The theme was announced at COLPIN, Latin America’s largest gathering of investigative journalists, which took place in Canelones, Uruguay. The concept note is available at the following link.

The event will serve to highlight current challenges to freedom of expression and privacy rights posed by digital business models, the development of new surveillance technologies and large-scale data collection and retention. . The impact of the increasing use of spyware against journalists and their sources, and the implications for the exercise of free and independent journalism will also be analyzed.

As highlighted in the latest trends discussion paper from UNESCO’s global report on threats that silence, journalist safety trends, surveillance and hacking undermine the protection of journalists’ sources, such as the recently illustrated investigative journalism and fact-checking organizations. Protection from digital threats has become even more important during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to UNESCO, with more journalists working remotely and using personal devices. In a global survey of journalism during the pandemic, conducted by the International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) and the Tow Center for Digital Journalism at Columbia University, a significant portion of 1,406 respondents reported blatant threats to government oversight (7%); targeted digital security attacks, including phishing, distributed denial of service (DDoS) or malware (4%); or forced data transfer (3%). “

The World Press Freedom Day global conference will be held from May 2-5, 2022 in Uruguay, bringing together policymakers, award-winning journalists, media representatives, specialist NGOs, activists, and chief ethicists of ICT company, cybersecurity officials, AI researchers and legal experts to explore and develop concrete solutions to address the threats posed by increased press freedom and privacy oversight. The conference will take place in a hybrid format, starting from the spectacular landscapes of Punta del Este, Uruguay.

The agenda for the Conference is being developed, and UNESCO invites partners to provide contributions on session themes related to “Journalism under surveillance” by completing the survey on this link.

UNESCO is also looking for creative agencies, public relations and marketing companies to develop the global campaign for World Press Freedom Day. Interested companies can find more information on how to apply at this link. Find more here.