Sessions at SXSW Interactive 2012 about Human Rights

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Saturday 10th March 2012

• Is Social Media a Human Right?

  by Christian Sandvig, Jason Rockwood, Michealene Risley, Nick Szuberla and Ed Lee

  Earlier this year, United Nations special rapporteur Frank La Rue overwhelmingly declared access to the internet as "an indispensable tool for realizing a range of human rights, combating inequality, and accelerating development and human progress." In particular, the report focuses on the ability of the internet to facilitate communication and collaboration -- hallmark features of social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook, both of which played important roles in this year's Arab Spring uprisings. This panel aims to discuss the topic of social media access for populations which are typically denied internet-based contact with other humans: prisoners, the homeless, and the urban and rural poor.

  The questions the panel explores will look at whether or not the reasons these groups are denied access is in fact justified, or if instead, efforts and considerations need to be made to revisit these communities. For example:

  · Are the poor denied access because the free market simply hasn't trickled down to them yet? Or should the government intervene to provide internet access as a public good?

  · Is the use of social media by convicts to commit more crimes reason enough to deny 2.2 million Americans access to connections to their loved ones and family back home? Could social media be used instead to support the prison systems aims of rehabilitation and preparation for society? Can we really expect someone

  • Communication
  • Human Rights
  • inequality
  • Social Media

  At 12:30pm to 1:30pm, Saturday 10th March

  In Citadel, Driskill Hotel

Sunday 11th March 2012

• Material Change-Tackling Human Rights with Artists

  by Eve Blossom

  Story-telling is a process for healing. As we hold in our hands the technology to address global problems, we can foster a new world of creativity & community through individual expression & shared visions. Globally, artists and technologists are empowering other artisans and creators by celebrating their spirit, talents and traditions - giving them a stronger voice for their future. Eve Blossom, founder of Lulan Artisans and author of Material Change, will share stories of her journey of creating a business that merges design and social change. Material Change offers actionable holistic models for designers and social entrepreneurs, and explains an open-source model for others to adapt, customize and share. Eve will debut We've, a digital extension of Lulan Artisans: a novel approach for buying, and selling artisanal goods through relationships and story. We've allows new forms of communication and business to evolve from communal creativity, capturing the zeitgeist of the planet.

  • Art
  • Human Rights

  At 9:30am to 9:50am, Sunday 11th March

  In Ballroom G, Austin Convention Center

  Coverage audio clip

• Using Technology to Thwart Human Traffickers

  by Christina Arnold

  Traffickers use technology every day to outsmart law enforcement, non-profit organizations, government agencies and concerned citizens around the world. Human trafficking is a highly lucrative business - the third largest organized crime following drug and arms trafficking. It is time that we take a collective stand against this horrendous crime against humanity. If traffickers can use technology to run their illegal business, why can't we use it for good - to thwart them and prevent human trafficking? We just have to be as creative, relentless and savvy as these criminals.

  Enter Rapid Report and Response or R3, which uses cell phone and SMS technology ubiquitous throughout the world. We want to make it easy for everyday citizens to join the movement to report and prevent human trafficking using a device with which they are totally comfortable.

  In near real time, we will map human trafficking incidences and follow their progress over time as SMS reports pinpoint suspected or actual trafficking situations. This will be the first time technology will be used in such an aggressive way to stop this heinous crime.

  • Crime
  • Human Rights
  • Technology
  • traffickers

  At 12:00pm to 12:15pm, Sunday 11th March

  In Texas Ballroom 4-7, Hyatt Regency Austin

  Coverage audio clip

Monday 12th March 2012

• Your Technology and the Conflict in Congo

  by Sarah Fretwell

  We love the latest technology. Computers, phones, and cameras can enhance our lives. But are we aware of the true cost? In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), a war for access to mineral-rich land is being waged on the bodies of girls and women. This war is directly linked to our technology consumption. The sale of minerals for our electronics– Tantalum, Tin, Tungsten, and Gold- fuels the fighting in the DRC. Conditions are so bad that a girl or woman is raped every minute. The war is being funded today by our use of these minerals because consumers have not taken a stand. We need and want technology, but at what price? Join Sarah Fretwell of The Truth Told project as she shares stories and images from her intensive research trip to the DRC. Learn from her experiences and resources to become an educated technology consumer. Making a difference doesn't mean giving up technology. Become an advocate for conflict-free electronics.

  • Africa
  • Conflict
  • Human Rights

  At 3:30pm to 4:30pm, Monday 12th March

  In Salon D, AT&T Conference Center

  Coverage audio clip

• Modern Weaponry: Using Digital Media to End a War

  by Daniel Khabie, Chris Carver and Matt James

  Crimes against humanity no longer occur in total isolation; digital platforms are a stage on which global citizens can watch and respond to world events. This panel is comprised of experts in the digital field and pioneers of modern humanitarian endeavors. Participants will discuss the capacity of digital media to catalyze adequate response to international crises. Invisible Children (IC), an NGO devoted to exposing the perpetrators of Africa’s longest-running conflict, the LRA, through documentary film, will host. Since its founding, the company has established itself as an outlier in the humanitarian sector for its innovative and unconventional model. Through cutting-edge media, it has ignited youth activism in an international, grassroots movement, substantially intervening in the conflict and improving lives in the region. In September 2011, IC and Digitaria launched the LRA Crisis Tracker, which collects data and maps LRA attacks in one of the world’s most remote regions.

  • Digital Media
  • Documentary
  • Human Rights

  At 5:00pm to 6:00pm, Monday 12th March

  In Salon A, AT&T Conference Center