The Rise of Mass Surveillance and Violence in Colombia: Human Rights and Digital Rights Under Attack
This following content and information is taken from notes of a Community Knowledge Share (CKS) workshop we hosted with three digital rights defenders from Colombia.
Article in Spanish available here.
A Snapshot
Journalists, human rights activists, and citizens in Colombia are facing unprecedented levels of state-sponsored violence, surveillance and censorship as they try to report on the country's ongoing conflict. These circumstances have only accelerated due to the pandemic, and came to a boiling point this Spring due to the tone-deaf social and economic policies of president Iván Duque Márquez that were enacted on April 28, 2021. Millions gathered on the streets and the protests have not stopped since. To further complicate things, the presidential campaign season will be starting soon. The government is implementing online mass surveillance on a scale never before seen and is branding activists and protestors as cyber-terrorists. In addition, content about human rights violations is being deleted or blocked on social media in massive numbers.
The Numbers
More than 1,000 reports of content being taken down on social media have been reported. Response from social media companies has been far from satisfactory.
Human Rights Watch reports that there have been more than 1,100 instances of injured protestors and bystanders since the start of the April protests. They report the deaths of 31 protestors or bystanders, at least 20 of whom appear to have been killed by the police. In addition, police officers have been responsible for 2 cases of rape, 14 cases of sexual assault, and 71 other cases of gender-based violence.
From April - June 2021, there have been more than 230 documented instances of violence against members of the press, according to Fundación para la Libertad de Prensa. More than half of these aggressions against the press were instigated by police or the military forces.
Needs of Colombian Digital Rights Defenders & How to Help
The following are the needs, requests and ways to help, as shared by Colombian digital rights defenders (DRD).
Help amplify stories: Activists need help ensuring that accurate information about state-sponsored violence and civilian censorship is relayed outside of the country. Use hashtags, #SOSColombia, and #SOSColombiaNosEstanMatando. If you know journalists that can cover these stories, share this context with them, including that black and indigenous bodies are experiencing the most violence in cities like Cali.
Help document internet blocks by downloading the OONI app if you are in Colombia. Check out this manual in Spanish on how to do this easily.
If you live in the US or EU, contact your elected officials and tell them to stop funding the armed forces in Colombia.
Follow, support, or collaborate when you can with a Colombian digital rights organization. They are at capacity and need help with many things. Some amazing Colombian digital rights organizations: Fundación para la Libertad de Prensa, Noís Radio, Karisma Foundation, Temblores, and El Veinte.
Help identify tricks or strategies to bypass social media censorship and bans. Advice from allies outside the country who have worked on similar challenges would be appreciated. You can email them to team@digitalrights.community, and we will make sure they are forwarded.
Ciberpatrullaje: Rise of Government Run Mass Surveillance
Colombia is experiencing state-sponsored mass surveillance on a scale never seen before. While informal state-sponsored violence existed in the past, it was mostly in rural areas, and never on the level of militarized action that individuals are now seeing in cities.
Colombian DRDs share that current protests “feel different” than those from other years. Protesters, for example, are facing harsher repercussions than ever before. In addition, opposition voices are being actively censored or surveilled, pushing activists to self-censor. DRDs share that Colombian citizens are not prepared to protect themselves or circumvent the level of mass surveillance being experienced.
Citizen journalists are encountering many issues regarding the publishing and outreach of their content on social media. Part of the government’s tactic is the use of what has been termed as Ciberpatrullaje, or cyber-patrolling. This virtual police force is monitoring content published on social media particularly looking for posts about the proposed tax increases and the police crackdowns. Authorities reports these posts as either disinformation, cyber terrorism, or digital terrorism, which in turn results in platforms deleting or blocking the posts. Many activists are being identified as robots as well, causing a hindrance for grassroots media projects and independent journalists. In fact, many have been banned from platforms such as Facebook, Youtube, Instagram and Twitter as a result.
Social Media Content Being Censored or Taken Down
The take down of social media content in Colombia is similar to trends digital rights defenders are seeing in places like Palestine and India. To-date, the Colombian nonprofit, Karisma, has received more than 1,000 reports of content being taken down from social media platforms. Despite persistent direct communication to social media platforms about this censorship, activist content remains a target for takedown, and the situation has not been met with an adequate response from any major platform, but deflects any solid accountability.
On June 3, 2021, several Colombian civil society organizations presented a letter to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, listing human rights violations that have occurred in Colombia online, and asking the commission to investigate. Among them are the issues the online attacks and surveillance citizens are facing on social media.
Attacks Against the Press
From April to June 2021, there have been more than 230 documented instances of violence against members of the press, with more than half of these aggressions instigated by police or the military forces. Journalists are being beaten and detained while covering the protests, and face diverse types of violence, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. Colombian DRDs report this is the first time in recent history that they have seen this level of violence against the press.
Marginalized Communities, Particularly Afro-Colombians, Experiencing Violent Attacks
Cali, home to some of the largest afro-Colombian and Indigenous populations in Colombia, has seen some of the worst violence, with the majority of the 31 deaths and more than 1000 instances of police-inflicted injury taking place there. Elizabeth Dickinson, senior Colombia analyst at the International Crisis Group, noted that while the "crisis in Colombia is deep, the crisis in Cali is deeper".
Colombian DRDs report that many of the young protestors in places like Cali, are vocalizing their frustrations and are willing to fight “until the end” because of the classism and racism they have historically faced. While the protests were triggered because of President Iván Duque's poor COVID-19 response and insensitive tax reforms, these individuals have also been inspired by movements like Black Lives Matter. They represent a new type of movement that combines hope, anger and indignation. For example, collectives have been formed that are using street art as resistance, like this monument that has just been inaugurated that symbolizes unity and resistance.
Activists & Protestors Branded as Terrorists
The Colombian government is publishing disinformation and misinformation about protesters, painting them as cyber-terrorists that the general public needs protection from. This tactic was first used in a November 2019 general strike.
Human Rights Watch has called out the egregious police abuses against protesters. They have confirmed 31 deaths of demonstrators or bystanders, at least 20 of whom appear to have been killed by the police. They are also reporting two cases of rape, 14 cases of sexual assault, and 71 other cases of gender-based violence by police officers, including slapping and verbal abuse. At least 419 people have been reported missing since the protests began. On June 4, the Attorney General’s Office said that it had found 304 of them. In some cases, the people who reported them missing were not aware that they had been detained.
Resources for Folks in Colombia:
Please email us if there are any resources that you think we should add to this list team@digitalrights.community
Nois Radio is supporting the digital and human rights defenders in Colombia. Nois produces and broadcasts alternative communications about human rights coming from voices in the streets and activists on the frontlines.
Derechos Digitales Rapid Response Fund supports the defense and promotion of human rights in the digital environment through funding grassroots activists in times of emergency.
The Engine Room is offering dedicated support for Colombian activists who are facing state-sponsored surveillance and are in need of digital and organizational security.
Surveillance Self-Defense (in Spanish), compiled by the Electronic Frontier Foundation is a project containing tips, tools, and guides for safer communications.
Protestos.org is a protest guide (in Spanish) that lists out tips and guidance for protesting effectively and safely. Translations are available in Aribic, Burmese, English and French.
Urgent Action Fund for Latin America and the Spanish speaking Caribbean takes submissions for rapid response grants to ensure the sustainability and strengthening of activists and their movements.
AccessNow’s Digital Security Helpline, with free 24-hour support in nine languages, helps activists assess risks, prioritize digital security needs, resolve existing problems, and provide guidance on best security practices.
To stay up to date on what is happening inside Colombia, tune into our monthly Latin American community gatherings where we discuss digital security, mental health for activists, and decompress with music and memes. [Team CommUNITY Wiki]