The main theme addressed was “how can I use the Internet to empower me, rather than kill me?”
In this post, I added a tiny bit of humor for comedic relief. Otherwise, this subject is outside my knowledge area, so I’m reporting more than anything else. I was volunteering during the session, so it is my honor to share their messages.

SQL #ForTheWin

One panelist’s group uses SQL databases to document LGBTI deaths, discern patterns in those death, and ultimately so that they can determine the causes & get justice for Human Rights violations.

Be Conscious of Your Power To Be Heard

One panelist urged the audience to think about the impact of your communications online. There are so many people that think, when they get a Facebook, “will I finally be heard??”

When I hear this, I think of a line from Episode 7 of “Grace and Frankie” where they’re discussing Twitter, and the IT guy explains that Twitter is like “yelling out into the universe”.

The challenge is that Twitter can be a fantastic activist tool. But how do you make the jump from a 13 year old posing with a duck face to leading a cultural/political revolution?

“The Internet can be both a way to organize & a way to infiltrate”

There are community which were infiltrated after they took their community digital. They then took the community off of the platform (thereby removing access for many). This was based on a lack of trust in the community, and in particular a lack of digital security training. It took one of the panelist’s giving the communities digital training, for those communities to return to the Internet.