The Year That Was 2024 In Cyberspace

2024 was a big year, especially for elections with no less 2 billion people casting their votes. We’ve seen the impact of internet shutdowns in many countries and the influence of social media platforms, especially on the US election. In Russia Putin secured a 5th term and in Syria we saw a shift from digital control to digital freedom.We cast our eyes back on the year that was in cyberspace.

AI is not only harvesting original music to generate it’s own cheap versions but taking away revenue from creatives. For the first time that amount has been calculated at about a quarter of the income of the creator within the next 5 years. The study on the global economic impact of Generative AI in the Music and Audio Visual Industries was released earlier this month in Paris. The study was put out by the International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers (CISAC), representing more than 5 million audio visual creators worldwide. And it’s president, former ABBA band member Björn Ulvaeus, said that all eyes are on Australia and NZ because of our strong policy making to protect creatives.  

Right now in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, delegates are gathered from all over the world for the 20th United Nations’ Internet Governance Forum. The aim of the five day event is to inspire “a global commitment to responsible digital governance and [foster] a future where digital technologies serve the entire global community equitably and sustainably” But with people currently serving up to 45 years in prison in the host country for expressing dissent online, some civil society groups have decided to boycott the Forum altogether. Is this the line in the sand for big tech and humanity?

On the 76th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights  we explore how human rights intersect with digital rights. Our rights, our Future. Right Now. That's the clarion call around the globe on this day for us all to embrace and trust the full power of human rights as the path to the world we want to live in - a more peaceful, equal and sustainable world.

There are over 100 conflicts happening right now all over planet Earth, wars that most of us would  like to see an end to. But the battlefields of today are a very different to the ones of last century; the white flag coming out of the trenches is no longer enough to stop bullets.Wars are being controlled by satellites and fibre optic cables. In March this year a supposedly ‘invincible’ US Abram tank worth a cool $10 mill was destroyed in mere minutes by an unmanned Russian drone that cost its owner $500. When warlords have digital capability, a digital ceasefire is called for.

We all know that governments like to censor the internet in times of crises, particularly authoritarian governments around election times to control the sort of information that voters have access to. Last Thursday, in a world first, the Australian Government introduced a bill to ban non-voters (all those under the age of 16) from accessing social media platforms because they’re not considered to be safe places for children. With bi-partisan support it looks set to sail through parliament. But what are the implications for kids? And what is really behind this moral push back?

 The rise of the authoritarian right in the USA was actively facilitated by the algorithms of certain social media platforms. This sinister digital development has sent tremors through the progressive left. But some organisations are fighting back.  The Guardian said it will not post on the social media site  X, saying it's a toxic media platform while the fiercely non-partisan tech focused organisation Fight for the Future released a feisty manifesto resisting the rise of the broligarchy. We take a deep breath as the New World recalibrates.

One week on from the American election and the progressive world is still reeling. How could a racist sexist autocratic felon have scored the top job? What has happened to the actual culture of the United States to allow Donald Trump to win the popular vote? For the Republicans, who supported an insurrection, and promoted crazy conspiracy theories and spread misinformation and disinformation, for them to be rewarded by the majority of the public? What are the global ramifications? And how do we move forward from this?

It's V-Day - Tuesday Nov 5 - the day America votes. But is the US election really coming down to a stand off between men and women? Trump is telling women that he’ll be their protector, while at the same time saying former congresswoman Liz Cheney should have guns trained at her face for critisising the storming of the Capitol last time. It’s a monumental shit show in the Republican Camp with Harris rising above the hateful rhetoric being hurled her way. But is morality going to win this election? And what about the impact of AI on democracy? 

The US election has hit a new low with Donald Trump’s rally in Maddison Square Garden on Sunday Night turning into a real hate fest. Parallels have been made between the event and a Nazi rally in Maddison Square Garden back in 1939. The Republican nominee vowed to “Launch the largest deportation program in American history” and denounced the press “the enemy of the people”. Meanwhile in the swing state of Pennsylvania, Kamala Harris held a much smaller rally in Philadelphia and focused on the future and women’s right to choose. Brett Solomon was there.