Digital society

“In the last quarter of a century the internet has changed the world. New digital technologies are accelerating change and will transform the future.” That’s received wisdom in the digital community – and business and politics as well.

Digital technology has potential to improve energy efficiency, which could contribute to a lower carbon future, but it’s also the fastest growing source of energy consumption (and so carbon emissions in the world today) – as well as one of the fastest growing sources of pollution.

It’s the end of this strange COVID Northern summer / Southern winter. Time for this blog for APC to resume its weekly exploration ‘Inside the Digital Society’.

The Digital Empowerment Foundation launched the Digital Emergency Relief Programme through its Community Information Resource Centres (CIRC) in 600+ locations in India, which have been rigorously responding to the crisis by reaching out to the most vulnerable communities.

Going beyond traditional Western frameworks of artificial intelligence (AI), this article shares other lenses from various cultural landscapes from which to view AI ethics.

In response to national security challenges related to terrorism, ethnic conflict and organised crime, Niger promulgated a new law on the interception of communications, with surveillance implications that threaten the right to free speech and privacy online.

The Foundation for Media Alternatives organised a webinar on digital rights in the Philippines, discussing the exacerbation of the digital divide during the lockdown, freedom of expression and the effects of the controversial Anti-Terror Law.

The fifth session of the African Internet Resilience webinar series took place on 30 July. The focus of the session was to foster a deeper understanding of complementary networks and address the need for internet services in rural and underserved areas across the continent.