Digital Security and Privacy

Background

Women have been left out of the mainstream of recorded technological development. Technology is colored by patriarchal values. This means that technology is supported by values of conquest and domination. The ways in which we develop and use information and communication technologies are irretrievably shaped by the weight of patriarchy, capitalism, and colonialism. Feminist theories of technology expose the sexism and androcentrism that pervade technological production and consumption, and challenge contemporary development of technologies.

Integrated with prevailing structures of power, technology might be destructive of human beings. A feminist perspective can help us move from a hard technology society to a soft technology future in which values such as democracy, nonviolence, solidarity, co-operation, harmony with nature, subjectivity, and non-exploitation become integral to technological development.

In order to achive this  we have to look to the past, to uncover women’s role in technological development. We must also look at both the theory and experience of the current feminist movement. And third, we must look to feminist future visions that project alternative technologies and alternative modes of social and econo-political organization. The future technology we seek should be based on a humanistic principles where independent technologies serves as tools for social change.

Beginnings and methodological approach

The Digital Security and Privacy Program from a Feminist Perspective has been developed by the Alternative Center for Girls (AGC) since 2014. Thanks to the available trainings in the civil sector and the selfless sharing of knowledge and experiences in the feminist movement and the activist community dealing with human/digital rights and freedoms, the body of knowledge and skills we have at our disposal has grown over the years and adapted both to changes in the field of technology and the needs of target groups.

The specificity of the Digital Security and Privacy program implemented by AGC is reflected in the fact that issues of technology are approached from the domain of human rights, more precisely, from a feminist perspective, which views the role of technology in people’s lives, primarily women and girls, through the prism of the complexity of social relations, dynamics and power relations. This means that we nurture holistic approach which tackling the security as technical and integrated security concept. Those two concepts are interconnected and should be addressed as such.

Issues of digital security and privacy which AGC tackles refers to a wide range of phenomena, policies and social practices that are reflected through the technology itself, but also the spaces bounded by it. In this sense, the subject of criticism and analysis is focused on the gender dimension of the concept of security as well as on the issue of gender-based violence on the Internet. This implies a holistic approach to security issues, not dividing it into offline/online, physical/digital/virtual, because attacks on the safety and privacy of women and girls flow from one area to another and do not have clearly demarcated borders.

 

Program objectives

Objective 1.

Empowering women and girls to recognize, understand and protect themselves from various types of security risks and gender-based violence manifested through information and communication technologies and the Internet.

Objective 2.

Building the capacity of activists and women’s organizations to recognize and protect themselves from security risks and violence through the implementation of integrated security and privacy policies.

Objective 3.

Raising awareness about feminist approach to technology where gender(s) awareness is a precondition and a practice for deconstruction violent social practices towards empowerment of diversity.

 

Target groups

  1. Women human right activists
  2. Young women from 18-35 years old
  3. High school girls and teenagers 

In order to achieve the mentioned goals, AGC as an educational center, organizes and implements the following activities

  • trainings and workshops on digital security and privacy adapted to different target groups, knowledge levels and age categories dedicated to understanding and application of device and account protection measures and the way the Internet infrastructure functions
  • panels and research dedicated to various aspects of the impact of technology on women’s human rights and gender-based violence such as analysis of law enforcement related to online harassment, GBV monitoring and recording systems by institutions, women’s organizations and other relevant actors
  • produces informative materials and other creative content intended to raise awareness about gender-based digital violence

Curently, program of Digital security and Privacy is supported by Trag/Oak foundation and Equality fond. Within this program, we are implementing a project End online violence sustain movement which was started in 2017 and which refers to empowerment of women human rights activists in BH, Serbia, Montenegro and Croatia to counter technology related violence against women (or gender based digital violence) and contribution in building resilient network (or in capacity building) of activists and organizations who politically engage in advocating policy changes regarding violating human rights in online space.