World Social Forum: Now more than ever, technology must be at the heart of social movements
In a few hours’ time, I will be flying to Cotonou to take part in the 17th World Social Forum (WSF). Barring any unforeseen circumstances, this will be my eighth WSF, having also participated in several regional and national social forums in Canada, Quebec and elsewhere.
Each World Social Forum serves as a reminder of the obvious: in the face of the crises affecting our societies, social movements need spaces for meeting, dialogue and international solidarity more than ever. In a world marked by conflict, inequality and democratic backlashes, the Forum remains one of the few places where thousands of organisations can develop joint responses.
I will be attending with a twofold aim: to reconnect with activists committed to defending social justice and human rights, and to share the experience of my organisation, eQualitie, in understanding digital challenges and developing technologies that strengthen freedom of expression, digital security and the resilience of civil society organisations.
Technology has become a political issue
When the World Social Forum was first established, the internet represented, above all, a tremendous potential for communication between social movements. Today, it has become impossible to talk about democracy, human rights or social justice without talking about technology.
Digital platforms have become political infrastructures. They influence the flow of information, public debates, elections, international conflicts and even wars. Cyberattacks, disinformation, mass surveillance and artificial intelligence are profoundly transforming the environment in which civil society organisations operate.
At the same time, other technologies can protect communications, document human rights violations, circumvent censorship and enable social movements to continue organising despite repression.
The question, therefore, is no longer whether social movements should engage with technology, but how they can reclaim it.
Making digital resilience a priority
Social movements have often adopted digital tools based on their ease of use or cost, without always fully appreciating the associated issues of dependency, security or even sovereignty.
Yet control over digital infrastructure is now an essential condition for the autonomy of citizens’ organisations. Free software, open platforms and decentralised infrastructure are not merely technical choices: they are also indispensable democratic choices for social movements.
An opportunity to renew the Forum
The World Social Forum has always evolved in step with the major challenges of its time. Digital challenges must now take centre stage in this collective reflection.
I shall have the opportunity to champion this vision within the WSF and, more specifically, within the World Forum of Free Media, where issues of freedom of expression, digital resilience and technological sovereignty are taking on increasing importance.
The World Social Forum remains a unique space where social movements can imagine alternatives. More than ever, these alternatives also involve reclaiming open, free and decentralised technologies. Defending human rights today also means defending the digital spaces that enable civil society to communicate, organise and resist.
