Law
60 mins
Analyzing Laws that Impact Digital Rights and Advocating for Reform
- Abstract:
- Over the past decade, governments around the world have sought to mitigate online harms and exert greater regulatory control over the internet. To do this, they have amended existing penal codes or enacted new legal frameworks, such as cybercrime laws and data protection regulations. Some of these laws include provisions that restrict online civic space. In many cases, the restrictions do not comply with their obligations under human rights law. How can civil society effectively push back against these restrictions? What are strategies that have worked in other contexts? This course provides actionable lessons that help answer these questions.
- About this course:
- There is a growing movement worldwide to defend internet freedom and online civic space. This course is designed for civil society advocates who want a stronger foundation in human rights law as well as human rights lawyers who are new to the digital rights space. The lessons highlight real laws that have been passed in different countries, explain their human rights impacts, and provide tips for how to effectively advocate for rights-compliant legal frameworks. The last lesson provides a real-world example of how civil society strategically applied these lessons to successfully advance digital rights in their country.
- What do I learn:
- When advocating with governments and international human rights mechanisms, being able to articulate how and why laws violate human rights norms greatly increases the efficacy of the advocacy. However, civil society sometimes struggles to understand complex legislation related to digital technologies. Participants who take this course will come away with a greater understanding of the human rights standards related to online civic space and have the tools to write about and advocate for reforms. The workshop is designed for anyone who wants to improve their knowledge of human rights legal analysis and gain tips for effective legal advocacy.
- What do I need to know:
- This course is useful for anyone with an interest in understanding how to apply human rights law to laws and policies that impact the internet and technology. You do not need to have a technology or law background to understand the concepts of this course. You only need a willingness to learn and an interest in using the knowledge from the course to improve the digital rights environment in your country.
Trainers
Zach Lampell
Zach Lampell is a lawyer and freedom of expression expert at ICNL, leading programs on new technologies and civic space. He provides legal assistance to civil society organizations and studies AI's impact on civic freedoms. Previously, he was a professor at the Royal University of Law and Economics, where he founded the Center for Humanitarian Law. He holds a J.D. from Case Western Reserve University and received the Distinguished Scholar Award.
- 1.1 Introduction to the Course1.2 Digital Rights Trivia Questions1.3 What are Digital Rights?1.4 Bangladesh’s Digital Security Act
- 2.1 International Law and the Three-Part Test2.2 The Legitimacy Standard Explained2.3 The Legality and Proportionality Standards2.4 What Have you Learned about the Three-Part Test?
- 3.1 Applying the Three-Part Test to the Use of Spyware in Mexico3.2 Your Turn to Analyze Kazakhstan’s Cyberbullying Provision3.3 Intermediary Liability3.4 Taking Your Analysis to the Next Level3.5 Hate Speech Restrictions
- 4.1 The Essential Roadmap for Legal Advocacy4.2 Developing an Advocacy Strategy4.3 Putting it All together – A Lesson from Tanzania4.4 How would you address this cybercrime bill?
- 5.1 Summary of Lessons5.2 Final Quiz
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