Agenda

This session gives an overview of the summit, defines the objectives and sets the context for the whole day.

Moderator: Osama Manzar, Founder-Director, Digital Empowerment Foundation

The inaugural session will kick-off with a 5-7 minute talk by Usha Ramanathan, giving an overview about citizens’ digital rights; intersection of online and offline human rights and how they affect each other in our day-to-day lives. It will then be followed by a plenary session having experts to share their opinions and insights on their respective themes.

• Usha Ramanathan, Legal Researcher
• Rajnesh Singh, Regional Director of the Asia-Pacific Regional Bureau, Internet Society (ISOC)
• Asif Saleh, Senior Director & Head of Innovation, BRAC, Bangladesh
• Helani Galpaya, CEO, LIRNEasia, Sri Lanka
• Aakar Patel, Executive Director, Amnesty International India
• Anja Kovacs, Internet Democracy Project

Moderator: Nikhil Pahwa, Co-Founder, Save the Internet

This session focuses on affordability; accessibility; infrastructure; usability, last mile connectivity; network discrimination and providing low-cost solutions that enable uniform access. Each panellist has 5-7 minutes to discuss the issue before the session opens for discussion with the audience.

• Anita Gurumurthy, Founding Member & Executive Director, IT for Change
• Dipendra Manocha, President, Daisy Forum, India
• Osama Manzar, Founder-Director, DEF
• Shadrach, Asia Coordinator, Alliance for Affordable Internet (A4AI)

Moderator: Rajnesh Singh, Regional Director of the Asia-Pacific Regional Bureau, Internet Society (ISOC)

This session focuses on right to privacy; big data; encryption; digital attacks; data mining, cyber security; anonymity and surveillance. Each panellist has 5-7 minutes to discuss the issue before the session opens for discussion with the audience.

• Jimmy Schulz, ICANN ALAC Member, Deputy Chairman ISOC Germany
• Prasanth Sugathan, Lawyer and Counsel, SFLC
• Saikat Datta, Lead Researcher – Cyber security
• Arthit Suriyawangkol, Thai Netizen Network
• Anja Kovacs, Internet Democracy Project
• Deepak Maheshwari, Government Affairs, India & ASEAN Region, Symantec

Moderator: Ruben Dieckhoff, The Friedrich Naumann Stiftung für die Freiheit, (FNF)

This session will exclusively focus on network disruptions. It starts with discussions on disconnecting digital communication channels, primarily taking examples from India and Pakistan and then taking it to a larger extent and what are trends in other countries. The breakout session will map out challenges and issues and how it affecting economic and social rights of citizens, freedom of expression, freedom of assembly and freedom of association.

• Deepali Liberhan, South Asia Public Policy Manager, Facebook
• Nikhil Pahwa, Save the Internet
• Helani Galpaya, CEO, LIRNEasia
• Parul Sharma, Research Analyst, Center for Communication Governance

Moderator: Gayatri Khandhadai, Project Coordinator – IMPACT, Association for Progressive Communications

This session focuses on advancing literacy through ICT, the internet economy, youth engagement and enhancing accessibility for persons with disabilities. Each panellist has 5-7 minutes to discuss the issue before the session opens for discussion with the audience.

• Asif Saleh, Senior Director & Head of Innovation, BRAC, Bangladesh
• Jamyang Tashi, Managing Partner of QED Consulting Group, Bhutan
• George Abraham, CEO, SCORE Foundation, India
• Amelia Andrews, Director of Communication, CREA
• Rajen Varada, Co-Founder and Director, Technology for the People
• Mansoor Ahmed, Founder and Director, Winged World

Moderator:  Madan Mohan Rao, Director Research, YourStory

This session focuses on free speech; multi-stakeholder cooperation; interconnection and price regulation, violence against women, dangerous speech and freedom of expression, association & assembly online.  Each panellist has 5-7 minutes to discuss the issue before the session opens for discussion with the audience on human rights online.

• Nikhil Pahwa, Save the Internet
• Parul Sharma, Center for Communication Governance
• Helani Galpaya, LIRNEasia
• Deepali Liberhan, South Asia Public Policy Manager, Facebook
• Bishakha Datta, Point of View

Moderator: Gayatri Khandhadai, Project Coordinator – IMPACT, Association for Progressive Communications (APC)

This panel aims to explore how gender-based violence online affects the participation of women and marginalized genders and sexualities in online spaces, what counter-strategies are being developed, and what are the possibilities of cross-expertise collaboration to ensure a safe online environment for women and marginalized genders and sexualities.

• Usha Ramanathan, Legal Researcher*
• Nayantara Ranganathan, Internet Democracy Project
• Rachita, Campaigner, Jhatkaa

Moderator: Japleen Pasricha, Feminism in India

This session will discuss the outcome culled out from the Summit and will set out recommendations. Moderator from each session will be presenting set of recommendation points that needs to be carried out.  It will then result in formulating working groups to discuss the way forward.

• Nikhil Pahwa, Save the Internet
• Rajnesh Singh, Regional Director of the Asia-Pacific Regional Bureau, Internet Society (ISOC)
• Ruben Dieckhoff, The Friedrich Naumann Stiftung für die Freiheit, (FNF)
• Osama Manzar, Founder-Director, DEF
• Japleen Pasricha, Feminism in India
• Gayatri Khandhadai, Project Coordinator – IMPACT, Association for Progressive Communications

By: Dr. Ronald Meinardus, Regional Director South Asia, The Friedrich Naumann Stiftung für die Freiheit