April 6, 2016
UCalgary law student catches a glimpse into our digital future
“I didn’t know anyone, I knew little about the topics to be discussed and I had never before visited this part of the US,” reflected Trevor Gair, third year JD student at the University of Calgary.
He was in for a treat.
Held annually since 2011, RightsCon is the world’s premier summit on the interplay between the Internet and human rights. Activists, technologists, business leaders, policy wonks and legal experts all convene to discuss, debate and explore a range of issues including freedom of expression, privacy and digital security, network discrimination and connectivity, and trade and business.
With 1000 conference delegates from more than 70 countries descending on San Francisco, the global impact of the locally-based technology industry was front and center.
“As the total number of Internet users approaches 3.5 billion, the World Wide Web has become an essential tool for education, advocacy and social change,” says Gair. “And with great power comes great responsibility” he adds.
As he sees things unfolding in the 21st century, the guarantee of many universally recognized human rights is contingent upon open access to a reliable Internet connection.
“If you don’t have access at school, you’re going to fall victim to an ever-expanding digital divide. If the network is constrained during an anti-government protest, your freedom of association is adversely affected. And, if Internet Service Providers are unjustifiably prejudicing particular forms of content, your freedom of expression is being unilaterally censored.”
Access isn’t the only issue however. Protection of individual privacy is another matter that concerns Gair. “User data is a new currency in the digital age,” he comments. As more tech giants collect ever-greater volumes of data about their customers, the gravity of an inevitable privacy breach grows with it. More troubling still is the way in which users’ personal data directly fuels social media feed curation. As these technologies become increasingly sophisticated, hyper-personalized content and targeted ads will endanger independent thought and threaten societal creativity. Fostering innovation while preserving privacy is indeed a difficult balance to strike.
Gair’s interest in the power of technology is not new. Before law school, Gair co-founded a web-based social enterprise to inspire and empower social entrepreneurs – SoJo. Now, nearing the completion of his JD degree, he is eager to blend his longstanding interest in harnessing technology for good with his newfound legal skills. Gair will be articling with DLA Piper in Calgary and is keeping an open mind about what area of the law he would like to practise.
He wishes to thank Access Now for hosting the RightsCon event and the University of Calgary Faculty of Law for their financial support.
For more, please connect with Trevor on his blog - http://trevorgair.com/ or on twitter @trevorgair.