Yearbook 2023
Another year has gone by and plenty has been achieved. ADC has a history of struggle, quest for new horizons, and participation in exigent but crucial discussions. Those that may contribute to a better world but pose a challenge. A challenge because they require many people to agree. A challenge because governments should also seek mutual understanding to harmonize their interests. A challenge because the corporate sector must provide their perspective as well, often diverging from that of governments.
In this increasingly complex scenario, we continued striving throughout 2023 for a bold positioning in the international, regional, and domestic arenas, especially as facilitators in the discussion of intricate issues regarding fundamental principles and rights in their relationship with the digital environment. As a civil society referent, we sought to promote effective and substantial participation in the debates within both, the public and private sectors. It is a monumental challenge that inspires and motivates us in our daily lives.
Our pursuits in the global realm were crowned with a strong presence in CSISAC, the engagement group that channels civil society participation in the OECD Committee on Digital Economy Policy. We also led efforts to strengthen the RIPD (Ibero-American Data Protection Network) Civil Society Forum, bearing in mind that this commitment yields better results when undertaken jointly. Regarding the right to freedom of speech, we coordinated two days of reflection sessions on the problem of disinformation in Latin America together with the Bertelsmann Stiftung Foundation (Germany). As to artificial intelligence, we joined the PAI (Policy on AI) (Partnership on AI) Steering Committee), a coalition recently formed to address urgent issues on its governance.
Our activities were not limited, however, to expanding their thematic and geographical scope, but we also continued developing initiatives around the issues that habitually compose our agenda. Thus, we launched the PubliElectoral app in Chile and Brazil to monitor electoral processes, and we intensified our work regarding the Judiciary, organizing events and developing reports on the Magistracy Council.
At the domestic level, we achieved a momentous precedent-setting court ruling through which the Argentine government was compelled to inform the technological tools and security protocols it uses to protect any personal data collected. We also persisted in seeking common ground with the corporate sector by sharing our recommendations for the adoption of a digital perspective in the National Action Plans on Business and Human Rights.
Last but not least, this year saw the launch of the ADC Fellowship, a mentorship aimed at Latin American researchers and academics committed to the defense of fundamental rights in the digital world. On this occasion, the grantees from Chile and Bolivia inquired into the digital dimension of gender-based political violence.
2024 appears as a complex year, at both the domestic and global levels, and ADC will be, once again as it has been for almost thirty years, striving to make its sincere contribution to building a better world.