Thread by @MollyMcKew

Great panel on how regimes come after activists (China, Iran, Venezuela) — “they gather and share techniques about how to f*ck people,” says Melanio Escobar. Many echoes of techniques Russian security services deploy heavily.

#OsloFreedomForum

Samuel Chu: “We can learn from history what is coming next.” Always plan for worst case scenario of what comes next.

Masih Alinejad: “Be strong. Be strong. Be strong. … You can be miserable [when they come after you], or you can make them miserable for coming after you.”

Chu: “I have meetings on zoom because I *want* the Chinese govt to listen in!” 😂

But so much this.

Question to panel: how do you deal with the paranoia of knowing there are persistent efforts to come after you?

Answers:
-CBD
-Refuse to be afraid
-it takes a lot of humor/ill-reverence to do this work

Chu: “we have to be in this for the long haul. They are trying to grind you down.” (On why humor is important)

Chu: China and Russia are the leaders in the UN working groups on technology, privacy, security. This is bonkers. Defenders of freedom must develop their own proactive concepts of what this look likes.

Alinejad: Tech companies are helping Taliban, Russia, China in repressing their people. These regimes shutdown the internet in their countries to commit atrocities, then go on social media to call for the oppression of their people. So people are banned, regime is not.

Escobar: regimes are making money from propaganda online. Period.

Chu: “we cannot let companies become the gatekeepers of human rights,” especially online.