TCU at DRAPAC Series: Building a Digital Rights Community

Check out the recent interview with TCU Global Community Manager, Mardiya Siba Yahaya, that was conducted for the 2024 Digital Rights Asia-Pacific (DRAPAC) Series, which focused on generating conversations about challenges and opportunities in Asia in regards to human and digital rights.

During the recorded interview, Mardiya shared insights about how TCU designs and approaches various community building initiatives that bring together communities affected by digital rights challenges such as surveillance, censorship, and digital security threats. Highlights of the interview:

• Diversity, Inclusion and Equity are not just ethical imperatives but practical necessities in addressing the increasingly global nature of digital rights challenges. It also improves creativity, innovation, and knowledge creation. However, it is important to support diverse groups but without dictating what their priorities should be. Each group should determine for themselves what is important or urgent for them.

• Vulnerable populations possess unique insights into adversaries' strategies due to their firsthand and frequent experiences with digital rights violations. In addition, when the needs of the most vulnerable populations are prioritized and met, then everyone else’s needs are met by default.

• The development of circumvention technologies are still largely led by groups in the Global North for numerous reasons. However, for these solutions to be effective, you need direct participation from those directly affected so they work for specific contexts and threat models. Likewise, more home grown solutions are needed, that are created and led by those most affected.