How are identity-based crimes prosecuted? In countries with laws used to prosecute the LGBTQ community, how are elements of these crimes defined? To answer these questions, we must look at the increasing use of digital evidence by police and prosecutors. In this webinar, Afsaneh Rigot (she/her) will present her research on the impact of technology on marginalized populations in Egypt, Lebanon, and Tunisia. She will analyze the patterns of digital evidence used in the targeting and prosecution of LGBTQ people. Beyond dating apps, Afsaneh’s research demonstrates how a patchwork of apps and tools, including text, videos, photos, Facebook profiles, Whatsapp chats, and more, are used to criminalize individual identities and private conduct. The findings of this research have recently led to major policy changes by tech companies and will push us to re-examine how we approach digital evidence and privacy. The session will be chaired by Kendra Albert (they/them) of the Harvard Law School Cyberlaw Clinic.
Afsaneh Rigot is a researcher with years of experience covering law, technology, LGBTQ, refugee and human rights issues. Currently she works with ARTICLE 19 on Middle East and North Africa (MENA) regional issues. At the Berkman Klein Centre (BKC), Afsaneh continues the work and research she designed and led on security issues for LGBTQ communities who use dating apps and social media tools in the MENA region. Her research at BKC focuses on how these apps are used for evidence-gathering by state actors targeting LGBTQ groups.
Kendra Albert is a clinical instructor at the Cyberlaw Clinic, where they teach students to practice technology law. They also serve as the Director for the Initiative for a Representative First Amendment, which provides funding and support to law students from backgrounds traditionally underrepresented in First Amendment law. Kendra has served as a lecturer at both Harvard Law School and at Harvard College, where they are currently teaching a class on Transgender Rights and the Law.
Hosted by the Program on Law and Society in the Muslim World and co-sponsored by the Cyberlaw Clinic, and the LGBTQ+ Advocacy Clinic at Harvard Law School.