Derechos Digitales is a non-profit organisation and member of the APC network that has been working for over 20 years to defend, promote and strengthen human rights in the digital environment in Latin America. By researching, disseminating information and advocating for the adoption of public policies, this organisation seeks to bring about changes to ensure respect and dignity for all in the digital environment. Its team is made up of technology, social science, law and communication experts from more than 10 countries in the region. APC spoke with Jamila Venturini and J. Carlos Lara, the co-executive directors of Derechos Digitales, to learn more about where they are at today, what has changed in the last 20 years, and how they plan to approach the future.
Much has changed since you began your internet work with a human rights approach. What changes would you say are the most critical?
There have been many significant changes since we began our human rights-based work on the internet. Several platforms and social media apps that are essential today did not exist or were not as popular back in 2005. Audio and video streaming was only just beginning. To put this in perspective: YouTube was launched the same year that Derechos Digitales began working!
In those days, people accessed the internet mainly on desktop computers and online activities were conducted primarily on websites and blogs, not on social media. The internet was seen as a means for democratising access to communication, culture and knowledge.
Our focus was mainly on promoting universal access, including through free or open licences, such as Creative Commons, which Derechos Digitales helped translate and adapt for Chile. We continue to defend those rights today, but one of the most notable changes has been the concentration of popular services for content creation and access in just a handful of powerful companies. Moreover, government interventions in the use of these technologies for questionable purposes has brought up new critical issues relating to privacy and accountability of technology companies in human rights and climate crisis matters.
On your website you highlight that you work to amplify Latin America’s voice in global debates on technology policies. Where is this issue at today, in terms of progress or setbacks?
Latin America is often said to be more a consumer of technology than a producer of technology. However, that perception overlooks its wide range of technological production initiatives and its history of profound critical reflection on the role of technology in society. In the international forums in which we participate, our civil society clearly displays its maturity on technology-related matters and their connection to human rights. We are leaders in several aspects, including our analyses of the impacts of artificial intelligence and data colonialism, among other key issues. However, this leadership is often invisibilised, as representation in international decision-making forums remains unequal.
There are major barriers to participation and an uneven willingness among states and companies to address our concerns. Additionally, many of the initiatives mentioned struggle to remain sustainable. From our position as a regional organisation we strive to support these initiatives and give them visibility, so that global discussions and decisions on technologies will take into account our production, opinions and, in short, our diverse and rich reality.
For more than a decade, your series “Latin America in a Glimpse” has offered an in-depth look at internet trends and challenges in the region. What would you highlight of the series at this particular moment?
“Latin America in a Glimpse” has been an important publication in the consolidation of a view of our region from the perspective of our region. We not only document trends and challenges; we also seek to give visibility to pioneering feminist infrastructure initiatives in our region, and the latest edition, launched in 2024, focuses on reflecting on how social movements and activisms in our region are thinking about, using and developing artificial intelligence.
It is also important to highlight that the publication provides an in-depth view, but each edition delves into a different topic. The publication itself has evolved and adapted to new concerns and contexts, renewing the approach on the initiatives we highlight. We want “Latin America in a Glimpse” to continue being a key tool for strengthening the digital rights movement in Latin America and furthering it on a global level.
Derechos Digitales places emphasis on the incorporation of a gender perspective in all its strategies and initiatives. Can you tell us more about this and how it has changed or evolved over these past 20 years?
Like many movements and organisations, Derechos Digitales did not initially start out with an explicit gender perspective, although it has always been deeply committed to ensuring rights for all people. The growing participation of women and LGBTQIA+ people in the organisation, which has evolved toward shared management with multiple female leaderships, has enriched our understanding of the need to adopt a differentiated perspective that addresses the specific impacts of government and corporate policies and technologies. Moreover, dialogue with partner organisations and networks such as APC has been instrumental in developing a view of digital rights firmly anchored in an intersectional gender perspective.
This evolution has not only involved an internal transformation, it has also been strategic: incorporating a gender perspective has made us reconsider our priorities, the language we use and our partnerships, enabling us to more accurately address phenomena such as digital violence, patriarchal surveillance and the structural gaps in technological access and participation. Today, this intersectional approach permeates not only our research and campaigns, but also our governance, our work methodologies and our way of collaborating in the region.
APC and Derechos Digitales have a long and productive relationship. Can you recall a particularly useful or relevant example of this collaboration?
The collaboration between Derechos Digitales and APC has been key for strengthening the digital rights agenda in Latin America and projecting it globally. A historical example of this partnership is the work linking economic, social and cultural rights with the promotion of connectivity and with our broader human rights agenda. A particularly relevant and current example is our joint effort in the United Nations’ Universal Periodic Reviews (UPR), in which we have submitted reports on countries such as Chile, Brazil and Ecuador, shedding light on human rights abuses in digital environments and proposing concrete recommendations on issues relating to access, monitoring and freedom of expression.
Our cooperation regarding the Global Digital Compact, where we have promoted feminist principles and human rights-centred proposals from a Global South perspective, has also been key. These collaborations have not only strengthened our capacities as an organisation, they have also facilitated a more effective participation of Latin American civil society in multilateral spaces, adding a critical, expert and diverse voice in debates in which we have traditionally been underrepresented.
If you could make one recommendation to a group that is just starting on its path at the intersection of technology and human rights, what would it be?
If Derechos Digitales were to give advice to a group that is beginning its journey at the intersection of technology and human rights, we would say that it is critical not to lose sight of the human rights framework in all the actions it undertakes. It is essential to understand that technology is not neutral, but that it is a powerful tool that can be used both to improve lives and to infringe on rights. Therefore, our recommendation would be to maintain a critical and questioning approach, ensuring that technological interventions respect and promote human dignity and social justice.
It is also important to be on the alert about the risk of discursive co-opting: today we are witnessing how anti-rights sectors are trying to appropriate the language of “freedom” to further regressive agendas. We also call on avoiding the traps of polarisation, without renouncing firm positions.
Finally, we underline that collaboration and mutual learning are essential. Cooperation among organisations and activists enhances our work and strengthens our capacities for facing common challenges.
What role do Big Tech companies play in the current rise in authoritarianism and how can we combat that trend?
Although it would be easy to blame advancing authoritarianism on Big Tech, it would be naive to ignore the structural role these companies play. It is undeniable that these companies have a major impact: they act as ideological amplifiers, often aligned with authoritarian leaders, whether by omission or by virtue of opaque algorithmic decisions or business models that privilege polarisation. They also have significant control over the information circulating on their platforms, which can distort public debate and reinforce authoritarian regimes and practices.
To counter this, it is essential to implement legislation that ensures that these corporations operate in a way that puts human rights and democracy first, above commercial interests, as well as to publicly strengthen the companies’ accountability to their users and not their shareholders. You can read more about this in our weekly column.