Despite the digital acceleration and the validity of the Personal Data Protection Law in Panama, there is still no comprehensive regulation focused on the problems that affect the daily life of Panamanians, such as misinformation, online gender violence , indiscriminate collection of your personal data by private digital platforms, among others.
Digital rights are a reflection of human rights in the digital environment, and are fundamental rights already recognized in international treaties and local regulations, such as privacy, freedom of expression online, access to information and knowledge, among others. These rights are very important and deserve special protection given the accelerated digitization that the population experiences daily in all aspects of their lives, such as education with online classes, transport services through applications, online purchases, etc.
In this context, the Initiative for Digital Rights in Latin America (Indela) will launch an open call, with funds from the European Union, to support projects within the emerging ecosystem of civil society (civil society organizations, think tanks and media ) that work on the promotion and guarantee of digital rights in Panama through public policies and regulation, at the subnational and national levels.
Support for this ecosystem, which today remains small in the country, allows for strengthening the conversation about the impact of technology on human rights, with an emphasis on vulnerable populations such as women, LGBTIQ+ people, indigenous communities, and Afro-descendants.
The call will be open from March 28 to May 15, 2023. The postulated projects must delve into the intersection of technology and human rights. Proposals will only be received from organizations legally constituted in Panama. Projects coordinated by two or more organizations will be accepted.
The main thematic areas to support are:
- digital literacy
- digital divide
- cybersecurity
- Disinformation
- Freedom of expression online
- digital privacy
- Personal data protection
- mass surveillance
- online gender violence
The applications selected by Indela will receive funding up to $25,000 and must be implemented within a period of 12 to 18 months. In addition, they will have the opportunity to receive additional non-financial support, which strengthens the impact of the project and the organization.
Learn about the selection criteria, who can apply and more about the open call for Indela in Panama here.
