Feminist talk
Defining their place: Gender at the Internet Governance Forum 2016
By Smita
The Internet Governance Forum has been valuable as a multistakeholder space that facilitates the discussion and dialogue of public policy issues pertaining to the Internet. Over the years several feminists, activists and others interested in diverse representation have been participating in IGF and observing how concerns related to gender, sexuality, and the internet are raised and addressed.…
Feminist talk
[COLUMN] Taking action: Making climate justice and climate action a reality
By Sonia Randhawa
In the final column on gender, ICTs and climate change, Sonia Randhawa explores what are the possible actions that individuals can take -- in the face of impending climate change and the devastating and inequitable effect it has on people. At an individual level, we can reduce our carbon footprint. We also need to get involved in the climate movement. The climate emergency is with us now, and we…
Feminist talk
[COLUMN] Finding solutions: Using ICTs to face the climate emergency
By Sonia Randhawa
In her fourth column, Sonia Randhawa looks at whether ICTs can play a role in finding solutions to climate change. However while ICTs seem like an ideal technology for building networks and connections between people, it remains out of reach for most people, especially women who are often at the forefront of struggles in relation to climate change. Community radio is far more accessible for…
Feminist talk
Beyond the offline-online binary – why women need a new global social contract
By Anita Gurumurthy
The non-territorial, transborder Internet has added layers of complexity to the human rights debate. The idea of substantive equality – a compass for human rights and the key to gender justice – must be interpreted anew and afresh, as the force of digital technologies complicates the nature of social relations and institutions. The easy binary divisions of online and offline cease to make sense…
Feminist talk
ESC rights, gender and internet: Learnings from the GISWatch report
By Namita
The GISWatch report 2016 looks at the link between economic, social, cultural (ESC) rights and the internet in several countries, and from a multitude of systems of governance, whether that of socialism and the welfare state, or the semi-functional welfare schemes in parts of Asia and Africa (Uganda, Cambodia), and even the relatively privileged parts of the world, like Spain. Here is a synthesis…
Feminist talk
Algorithmic discrimination and the feminist politics of being in the data
By Nicole Shephard
Global data volume has grown exponentially in recent years and experts expect this trend to continue. The wider trend towards the pervasive datafication of our lives is not one we can just sit out. Big data and the algorithmic decisions it feeds permeate citizenship, healthcare, welfare states, education, finance, law enforcement as well as the ways in which we shop, travel, and live our social…
Feminist talk
Digital Storytelling: All our stories are true and they are ours!
By Jennifer Radloff
It is a sacred act to tell and to listen to stories. Some of our stories are rooted so deep in our cells, psyches and hearts, that it takes an act of courage to find the words to tell them. We each contain a multitude of stories that shape and make us who we are. It can also be a political act to tell a story. We conceptualise digital story telling as a recording and documentation method which…
Feminist talk
[COLUMN] Joining the dots: ICT sweatshops facing the heat
By Sonia Randhawa
This month's column by Sonia Randhawa looks at intersections between ICTs, gender and climate change through the lens of the women working in the software, rather than the hardware side of things. While many of the big companies in North America have taken steps to ensure that the energy for data processing comes from renewable sources, the question remains what is the environmental impact and…
Feminist talk
Its 2016 and Facebook is still terrified of women's nipples
By Japleen
Facebook's arbitrary policy on women's nipples has angered many, who find their content removed or accounts suspended or banned. Japleen Pasricha writes about being repeatedly 'punished' by Facebook for posting content on the social media platform that is feminist and bold, about young women growing up and even images of protest by women in Manipur against the oppression of the Indian army and…
Feminist talk
[COLUMN] The Gender Binary: TERFs, terms and conditions
By Nadika
Is the internet a playground for sexual identities, or also where new sources of shame and anxiety are found? Nadika in this month's column explores the complexity of different online labels or identities, including that of shemale. She writes about the inspiring journeys of trans women, how they came to adopt or reject labels and identities, and their idea of transgender femininity. Through…
