Discussion: How can we ensure autonomous communication during disaster events and internet shutdowns?
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Topic
Discussion: How can we ensure autonomous communication during internet shutdowns and disaster events?
Description
This session is meant to be a collective brainstorm and discussion to answer the title question. How can decentralized web tools, community networks, and other resources be leveraged in times of crisis to support successful autonomous communication and organized response amongst the people? What are some common needs, challenges, recommended workflows and necessary preparedness that could be or have already proven useful in these context?
We aren't promoting any specific technology or solution in this session but we are creating space for everyone who believes this theme is important to contribute their thoughts and ideas.
Context
Climate and weather related disasters threaten to interrupt our communications with increasing frequency. Often the most vulnerable communities constrained to living in high risk areas are left without communication and support during these life threatening events. Likewise internet shutdowns and censorship have become a common tool employed by repressive governments to quell popular uprisings and protest. Even in democratic nation states, as authoritarian political leaders cycle in and out of power and fascist discourse comfortably occupies a growing space in mainstream politics, the threat of internet shutdowns looms over popular liberatory movements and organized communities.
Hopes & dreams
Invoke the collective knowledge of interested DWeb Camp participants to brainstorm, share practical knowledge and generate useful ideas to take back to our respective communities.
Core facilitators
Jaime Villarreal
Main contact (email)
jaimev(a)mayfirst.org
Space Requirements
- [] Electricity
- [] Monitor
- [] Whiteboard or pad
- [] Table and chairs
-
Seating in circle - [] Open space outdoors
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Either indoors or outdoors is fine - [] Other (Specify)
Time Requirements
-
1 hour - [] 2 hours
- [] Multiple sessions across 1 day
- [] Multiple sessions across 2 days
- [] Multiple sessions across 3 days
- [] Pre breakfast session
- [] Evening session
- [] Other (Specify)
Who should participate
- [] Coders
- [] Creatives
- [] Policymakers
- [] Children under 12
- [] Teens 12 - 18
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Anyone and everyone - [] Other (Specify)
What will participants take away?
An appreciation for the context and a list of useful information we can take back to our respective communities to help ensure their resiliency in times of crisis.
Keywords
autonomous communications, resiliency, internet shutdowns, disaster events
Session rundown (tell us a rough outline of your plan)
We will begin with a round of brief introductions, "Who are you and what is your interest in this theme?" We'll continue suggesting a list of questions meant to encourage sharing and discussion by all participants and see where they take us.
- What examples come to mind when we think internet outages during disaster events or government imposed internet shutdowns?
- Can anyone share examples of organized community responses to these events?
- What would you most want to protect in a crisis event without adequate communications?
- What tools and techniques already in use by rural community networks or decentralized web networks might be useful in these context?
- Can the suggested techniques be easily integrated into existing communications workflows to increase adoption by at-risk communities?
- What needs to happen to adequately prepare and ensure resiliency during these moments of crisis?
Relevant links
Relevant Experience -- share why you'll be great!
This session will be great because you @all
are great and have valuable knowledge to contribute! We are also motivated to support our community, connect with DWeb participants, and have experience facilitating conversations about the importance of autonomous communications and collective organizing efforts. We look forward to sharing with you.
Jaime Villarreal is a board member, support staff and program coordinator of May First Movement Technology cooperative. May First brings together over 650 members, including both individual members and member organizations based in the US and Mexico aligned with progressive, leftist, and liberatory movements. May First members collectively own, sustain and democratically control their own autonomous hosting infrastructure free of surveillance and repression.