Mobiles for Activism & Advocacy Examples, Challenges & Opportunities Patrick Meier Director of Research DigiActive.org MobileActive08, Johannesburg

Presentation Focuses on Grassroots Digital Activists… Limited Resources Loose Networks Anonymity Individual Actors Security Low/No Budget

Examples…

1. Using Mobile Phones to Organize and Coordinate Protests …

Protests…

Philippines ‘01 - “Coup de Text” Protests…

Philippines ‘01 - “Coup de Text” Spain ‘04 - “The Night of SMS” Protests…

Philippines ‘01 - “Coup de Text” Spain ‘04 - “The Night of SMS” Pakistan ‘07 - “Flash Protests” Protests…

2. Using Mobile Phone Videos to Document Human Rights Abuses …

Videos…

Egypt - “Exposing Torture” Videos…

Tibet - “Media Blackout?” Egypt - “Exposing Torture” Videos…

Morocco ‘08 - “Exposing Abuse” Egypt - “Exposing Torture” Tibet ’08 - “Media Blackout?” Videos…

Using a Camera Phone and YouTube to Expose Police Brutality in Morocco

3. Using Microblogging Tools to Bridge Between Mobile Phones and Internet Activism

MicroBlogging…

MicroBlogging… Egypt - “Twitter out of Jail”

Egypt - “Twitter out of Jail” China - “Live-Twittered Arrest” MicroBlogging…

Egypt - “Twitter out of Jail” China - “Live-Twittered Arrest” MicroBlogging… Egypt - “Twitter to Safety”

Issues to Consider…

1. Network Structure centralized decentralized distributed source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_networks

2. Security

Surveillance Content Filtering Traceability Network Integrity 2. Security

NonID Prepaid Cards (Anonymity) “ Mobile” Mobile Activism (On the Move) Avoid Centralization (Distribute Risk) 2. Security

3. Cost

NGO Budget Premium Rate Number Prepaid Cards Top-up to Subscribe? 3. Cost

4. Dissemination

Calling for Action Using Relays Distributed Public Sphere Using Complementary Tools 4. Dissemination

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