcome to enjoy some peace of mind. Learn simple but powerful breathing techniques to relax and find your center. The practice of mindfulness builds resilience to cope with stress and can teaches us to live and work in a more sustainable way. Together with Civil Rights Defenders, yoga instructor Anna Gordh Humlesjö will guide you through a moment of mindfulness – helping you to find calm and focus within the setting of Stockholm Internet Forum and beyond. Between sessions, Anna is also available for one-on-one sessions and organizational consultations. Wellbeing and burnout prevention is key to maintain sustainable organizations, for which mindfulness can be a key element.
Instructor: Anna Gordh Humlesjö, yoga instructor with a BA in Cognitive Neuroscience focused on research on mindfulness and self-compassion.

Visit the Safety Clinics in the Lobby
Staying safe online is crucial for HRDs. Digital Protection Clinics at SIF provide you a safe space for questions and direct support; to protect you, your organization or partners from digital threats. Support (in English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Russian, Arabic and other languages) is provided ongoing by Access Now, Digital Defenders Partnership, Front Line Defenders and Tactical Technology Collective, and can range from implementing safe communication practices, to mobile, laptop or data protection, anonymous internet use, to holistic emergency support and advice or referrals. You find us in the lobby outside the plenary room.

Hang out in the Lounge
Visit the lounge and relax for a while.

Visit the prayer room 
Open to everyone regardless of religion.

Co-organizer: ARTICLE 19
Session in brief: This session will explore key internet governance issues, both policy and technical, related to internet freedom and in particular freedom of expression, right to information and privacy. Panelists will clearly lay out how different internet governance bodies are approaching these issues, and the risks and opportunities inherent in this.  In discussing some specific key issues at internet governance fora and standard setting bodies , panelists will also address the opportunities and threats to multistakeholder governance, in particular the inclusion of civil society and public interest voices. 

Co-Organiser: Civil Rights Defenders
Session in Brief: The panel on dealing with online attacks and surveillance aims to cover the latest trends in digital warfare against human rights defenders, and to identify the most common threats faced by civil society actors working with online tools and methods. The panel will in addition focus on strategies for human rights defenders in a digital context, for example regarding tools for safe communication online as well as on the existing ecosystem of support.

Co-organiser: ITC, International Trade Centre
Session in brief: The shrinking online space has an economic impact on businesses, especially in the fragile, emerging digital economies. The ability of innovative and ambitious companies to compete on a global market is hampered by digital insecurity and friction in the form of shutdowns or targeted taxes. This session will explore key issues and share first-hand experiences how such costs directly affect businesses and the economy as a whole.

What strategies do we employ and what resources do we need when human rights defenders are
faced with crises designed to overwhelm and demoralize them? In July 2017, a routine workshop
on stress management and information security for human rights defenders turned into a months-long crisis of
imprisonment, interrogations, charges and court battles; and the enduring trauma
and recovery efforts for human rights defenders, their loved ones, and their communities.

Ali tells a story from inside this crisis and its ongoing aftermath. The purpose is to place and portray the human side of such events, its toll on human rights defenders, and what it portends for the immediate and longterm efforts in response and recovery.

The Ranking Digital Rights Corporate Accountability Index evaluates the world’s most powerful internet, mobile, and telecommunications companies on their disclosed commitments and policies affecting freedom of expression and privacy.

On May 16th the full results of the 2019 Ranking Digital Rights Corporate Accountability Index will be released at SIF19 and livestreamed on the SIF19 and RDR websites. Find out which companies have improved since the 2018 RDR Index —and how. Then join the global conversation about what companies and governments need to do in order to improve the protection of internet users’ human rights around the world.

Networking Dinner at the Cabaret Restaurant.
Entrance from the street to the right of the Main entrance

About the session:
Human rights defenders and pro-democracy actors are increasingly the only counterbalances to a global trend of populist politics, polarised societies, adverse state cyber activities and profit-maximising algorithms.

At the same time, the issues at hand have never been more challenging: challenges to online democratic space now exist across the technological, political, economic and social spectra, while resources remain limited. New duty bearers and influential actors, including in the private sector, must be brought into a rights-based global discourse. Some existing institutions, previously lacking sufficient knowledge and interest in online issues, are starting to wield their influence, but remain disconnected from the many years of rights-based discussion on these issues.

This session will build on previous panels and be forward-looking. It will:
- Discuss priorities, methods and avenues for maximum impact to protect and expand the online democratic space
- Identify solutions, concrete tools, platforms and strategies for improving online democratic space in a dynamic, conflicting and increasingly hostile global political environment;
- It identifies solutions, discuss tensions rights-holders/duty-bearers, and how traditional and new mechanisms are equipped for dealing with online challenges.

Questions that the panel will discuss:

• What are the counter-strategies? Who is defending the space and how? Best practice, lessons learned and inspiring examples?
• What does accountability look like in a digital age? Has international, regional and national systems and mechanisms kept pace with the fast development on the internet and the intersection of human rights violations online and offline?
• How can stakeholders - UN, development cooperation, companies, civil society - work together to increase impact? What roles can these stakeholders play to defend the democratic space?

There vill be several activities taking place during this break.

10:30 Mindfulness for human rights defenders - while saving the world, learn to take care of yourself

Welcome to enjoy some peace of mind. Learn simple but powerful breathing techniques to relax and find your center. The practice of mindfulness builds resilience to cope with stress and can teaches us to live and work in a more sustainable way. Together with Civil Rights Defenders, yoga instructor Anna Gordh Humlesjö will guide you through a moment of mindfulness – helping you to find calm and focus within the setting of Stockholm Internet Forum and beyond. Between sessions, Anna is also available for one-on-one sessions and organizational consultations. Wellbeing and burnout prevention is key to maintain sustainable organizations, for which mindfulness can be a key element.
Instructor: Anna Gordh Humlesjö, yoga instructor with a BA in Cognitive Neuroscience focused on research on mindfulness and self-compassion.

Visit the Safety Clinics in the Lobby
Staying safe online is crucial for HRDs. Digital Protection Clinics at SIF provide you a safe space for questions and direct support; to protect you, your organization or partners from digital threats. Support (in English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Russian, Arabic and other languages) is provided ongoing by Access Now, Digital Defenders Partnership, Front Line Defenders and Tactical Technology Collective, and can range from implementing safe communication practices, to mobile, laptop or data protection, anonymous internet use, to holistic emergency support and advice or referrals. You find us in the lobby outside the plenary room.

Hang out in the Lounge
Visit the lounge and relax for a while.

Visit the prayer room 
Open to everyone regardless of religion.

Co-organizer: Mandate of the United Nations Special Rapporteur (UNSR) on the Rights to Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and of Association; International Center for Not-For-Profit Law (ICNL)

Session in Brief: The session will feature a preview of UNSR Clement Voule’s upcoming report to the Human Rights Council, which will address the protection and promotion of the freedoms of peaceful assembly and association in the digital era.

The report, to be presented at the Human Rights Council at its 41st session, will look at both the opportunities and threats specific to the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association in the digital era and offer recommendations and practical guidance on how to ensure an enabling digital civic space.

The session will invite civil society actors to discuss the preliminary findings of SR Clement Voule’s report and share strategic ideas on how to move forward and support its implementation.  

Session in brief: The methods to make us believe in untrue stories are increasingly sophisticated. Simultaneously there is an increasing scepticism about whether objective truth exists. How can we distinguish between false and truth in this environment? And how can we increase media literacy and defend freedom of expression in the digital era? 

Co-organiser: APC
Session in brief: Affordable access to the internet and telecommunications networks can directly impact democratic participation in online spaces. While connectivity is becoming more pervasive to the point where about half the world has access to the internet, the rate of growth of network infrastructure is slowing in both mobile and internet infrastructure.  There is an opportunity to re-think affordable access by embracing innovations in licensing strategies, Universal Service Funds, affordable access to spectrum, and recognition of the value of new organisational models such as cooperatives, common-pool-resource organisations and other non-profit initiatives which have proven to be viable alternatives to commercial models.  This session will examine some of these alternative and complementary models and how they are already contributing towards opening up spaces for participation for those left behind by the telecoms market.  

 The closing session of this year's Stockholm Internet Forum will condense two days of discussions and distill a way forward. It will highlight upcoming technologies that present both challenges and opportunities for democratic space (such as the many consequences of ever more advanced AI as well as the widespread adoption of block chain-based solutions).

As new technology proliferates, the onus is on civil rights activists to highlight its impact on privacy, freedom of expression as well as economic, social and cultural rights. Likewise, those still lacking access to to the Internet and other new technologies must be represented in the discussions.

The online world is getting ever more entangled with the offline world. At the same time, complex threats are multiplying. The demand for clear and considered policy advice in solving many of the increasingly acute challenges facing not just the online sphere, but the foundations of democracy itself, will continue to increase.

The panel will, therefore, strive to extract common challenges and strategies, including ways to strengthen linkages between conversations in civil society and the broader global political debate. It will seek to articulate a common purpose and call for a renewed mobilization for a free, open and secure Internet.