Session
Organizer 1: Technical Community, African Group
Organizer 2: Technical Community, African Group
Organizer 2: Technical Community, African Group
Speaker 1: Arnold Oginga , Private Sector, African Group
Speaker 2: Susan Waweru, Government, African Group
Speaker 3: Sumaiyah Omar, Technical Community, African Group
Speaker 2: Susan Waweru, Government, African Group
Speaker 3: Sumaiyah Omar, Technical Community, African Group
Format
Roundtable
Duration (minutes): 90
Format description: 1. Speakers to introduce themselves and provide opening remarks before tackling questions from the moderator 2. The speakers to compare and contrast positions/experiences from each country/stakeholder as well as prompt various thoughts and positions on policy matters emanating from litigation on Platform Accountability. 3. Audience encouraged to add statements/questions to the discussion, and participation of online audience will also be facilitated.
Duration (minutes): 90
Format description: 1. Speakers to introduce themselves and provide opening remarks before tackling questions from the moderator 2. The speakers to compare and contrast positions/experiences from each country/stakeholder as well as prompt various thoughts and positions on policy matters emanating from litigation on Platform Accountability. 3. Audience encouraged to add statements/questions to the discussion, and participation of online audience will also be facilitated.
Policy Question(s)
1. Are the African Regional laws viable for fostering platform liability and accountability in building sustainable and responsible innovation?
2. Can the African regional laws and legal systems offer avenues for streamlining platform liability and accountability in building sustainable and responsible innovation?
3. Are African regional laws and legal systems adequate in addressing platform liability and accountability issues towards streamlining and building sustainable and responsible innovations?
What will participants gain from attending this session? The session will highlight the available dispute resolution mechanisms, locus standi, and remedies available within the African Continent such as the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights; the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights; the Community Court of West African States; and the East African Court of Justice as avenues for litigating platform accountability and liability issues.
Further, the session will strengthen the African perspective, by discussing the emerging jurisprudence on fundamental rights and freedoms pertaining to platform liability and accountability on data governance issues, privacy and accountability, and integrity of digital platforms.
Finally, the session will make tangible recommendations for the utilization of litigation and court processes as tools for advocating for platform liability and accountability, brining Africa at par with the global narrative
SDGs
Description:
Emerging technologies have brought about various human rights challenges, issues and concerns with a clarion call from various stakeholders on accountability and pliability. Most often, the law plays catch-up with emerging technologies as the legislatures have not been able to foresee any such eventualities accompanying new and emerging technologies. In the recent past however, various tech related litigations against big tech companies have emerged In Africa, thus creating the need for exploring the place of litigation and public interest in the tech sphere at the national, regional and international levels. The panel shall bring together government, civil society, private sector, technical and academia in Africa. The diversity of the panelists emanates from their various activities as champions of platform accountability or litigators in Africa thus enriching the global conversation. The session will help identify emerging litigation landscape on platform accountability and help develop a pan African narrative on platform accountability and Liability. The session will explore the legal mechanisms for holding social media platforms liable and accountable through public interest and private litigation, highlight the laws on locus, available avenues for litigating digital rights, and the various remedies available to aggrieved persons.
Emerging technologies have brought about various human rights challenges, issues and concerns with a clarion call from various stakeholders on accountability and pliability. Most often, the law plays catch-up with emerging technologies as the legislatures have not been able to foresee any such eventualities accompanying new and emerging technologies. In the recent past however, various tech related litigations against big tech companies have emerged In Africa, thus creating the need for exploring the place of litigation and public interest in the tech sphere at the national, regional and international levels. The panel shall bring together government, civil society, private sector, technical and academia in Africa. The diversity of the panelists emanates from their various activities as champions of platform accountability or litigators in Africa thus enriching the global conversation. The session will help identify emerging litigation landscape on platform accountability and help develop a pan African narrative on platform accountability and Liability. The session will explore the legal mechanisms for holding social media platforms liable and accountable through public interest and private litigation, highlight the laws on locus, available avenues for litigating digital rights, and the various remedies available to aggrieved persons.
Expected Outcomes
1. Follow Up Events: Regional dialogues with various partners and stakeholders such as NADPA, African Data Protection Authorities, AU-EU D4D Hub, Platforms such as META, Private Practitioners and Legal Experts to further continue with the discourse on this subject.
2. An online publication, after the Session, in form of a session report to be a baseline to conduct further research and publication on the concept of litigating on platform liability and accountability, from an African perspective.
3. Catalyze the discussion on Platform Accountability, to be implemented in Africa, such as developing a tool for strategic tech- related Litigation.
Hybrid Format: 1. To distribute, via different platforms and communication channels, the information about the panel discussion and how participants can join for Online Participation To provide the best possible experience for the online and on-site participants, at least 15 minutes will be reserved for a Q&A session, and the moderator will ensure that participants have equal opportunities to contribute. A note-taker will summarize the key points on a virtual whiteboard for online participants and regularly post polls in the chat for a “temperature check”.
2. Online interaction in this session will be facilitated by incorporating in real-time the thoughts and questions of the audience expressed in writing in the chat of the online platform provided for the session.
3. Complementary online tools: Usage of IGF Official Tool, Usage of online polling tool to engage audience to gather inputs for session and Online whiteboard too