Learning and Visioning for Digital Rights: HER Internet’s #DigitalFutures Convention 2025.

From May 13–16, HER Internet brought together a vibrant and fearless community of activists, feminists experts, and creatives for our #DigitalFutures Convention. With generous support from the Legal Empowerment Fund (LEF), this three-day gathering offered space for learning, dreaming, and strategizing about feminist and queer digital futures.

Held just outside Kampala, the Convention created an intentional and reflective environment for participants from across Uganda. The goal? To navigate how our freedoms are being shaped and often restricted by policy, big tech, and power, and to build strategies rooted in collective care, creativity, and resistance.

“We are here to learn, but also to dream of the digital future that we want to see.” —Sandra Kwikiriza, Executive Director, HER Internet

Sandra opened the Convention with an invitation to co-create a space rooted in care and community. She reminded us that HER Internet’s work sits at the intersection of digital rights, queer liberation, and feminist organizing. This intersection was our compass throughout the event. In her words, she acknowledged Rella Women’s Foundation for their handcrafted contributions beaded décor, key rings, and accessories as part of building and sustaining the “pink economy” through mutual support.

“We need to support our neighbors the people we know for who are creating and sustaining community economies.”—Sandra Kwikiriza

“Whose Truth Is It?” Unpacking Misinformation, Disinformation and our search for true information.”, facilitated by Sandra, tackled the thorny and urgent realities of misinformation and disinformation in feminist spaces. Participants unpacked how false narratives are deliberately spread to discredit feminist and queer movements, and how these narratives are backed by well-resourced, coordinated anti-rights actors.

“Misinformation is when you unknowingly share false information. Disinformation is intentional. You know it’s false, but you share it anyway—to cause harm.” —Sandra Kwikiriza

Maureen from Twilight Support Initiative offered a clear distinction:

“Misinformation is people providing false information. Disinformation is shaping a narrative that is false, but with an intention of influencing people to believe it and push it.”

The session sparked vulnerable, sharp, and bold reflections from participants, linking these digital dynamics to everyday harm including how hashtags are hijacked, how patriarchal religious rhetoric is amplified, and how queerness is deliberately misrepresented to sustain fear and control.

Editah: “The current narrative is ‘protection of the family.’ But what does that really mean? It’s about restoring patriarchy male mastery, submission of womxn, policing of identities. These anti-rights groups are structured, well-aligned, and well-funded. Feminist movements must become equally strategic.”

Sandra emphasized that while we’re constantly “re-training and correcting,” anti-rights actors are pouring resources into organized campaigns, funding churches and councils to shape national policy in their favor.

“Most feminist NGOs don’t get the funding the Inter-Religious Council gets. And that’s not accidental. It’s about influence.”—Sandra Kwikiriza

Panel discussion on law, policy, and the fight for digital rights. Moderated by Diana Karungi, HER Internet’s Programmes Director, the mid-morning panel discussion explored how Uganda’s legal and policy landscape is shrinking digital space for feminist and queer expression especially ahead of the 2026 elections.

Tracy, one of the panelists, pointed to the Computer Misuse Act and Anti-Pornography Act as key examples of laws used to suppress feminist expression online:

“The 2022 amendments to the Computer Misuse Act introduced clauses criminalizing the sharing of ‘malicious’ information online. But in practice, it has become a tool to silence activists, especially women and queer people.”

The panel unpacked how vague legal language allows for selective enforcement, particularly against those challenging patriarchy, corruption, or state violence. The conversation highlighted the need for collective legal literacy, bold advocacy, and public pressure to resist repressive digital laws.

Shira explained how fear is being used to suppress visibility:

“We’re accused of promoting sex work or corrupting children, even without evidence. Laws now make us rethink our language, even in health outreach. We’re forced to frame our work in vague, ‘acceptable’ terms to avoid prosecution.”

Maureen reflected on digital resilience in hostile legal contexts:

“Even when platforms are against us, we still organize. We use solidarity links, memes, satire, and decentralized apps like BlueSky. We counter false narratives, amplify the silenced, and resist.”

The invisible violence we’re living through. After lunch, the conversation shifted towards re-imagining digital freedom beyond surveillance and censorship diving into how state and non-state actors monitor, restrict, and punish digital dissent Facilitated by Kettie Kahume the finance Director at HER Internet.

 “We censor ourselves before we speak. We hide our identities to post. We use VPNs to sound like we’re elsewhere. And that’s restriction. That’s harm.” —Kettie

Participants reflected on both the overt and subtle ways surveillance creeps into everyday life from being watched online, to phone tapping, to being harassed for WhatsApp group messages. Feminist organizers in the room shared how surveillance isn’t just political it’s deeply personal and emotional.

“Surveillance isn’t just about being watched—it’s about being silenced. It makes you second-guess yourself. You stop posting, stop writing, stop being.” —Participant

There was also sharp critique of digital platforms that cooperate with censorship efforts whether by shadowbanning content, flagging feminist speech as “explicit,” or removing posts that document injustice.

To close her facilitation, Kettie posed a reflective challenge to the room: What is the one right you want to see protected in digital spaces? The responses were as powerful as they were personal:

“I want my online privacy to be protected.”— Natashaca

“Personal data, my name, my address must be protected.”— Lee

“We need regulation on big tech.”— Tracy

“Data privacy and storage—especially with companies like Google. Why should they keep our data even after we stop using their platforms?”— Momo

“Control over how tech companies distribute our data. And above all, the protection of children’s content—child pornography must be eradicated.”— Irah

“We need easier and faster reporting mechanisms, especially when harmful content is posted.”— Sanyu

“All content involving children must be strictly regulated. It gives predators too much access.”— Lee

“Flagging should distinguish between harmful content and educational posts. Queer and feminist advocacy is being wrongly censored while violence slips through.”— Sandra

“People are now disguising words, remixing language just to post safely. We shouldn’t have to do that.”— Irah

This moment crystallized a shared vision: a digital world where safety, dignity, and justice are non-negotiable—not privileges granted by algorithms or policies.

What does privacy look like when you’re always at risk? Day Two, led by Sanyu Mulungi, centered on how privacy is experienced by structurally marginalized communities. Participants explored the shift from analog-era privacy to today’s digitally monitored reality especially for queer people, sex workers, and feminist organizers who exist under constant scrutiny.

“Privacy isn’t just about protecting our physical lives or data. It’s about identity and the right to exist without fear.”— Sanyu

Editah added a historical context by tracing how Uganda’s regulatory environment has evolved:

“In 2015, we had basic data protection laws. But from 2019 onward, we moved into full ICT regulation. That’s when the Ministry of ICT was formalized and the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) began to seriously monitor content. They became especially active during the COVID-19 period and the last elections.”

She explained how this shift was not just legal, it changed the entire digital atmosphere in Uganda. Increased state surveillance and platform policing during political unrest have dramatically reduced the space for free expression:

“Now it’s not just about what you post. It’s who is watching, how long your data is kept, and what language you use online. AI and tech tools are now used to trace, track, and target.”

Her intervention emphasized that digital privacy in Uganda about surviving systemic control not protecting information.

Lee shared: “Now we have more tools—VPNs, pseudonyms—but also more exposure. We have the knowledge to protect ourselves, but surveillance is more advanced.”

Cathy reflected on the “citizen journalist” era:

“Back in 2015, only mainstream media told stories. Now everyone has a platform. That’s powerful but also dangerous. People are being exposed, shamed, and violated.”

She also highlighted digital harm around health data:

“Even HIV statuses are being exposed by online pages. This is information meant to be private and yet it’s turned into content.”

In the interactive World Café session on Strategies for Feminist Digital Resilience, participants rotated in groups to co-develop ideas such as creating uniform messaging through a shared narrative and a feminist app that can go viral; building feminist infrastructure through consortiums of organizations posting from shared accounts to diffuse legal risk; and embracing creative resistance using memes, satire, poetry, and curative art to tell compelling and accessible stories.

“We must reframe our narratives not ‘I am a lesbian, I am trans’ but ‘We are womxn. We bleed. We lead. We raise families. We are the core of society.”—Laura

Visioning a feminist internet for all. Later, in a session on strategies for resistance and collective safety, Sandra reminded us that anti-gender and anti-rights actors are not acting randomly they are strategic, coordinated, and well-funded. So, our responses must be just as deliberate.

“These actors hijack culture, co-opt religion, and weaponize digital media. They create moral panic to justify censorship and repression. And they are always organizing. So we must organize too.” —Sandra Kwikiriza

The group explored real-world examples of astroturfing (fake grassroots campaigns), coordinated disinformation attacks, and the use of algorithms to spread hate. Participants noted how quick and strategic anti-rights actors are often outpacing feminist responses.

“We spend so much time reacting and putting out fires that we barely get to do the real work,” one participant said. “We need to be proactive, not just defensive.”

Participants envisioned a feminist digital utopia that includes secure platforms protecting user data, stronger regulation of child-related content and big tech surveillance, and clear distinctions between harmful content and educational advocacy.

We closed Day Two with a creative art session, inviting participants to visualize their own digital futures. Through drawings, stories, and shared vision boards, the group mapped out what a feminist internet could look like one rooted in care, access, agency, and joy.

There were images of healing spaces, secure platforms, inclusive technology, and intergenerational wisdom shared across borders. Participants envisioned a world where queer and feminist content thrives instead of being erased, where tech is built for us and with us, and where resistance is a creative act.

What we’re taking forward: The #DigitalFutures Convention was a political moment, and from it, we carry forward key commitments: reclaiming narrative power by telling our own stories, archiving queer histories, documenting harm, and celebrating survival; advancing legal and policy advocacy to challenge repressive laws and build legal literacy within our communities; building counter-strategies to resist astroturfing, hijacked hashtags, and digital surveillance through proactive strategy and collective organizing; and centering care and connection, recognizing that resistance is unsustainable without collective care and that digital safety must also encompass emotional and relational wellbeing.

“The feminist movement has power but we need to organize it, structure it, and communicate it clearly. We can’t just oppose what exists we must boldly build what’s next.” —Editah, participant

With gratitude: We extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone who made the #DigitalFutures Convention possible from our dedicated HER Internet team to the brilliant participants who showed up with courage and clarity. And to the Legal Empowerment Fund (LEF) for their invaluable support.

As Sandra mentioned:

“At HER Internet, we exist where feminism, queer rights, and digital rights intersect. That’s our home. That’s where we build.”

Throughout the month of May, we ran a digital campaign across our platforms, amplifying the voices, visions, and lessons from the convention. But this work doesn’t end in May, it continues every day in our organizing, our content, and our commitment to building feminist digital futures.

Follow us on social media and stay part of the journey.

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Hashtag: #DigitalFutures #DigitalUtopia #FeministInternet #CollectivePower #ReframingNarratives.