On Monday, 15 May, about 150 people attended a lecture given by Ben Wagner, new professor Media, Technology & Society, in Amsterdam’s Pakhuis de Zwijger. Irrespective of what was going on outside, those inside were treated to a 90-minute disconnect from the ominous digital world sketched by Ben and fellow panel members. In a digital sense, our human rights are being abused, they argued. And this is exposing us to risks, both individually and for society as a whole. Fortunately, the lecture ended on a positive note of optimism and resistance. “Sign up with a community that advocates a future based on digital human rights.”

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The floor of Pakhuis de Zwijger is patterned with undulating grids that give the illusion that it moves beneath your feet as you walk across it. It is an illusion that Ben exploits in his short introductory film. "We live in a hybrid world in which we think the ground under our feet is stable. But the illusion here covers up the fact that our digital human rights are being continuously violated."

Tramping on our digital human rights 
In his address, Ben leaves no doubt that the violation of digital human rights extends much further than mere discussions about privacy. "We’re talking about infrastructure and architecture, things that transcend the individual level and that we are therefore unable to avoid. Take democratic elections, for example. We all know about the attempted theft of information in the Watergate scandal. But stealing information online for political gain is a lot more commonplace than you might think, even in what we consider democratic Europe."

Knowledge, legality and power 
He goes on to explain that we live in a surveillance society that is not going to change anytime soon. What can change, however, is how we deal with it. Should we accept that we are just pawns in this digital world? Or would we rather understand how the digital infrastructures work so that we can take control and deal with it all more consciously? “Three elements are important here,” he assures. “Firstly, we need an in-depth knowledge of how the digital ecosystem works. Secondly, there’s the legality, what exactly is allowed? And thirdly, there’s power; without power nothing will change.”

Be a part of the community
“It's not about me, it's about what I do for the community,” concludes Ben. “Without that community I can't do my job. So be inspired and get involved. There’s nothing stopping you. Be a part of the community that underscores a future that’s based on digital human rights.” 

Decolonisation of cultural heritage
The ensuing panel discussion, about realising digital human rights, is led by journalist, podcaster and author, Tracy Metz. Adriana Muñoz, curator of the National Museums of World Culture (Varldskulturmuseerna), says that, like Ben, she recognises an interesting challenge in the simultaneous digitalisation and decolonisation of cultural heritage and archives. “With most artifacts still being in the hands of western museums, we take it upon ourselves to decide who has access to other people's treasures. But we must learn to share.” Picking up the thread, Ben says that Adriana's project focusing on the development process of projects is of particular interest. "It brings to the surface the stories and voices of more people than just the owners."

Need for total transparency
Sophie in 't Veld, a European parliamentarian in the D66 Dutch political party, also makes her presence known during the discussion. She advocates that an unequivocal right to information and total transparency in the digital world should be basic conditions. "We should no longer make it the responsibility of the individual citizen; it is the system itself that needs fixing. If we are to restore democracy, we will need a counter balance to the power that is currently wielded by tech companies and governments. The rule of law has become the law of the ruler."

Sustainable living environment and a resilient society 
Following the panel discussion, Marije Deutekom, a member of in Holland’s Executive Board, officially installs Ben as new professor. “Your research group,” she tells him, “is a perfect fit with the spearheads of our university of applied sciences. We advocate working from the perspective of social issues. Educating our students to become critical, responsive professionals who don't hesitate to stand up for their digital rights while working on a sustainable living environment and a resilient society.”

Sustainable Media Lab students
Didi Baas, a third-year Creative Business student is also someone who supports digital rights. “Last semester I followed a lab track themed on peace and justice. At the time our Sustainable Media Lab team focused on making primary school pupils in groups 7 and 8 media literate. Now I am doing an internship at the Digital Rights House Amsterdam, which is a partner of the Lab. I have a coaching role with new groups of students from the Lab who are carrying out projects on digital human rights, which include the digital rights of minors, hate speech and sexism. It’s gratifying to see more and more students becoming aware of their digital rights. This really should become a movement.”

Work to be done
Jake Blok is a board member of Digital Rights House Amsterdam and welcomes Ben’s installation as new professor. “This research group is not a destination; it’s a stop along the journey. Digital rights is work in progress, with a lot of work still to be done. I am very curious how a large institution like Inholland University of Applied Sciences will grasp opportunities with this research group, the Digital Rights Research Team and a broad array of students from different backgrounds and nationalities. This is all about applied research, so I hope that Inholland also develops practical initiatives on digital rights and itself grows into a digital-rights-proof university of applied sciences.”
 

Websites placing cookies on your computer to track your browsing behaviour. TikTok storing your personal data in China. Are you aware of what products, services, and organisations do with your personal data? It is often not obvious. Perhaps it’s possible to design a 'label' that shows you at a glance how companies respects your digital rights. Researchers from the Digital Rights Research Team, along with students from various programmes at Inholland University of Applied Sciences and MBO Media College took part in a co-design session exploring the idea of a digital rights label, and some of the wider issues of digital rights.  "What I realise now, is that if an online service is free, then I am the product" says one participant. “And that has implications for my rights as a consumer, and as a citizen”.

Read more about the co-design session and digital rights in this publication.

The tables are full of coloured Post-it™ notes, Lego™ models, Styrofoam™ balls and the room is strewn with yellow crime scene barrier tape. Students following creative-or technical-studies mix with professors, researchers, and field partners such as the design collective, Idiotes. Drawing on their own backgrounds, knowledge, and experiences, the participants visualise and analyse how governments, organisations, and citizens relate to digital rights. Importantly, they discuss what needs to happen to make those rights more recognisable and tangible.

Pictures taken by Iuliia Naumenko and Wina Smeenk.

Important labels  

Think about the colourful labels that reveal how energy-efficient a building is or how healthy certain foods are. How your digital rights are respected is not (yet) so transparent. Wina Smeenk is a Professor of Societal Impact Design, a founder of the Inholland Digital Rights Research Team (DRRT), and a board member of the Digital Rights House Amsterdam. She is also the person leading this project. “We want to learn how students and young people stand on this issue, and how far along they are in their digital awareness process” says Smeenk. “We will take the outcomes from today’s session, and the Digital Rights Research Team and the Digital Rights House will use them to further investigate the possibilities for a label."   

Working with multiple disciplines  

Didi Baas, a third-year student in Creative Business, is building a 'planetary system' of digital rights together with a Media College student and an Information Technology student. "A student who is doing an ICT course thinks very differently to me – based on their expertise – than a student who is doing a creative course” says Baas. “It clashes and causes friction sometimes, but you learn a lot from one another. You explore together; and ask questions such as 'what happens if we do this?' That produces great results. “I am surprised that there is so little legislation and regulation around digital rights” Baas continues. “It’s kind of a Wild West even though it’s related to human rights. That's why working on guidelines is so important." 

Awareness is the first step
Ander de Keijzer, Professor of Data Driven Smart Society and co-founder of the DRRT, engages in lively discussion and is filling coloured Post-it™ notes with his thoughts on digital rights. De Keijzer sees awareness among students as one of the first steps towards protecting their digital rights. "To your phone, to Google home – to all your digital devices actually – you are constantly giving away information about yourself. At the very least, you need to be aware of the digital trail you’re blazing and what the consequences are of that" says Keijzer. 

Sharing knowledge with one another  
The busy conversations, sketches, and model constructions have generated plenty of ideas among the students present about the protection of digital rights. Jim Bezuijen, a third-year Media Designer at Mediacollege Amsterdam acts out a situation relating digital cookie legislation using Lego™. "I know quite a lot about the digital trail I leave behind and am pretty aware of what my rights are” says Jim. “But it's nice to be able to talk about this with others. Then you can share knowledge with one another, and you are even more aware." 

Presentation of concepts  
The students present their concepts at the end of the morning. Their ideas include an AI bot that goes through all the terms and conditions of apps and websites and indicates via a traffic light system whether the app appropriates a lot or little data from you. Another team assigns a big role to the government to create guidelines around digital rights. Ben Wagner is co-founder of the DRRT and Professor of Media, Technology & Society. Wagner points out that we should not overestimate the power of government to protect us. "Given that even governments struggle to regulate large technology companies, how can we ensure strong protection of digital rights that protect the most vulnerable in society?" Asks Wagner.  

Digital rights in the Sustainable Media Lab  

In addition to the label research project, from February 2023, students at the Inholland Sustainable Media Lab will start working on the topic of digital rights. Protecting the digital rights of the vulnerable is one of the issues that they will take forward and consider. Project leader and researcher Susannah Montgomery is gaining a lot of inspiration for the upcoming semester from the collaboration day.  “Today's outcomes are a great starting point for the new students. We are building on these discussions and will also be using the results of this co-design process” says Montgomery. “We have learned that by working creatively and combining many different insights, it points us in the direction of more ideas.” 

Are you a student and would you like to collaborate with students from other courses? Then check out the Platform Inholland-wide electives!

If you are a third or fourth-year student and opt for Inholland-wide electives, you will soon be making a relevant contribution to the professional practice and joining forces with entrepreneurs, fellow students, lecturers and researchers. From 28 November to 5 December inclusive, you can register through this platform. Who knows, you might soon be tackling challenging issues on topics that matter to you!

With Inholland-wide electives, you will be stepping beyond the boundaries of your own degree programme, collaborating with students from other programmes and perhaps even other countries. This will enrich your personal development and provide you with valuable preparation for your future professional field, where you will also be working with people from various disciplines. 

Which issue would you like to tackle? 
Doing an elective means tackling challenging urgent social issues for which new solutions are required. An elective takes 20 weeks and is worth 30 ECTS. These include topics such as urban liveability, health issues in the music industry, gamification to achieve climate goals, reducing litter using data and more.

Which Inholland-wide electives are available to you? 
Inholland offers exciting challenges for students in years 3 and 4. You can choose from the following electives: 

• Citylab Haarlem (NL/ENG) 
• Data Driven Smart Society Alkmaar (NL) 
• International Music Industry lab Haarlem (ENG) 
• SLUISlab Amsterdam (NL)
• Sustainable Media lab The Hague (ENG)
• Urban Leisure & Tourism lab Amsterdam (NL/ENG)
• Urban Leisure & Tourism lab Rotterdam (NL) 

So broaden your horizons, step out of your comfort zone, use your talents as a team player and work on new solutions to real-world issues together with students from other degree programmes. 

Are you interested? 
Check out this site to see which elective appeals to you! Registration is open from 28 November through to 5 December 2022 (12 noon). Of course, you can always contact your learning team coach or study coach if you have any questions.