In the digital age, where the Internet has become an essential part of everyday life, the question of digital rights and digital security is more critical than ever. In Sri Lanka, the Greater Internet Freedom’s (GIF) local partner – Hashtag Generation, organization led and run by a group of young tech-savvy, socially conscious Sri Lankans, has been working on advocating for the meaningful civic and political participation of youth, especially young women and young people from minority groups. And since the start of the GIF project, their focus expanded on informing the youth, as well as marginalized groups, about digital rights and how to protect them, as well as on digital security, and how to stay safe in online spaces.
Given that more than 42% of the population in Sri Lanka is under the age of 30, Hashtag Generation is cleverly utilizing different tools to reach them – primarily through social media, often using humor, parody and memes, to gain broader reach. Kasun Sankalpa, Programme Associate at Hashtag Generation, shares insights into the current digital rights challenges, their organization’s mission and successes.
Currently, Sri Lanka is facing several pressing digital rights issues with the recently passed Online Safety Act. The Act intends to establish the “Online Safety Commission” to regulate the “false and prohibited statements” on the Internet and social media in Sri Lanka. Civil society and experts are worried that the right to anonymity will be violated, the authorities will have easy access to confidential information, and the right to dissent on social media will be compromised. Some also suggest that with this Act, social media companies would be required to comply with state regulations and could be fined.
“The Online Safety Act is a huge issue for civil society members, activists, and political opponents of the current government,” explains Sankalpa.
This act is seen as a tool for the government to selectively target these groups, especially with the upcoming presidential and general elections, raising significant concerns about freedom of expression.
“Politicians recognized the power of social media during 2022 when people struggled against the previous regime. The ruling regime is now trying to limit and censor social media because of its role in promoting democratic dissent,” Sankalpa notes.
With the restrictive legislation which threatens to put limits on freedom of expression, educating youth on their digital rights and how to stay safe online, is the current focus of Hashtag Generation, particularly when there is a significant lack of digital security education at the school and university levels.
“When we conduct training for university students, school students, and civil society members, many do not even know about basic things like two-factor authentication. These issues need to be addressed in our school syllabus and other educational institutions,” Sankalpa emphasizes.
In response to these challenges, Hashtag Generation, under the GIF project, has been actively raising awareness and educating the youth on digital rights and digital security. They began the GIF project with a comprehensive study on digital safety needs and media campaigns to raise awareness about Internet freedom. Then they localized the Digital First Aid Kit for at-risk groups and launched advocacy campaigns addressing censorship and content filtering.
The GIF’s support also focused on training at-risk communities in digital security, conducting safety assessments using the SAFETAG – a professional audit framework, and holding workshops on digital rights.
Over the past three years, Hashtag Generation has trained more than 600 individuals in digital rights and digital security, focusing on youth, women, and marginalized communities such as the Muslim, Tamil, and Upcountry Tamil communities. “Under the GIF project, we conducted numerous training sessions in digital rights and digital security, and held many workshops on digital safety techniques, focusing on harm reduction,” says Sankalpa. “Our goal is to equip the youth and at-risk communities with the knowledge and skills they need to protect themselves online.”
To strengthen their capacities and skills to better educate the youth, being part of the GIF Consortium has helped Hashtag Generation enhance their knowledge, as well as their reputation in the field.
“Thanks to the GIF Consortium, we have developed our training syllabus based on the resources shared by the GIF partners. It has been a great opportunity for us to establish ourselves as a leading organization in digital security and digital rights in Sri Lanka,” Sankalpa notes.
By empowering young individuals with knowledge and skills in digital rights and security, Hashtag Generation is fostering a generation that is not only more aware but also more active in safeguarding their digital freedoms. Their focus on youth ensures the sustainability of digital rights advocacy and creates a more resilient and informed society. Through their efforts, Hashtag Generation is not just responding to current challenges but also preparing future leaders who will continue to champion an inclusive and democratic digital landscape in Sri Lanka.
