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MISINFORMATION AND DISINFORMATION ADVOCACY DRIVE CROWNED WITH DIALOGUE.

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Last week, HER Internet hosted a two days’ workshop on Misinformation and Disinformation in Kampala on Tuesday 20th and Wednesday 21st September 2022 following a one month long social media advocacy drive. The initiative which was supported by Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Central Africa (CIPESA) sought to empower structurally silenced women especially LBQ womxn with knowledge on how to identify and combat the effects of false or untrue information in this digital age.

“Misinformation and disinformation are out of everyone’s control. It is hard to bring the train back after information has been spread out there. So, the best thing to do is to sensitize about misinformation and disinformation so we can address the issue,” the Executive Director at HER Internet, Sandra Kwikiriza explained to the participants on the relevance and importance of the workshop during her introductory remarks

Kettie Kahume, HER Internet’s Deputy Executive Director and one of the Facilitators of the dialogues shared in a presentation on the genesis of sharing falsehoods over factual information especially when it comes to marginalized womxn. “Misinformation has always been there as an old tactic of social manipulation… It is as a result of information overload well as disinformation is as a result of information scarcity,” Kettie noted.

Participants delved into topics of discussion that encompassed manifestations, effects and solutions to misinformation and disinformation, understanding their role in peddling fake information and how to verify information in this digital age. Check out @HerInternet via social media: Twitter, Instagram and Facebook for more information on this topic.

Diana Karungi, Communications Lead at HER Internet guides a conversation on Misinformation.

UNDERSTANDING MISINFORMATION AND DISINFORMATION BOOKLET.

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https://www.herinternet.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/MD-Presentation-1-1.pdf

Information has real-life consequences. It can save lives, literally – when it’s true. Unfortunately, the opposite is also true. Untrue information can cause great harm. Wrong information can spread widely, like a virus, causing what’s been called an infodemic.

Let’s make the internet safe together! To read more, please click;

REGIONAL CYBER LAWS’ SENSITIZATION DIALOGUES IN UGANDA.

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HER Internet hosted regional sensitization dialogues on the existence and implementation of Cyber Laws in three different parts across the country; Eastern Uganda in Malaba, Western Uganda in Kasese and Northern Uganda in Gulu on 26 July, 8 August and 22 August 2022 respectively with support from UHAI- EASHRI and the Fund for Global Human Rights under the Legal Empowerment Fund (LEF).

The dialogues were organized in an endeavor to impart systemically marginalized womxn with knowledge on the existing cyber laws enshrined in Uganda’s constitution, how they operate, their implications and recommendations following brainstorm sessions on the manifestations of online violence in addition to the challenges and impacts of internet usage based on their various contexts.

Highlighting the fact that the spiraling cases of gender-based violence today are birthed online and raising concerns for digital safety, our Executive Director at HER Internet, Sandra Kwikiriza emphasized that there is a need to upgrade the current traditional cyber laws to match this digital era and thus, ensure that all forms of online violence against womxn are alleviated. For information on these pieces of legislation, how they can be used to mitigate risks of online violence and seek for redress in courts of law, please click, https://www.herinternet.org/womxns-rights-and-icts-under-the-law/

Participants in Gulu, Northern Uganda talk about their experiences with online violence and how it transcends into their daily lives.

Womxn’s Rights and ICTs under the Law.

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https://www.herinternet.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Guide-to-Cyber-Laws-2.pdf

Now Available: You can now read our publication Womxn’s Rights and ICTs: A guide to navigating cyber laws in Uganda which gives insights on the existing cyber laws, their implementation and recommendations on how this legislation can be utilized by structurally silenced womxn in Uganda especially lesbians, bisexual and queer (LBQ) womxn and female sex workers (FSWs) to address the challenges of online violence that they experience.

DIGITAL SECURITY WORKSHOP FOR EFFECTIVE ADVOCACY ONLINE.

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HER Internet conducted a Digital Safety workshop in Kampala yesterday on Wednesday 29 June 2022, as part of our efforts to enhance their digital safety skills for effective advocacy online as individuals, organizations and collectives. This initiative that was supported by Power Of Pride and the TOR Project engaged participants in topics that span around basic cyber safety, secure browsing, social engineering, phishing and circumvention techniques as we embrace this digital revolution.

In a session on Circumvention Techniques that was facilitated by the Deputy Executive Director at HER Internet, Kettie Kahume, attendees were implored to adapt the The Onion Router (Tor) Browser which allows free access to the internet safely and anonymously without data mining and tracking activities from third parties. They were also engaged in practical lessons on how to download, install and operate this tool using their personal electronic devices in addition to other secure communication apps.

Please reach out to us for assistance in case you or anyone that you know experiences any form of violence that breaches the community standards on any Meta app through email: info@herinternet.org.

Attendees indulge in hands-on lessons on how the T.O.R Browser works.

Biannual Newsletter 2022 Issue 3.

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This June, we share with you the third edition of our biannual newsletter which will give you a quick glimpse into what we have been up to lately and new developments in regards to our work at HER Internet. To read more, please click; https://www.herinternet.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/HER-Internet-Biannual-Newsletter-for-June-2022-1.pdf

We celebrate each one of you everyday for the incredible work that you do in your respective field(s) and remain ever grateful for all your support and solidarity.

Don’t hesitate to engage with us just in case you have any inquiries, concerns or feedback. We certainly would love to hear from you 

Research Report 2021: The Trends and Impact of Technology Assisted Violence Among Communities of Structurally Silenced Womxn.

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Technology Assisted Violence (TAV) is a complex worldwide phenomenon with devastating results. Research to date shows that victim-survivors of intimate partner violence are tracked by their abusive partners who use technology to monitor their movements and communication. Many womxn, journalists, human rights defenders and politicians – especially female politicians, vocal LBTQ activists face daily death threats and rape threats for speaking out about various issues.

Those with intersecting marginalized identities are especially at risk, with Black, Indigenous and people of color; lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people, sex workers and people with disabilities facing higher rates of attacks as well as concerted attacks that specifically target their identities. These attacks create legitimate safety concerns, involve appalling degrees of invasions of privacy and can have significant financial costs for those targeted. One of the most serious impacts is the silencing of womxn’s and LGBTQ people’s voices in digital spaces. TAV makes it unsafe and unwelcoming for womxn and LGBTQ people to express themselves freely in a world where digital communication has become one of the primary modes of communication.

As a fairly new phenomenon, TAV is not generally well understood. There has been relatively little empirical research conducted on TAV, and the bulk of the research on this topic to date is focused on higher-income countries. To better understand TAV, HER Internet is commissioning this research.

This comprehensive assessment on experiences of TAV against LBQ womxn and FSW in Uganda was prepared pursuant to the changing trends in the use of technology, the overwhelming need to determine their needs and challenges in relation to this form of violence, and the development of contextualized response strategies to mitigate the recurrence of this violence.

The increasingly rapid technological advances have created new possibilities for the criminal misuse of new Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). It is therefore important we interrogate how far the harm goes, the avenues of access to justice for these violations and what LBQ womxn and FSW needs are in this regard.

To download and read more of these insightful findings; https://www.herinternet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Research-report-The-Trends-and-Impact-of-TAV-among-LBQ_FSW.pdf