Hundreds attend major international digital activism forum in Palestine

Panellists included local and international experts and professionals from Google, Facebook, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Birzeit University, Addameer, Al Haq and Wikipedia.

Discussions held on the protection of digital rights in Palestine, global trends in digital activism and more, almost 300 hundred people attended the second Palestine Digital Activism Forum in Ramallah today, 19 January 2018, which was hosted by 7amleh – the Arab Center for Social Media Advancement.

The Forum was a day-long event, comprising panel discussions and Q&A sessions as well as interactive workshops. The event aimed to address and explore challenges and trends in digital activism, both in Palestine and globally, and to provide an opportunity for problem-solving and sharing best practice. It was attended by people from all walks of life – students, activists, staff from leading non-governmental organizations, local businesses and internationals.

The main discussions of the day centered around the protection of digital rights in Palestine and globally; Palestinian innovation in digital activism in Palestine; and global trends in digital activism. These topics covered a wide range of issues, from Facebook’s policy of moderating content in conflict areas and how to build digital rights into human rights mechanisms to the impact of the Palestinian Cybercrime law on Palestinian digital rights.