Tech Tangle at the Americas Summit: Will Digital Rights Survive the Spin?
The Tenth Summit of the Americas is set to tackle human security, digital technology, and everyone’s favorite paradox: how to use AI to boost energy efficiency while it simultaneously threatens it. As leaders gather, civil groups like EFF urge a focus on human rights and caution against creating a surveillance state with a side of prosperity.
Hot Take:
Who would’ve thought a summit could feel like a tech-themed soap opera? The Heads of State are gathering to discuss pressing hemispheric issues, yet the real drama is how digital technologies are being glossed over like a bad hair day. While the concept paper is silent on tech, civil society organizations are shouting from the rooftops: “Hey, don’t forget about the internet, you guys!” It’s like planning a birthday party and forgetting to invite the cake. The summit’s theme is “Building a Secure and Sustainable Hemisphere with Shared Prosperity,” but let’s be real—if they don’t incorporate tech, they might as well be planning to build a castle in the sky with toothpicks and optimism. Let’s hope they don’t drop the ball (or the bytes) on this one!
Key Points:
- Heads of State from the Americas are gathering in December for the Tenth Summit of the Americas in the Dominican Republic.
- The summit’s theme is “Building a Secure and Sustainable Hemisphere with Shared Prosperity,” but the concept paper is silent on digital technologies.
- Civil society organizations have released a joint contribution highlighting the importance of integrating tech into the summit’s discussions.
- Human security, including citizen, food, energy, and water security, is a key focus, with digital tech being a cross-cutting issue.
- There’s a call for a human rights-centered approach to digital policies, avoiding the pitfalls of surveillance and securitization.