Digital Diplomacy & New Technology

Taliban fighters posed for the camera, their shawls and bandannas covering their identities but not their jubilation, as they captured the main roundabout in the northern Afghan city of Kunduz early this month in what could have been called “operation hoist the flag and pull out a smartphone.” [...] In a country where social media use is becoming more and more vital, the Taliban are making sure to flood the information channels with their message.

The tour, marked as the teaser of the " China-Russia Internet Media Forum" that will be heldin Tianhe district on Saturday, included visits to some of the leading internet and innovativecompanies in the district. More than twenty Russian press savvies and media entrepreneurswith their Chinese counterparts attended the tour.

This research project studied how Twitter is being used in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries as a form of digital diplomacy. 

Some 6,000 Nigerian girls will receive training in digital skills in early 2017 from an international foundation that uses technology to empower underprivileged youth and women in the developing world. “Our mission is really to create a rich learning community where the appropriate use of technology affords opportunities for youth and women living in developing economies,” said Youth for Technology Foundation President and CEO Njideka Harry in an interview.

Human Rights First and French NGO Coexister convened the #BetterTogether Inaugural Summit in Paris last month to address the problem of hate speech on the Internet and in social networks. The two-day meeting brought together civil society actors, technology companies, and French and American government representatives for sessions dedicated to the creation of coalitions and advocacy campaigns...

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