The BHR Group Digital Rights Careers Newsletter - Issue 13

Jun 06, 2023

Dear Colleagues:

Hello from RightsCon in San José, Costa Rica. You’ll find here – both in person and virtually – the world’s largest and most inclusive collection of thinkers and do’ers on all things digital rights. Join any session live, recorded, in-person, or virtual and you’ll find speakers and audience members dropping knowledge, sharing scholarship and lived experience, disagreeing respectfully, and making common cause repeatedly in principled and practical ways. It’s a remarkable meeting of the minds.

And since nearly 3,000 of you subscribe to this digital rights careers newsletter, know that RightsCon is a terrific place to learn about careers in digital rights. Check the quiet buzz between sessions and there’s plenty of talk about internships, fellowships, and jobs. You’ll learn tons of substance on digital rights for sure, but the people are the most extraordinary part of RightsCon. If you’re a veteran digital rights stakeholder, continue paying it forward with career advice. If you’re here in person in San José and thinking about a first or a next chapter in your career in this field, engage with folks on these topics. There’s a lot of untapped wisdom. It can be a tough topic, as it’s uniquely personal and there’s also a lot at stake in this field. The power dynamics in this sector – built on radical inequality surrounding it – have excluded and marginalized people. Yet to ensure human rights in the digital age, we desperately need diverse, equitable, and inclusive career paths into civil society, industry, academia, government, the press, international organizations, etc.

I learned so much in the early and mid-2000s from veterans in the broader business and human rights field, as the idea of business, human rights, and technology was in its infancy. And I’ve learned over the years that knowledge and learning move in all directions. I learn more and more from my own students in class each year, and I think of each meeting with any stakeholder or any group – the Freedom Online Coalition or the Global Network Initiative, for example – as a chance to learn. And I’m never ever disappointed. Be a lifelong learner, it’s good for your career and your spirit.

I learn a ton from the answers given by all our guest practitioners in this newsletter. I’ve had the good fortune and honor to have worked with them all over a long career in digital rights. I’ve also worked closely with this month’s guest practitioner – Emmanuella Darkwah – in her role as lead representative of Ghana’s Cyber Security Authority to the Freedom Online Coalition. Emmanuella chairs the FOC’s Taskforce on Digital Equality, on which I also serve, and she has been a steady voice of reason, thought leadership, and collaborative decision-making. Reading her interview, and understanding her belief in the value of partnering with people from a range of backgrounds and bringing multi-disciplinary experiences to challenges and opportunities in digital rights, I understand and admire her approach to leadership that much more.

Michael Samway
The Business and Human Rights Group
Website: www.thebhrgroup.com

Guest Spotlight: Emmanuella Ntim Darkwah

Emmanuella Ntim Darkwah is a Senior Manager, International Cooperation, at the Cyber Security Authority (CSA), Ghana. Her role entails being the focal point for all internal and external communication with partners such as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration in Ghana, the Freedom Online Coalition (FOC), Council of Europe (CoE), United Nations, and the Global Forum on Cyber Expertise (GFCE), among others. She is currently honing her skills in cyber diplomacy and is among the first cohort of the Women in Cyber Fellowship. She actively participates as a member of Ghana’s delegation in the United Nations’ OEWG in ICT in the context of International Security and the UNODC Ad Hoc Committee to elaborate an international convention on countering the use of ICTs for criminal purposes. She is also a member of the GFCE Research Committee. Prior to working with the CSA, Emmanuella worked with organizations like the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UNHABITAT), the African Association for Public Administration and Management (AAPAM) and with media houses in Kenya and Ghana. Emmanuella has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Journalism and Media Studies, specializing in Development Communication from the University of Nairobi, Kenya and a Master of Arts in Conflict, Peace and Security from the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC), Ghana. In addition to these, she has undertaken various certifications in cybersecurity, international law, and multilateral negotiations.

What’s something you didn’t expect at work in this field?

How versatile it is! I always had the mindset that technical experts, computer engineers, computer scientists, cybersecurity professionals etc. are the ones with the “qualifications to work in cybersecurity or in tech spaces.” However, with time I found out how crucial it is to have people with a range of backgrounds, i.e law, policy, international relations, human resource, psychology, etc. They all contribute to developing a country’s cybersecurity architecture. Technical expertise go hand in hand with legislation, policy, international cooperation, awareness creation, etc. Thus, although there’s a need to have departments like the Computer Emergency Response and the Critical Information Infrastructure Protection teams who handle threats and incidents, it is also important to have teams centred on preventive approaches to cybersecurity through awareness creation, to ensure that people do not engage in activities that leave their devices vulnerable. Additionally, it is important to have the right legislative environment to apprehend and prosecute cybercriminals, etc. Thus, I believe there is a role for people with a wide range of interest and backgrounds.

What are some of the values, broadly speaking, that guide you in this field or in life more generally?

Honesty, diligence, and integrity play a huge role in the field of cybersecurity and digital rights. Citizens will not be able to trust an institution to help them address cybersecurity issues if the institution is not marked by some of these values. Thus, as officials working in these institutions, we must also ensure that we carry these values in our personal and professional life. By personally making these values a hallmark of the work I do, I can contribute wholly as a public servant, to shaping the perception of the Cyber Security Authority and contributing to its mission and vision.

What’s a specific event or time when you feel like your team’s or organization’s work was able to make a significant impact in the field of digital rights?

As a member of the Freedom Online Coalition, the CSA has contributed to promoting digital rights. I believe Cybersecurity and digital rights go hand in hand because it makes meaningful access possible. The more people are able to trust digital platforms, the higher their chances of utilizing them. Hence, as Chair of the Freedom Online Coalition, Ghana, through the CSA was able to bring together stakeholders to have conversations around digital rights and internet freedom. During this conference, Ghana, together with Germany, co-signed the joint statement on digital inclusion. This document then influenced the establishment of the Task Force on Digital Equality, which Ghana Chairs. The goal of the task force is to create more dialogue on digital rights and inclusivity and further implement the call to action of the joint statement on digital equality.

For undergraduate or graduate students reading this, what type of course or activities (e.g., internships, summer jobs) do you think might be most helpful as they contemplate careers in technology, public policy, media, and human rights?

The BHR Group Digital Rights Careers Newsletter

The BHR Group Digital Rights Careers Newsletter - Issue 13

Guest Spotlight: Emmanuella Ntim Darkwah

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