Digital Memory and Online Cultural Activities Highlight the Opening of the VIII Internet Forum

The event's program, taking place at the UFG Events Center in Goiânia, continues until Wednesday (11/7). Debates are broadcast in full on the NIC.br YouTube channel.

The main space for debates in the country on topics related to Internet governance, the Internet Forum in Brazil dedicated Monday's discussions (5th), the opening session of the event, to reflect on Brazilians' consumption of cultural goods via the Internet, based on the launch of unprecedented data from the TIC Domicílios survey, as well as the potential of the Internet and information and communication technologies for the creation of digital collections. Conducted by the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee (CGI.br), the event continues until Wednesday (7th) at the Event Center of the Samambaia campus of the Federal University of Goiás (UFG) with the participation of representatives from the government, enterprises, the scientific and technological community, the third sector, and Internet users. Registration for the Forum is free and remains available to everyone interested at the event location.

CGI.br councilors and UFG representatives officially declared the 8th edition of the event open. José Luiz Ribeiro Filho (CGI.br) highlighted that the Forum has been held since 2011 to debate contemporary themes of Internet governance, while Luiz Fernando Martins Castro (CGI.br) recalled the Forum's importance in the CGI.br annual calendar also for being preparatory for Brazil's participation in the IGF, which this year will be held in Paris. Also during the opening, Leandro Luís Oliveira (Secretary of IT - UFG) emphasized the relevance of the VIII Forum's program with 27 workshops in addition to the plenary sessions, and it was up to Flávia Cruvinel (Deputy Dean of Extension and Culture at UFG) to highlight the launch of the unprecedented TIC Domicílios data, emphasizing that the indicators contribute to planning actions aimed at online cultural goods consumption.

The unprecedented indicators were presented by Alexandre Barbosa (Cetic.br). They are TIC Domicílios data on audiovisual practices (such as watching videos, programs, movies or series and listening to music), creating and disseminating own content on the Internet, and also the impact of devices and forms of connection in cultural activities. Barbosa promoted a reflection on disparities in access to ICT: "Before producing and consuming culture, I need to be digitally included. There are various layers of inequality that need analysis. But how to overcome them?"

The country's presence in digital networks is growing without altering the persistent inequalities in Brazil, such as only 30% of individuals from class DE with Internet access at home. The statement is by Sérgio Amadeu (CGI.br / UFABC), who noted the high cost of fixed and mobile broadband. "Maybe cyberspace is a universe in dispute, we need to fight for it," he considered.

Network infrastructure issues, such as the increasing use of the Internet exclusively via mobile phones, especially among class DE individuals, were addressed by Flávia Lefèvre (CGI.br). "With this new phase of the survey, we observe how the type of Internet access influences the use and consumption of cultural goods and services, as it reinforces discrimination, difference, and lack of democratization of public policies in our country. We need the infrastructure to be more distributed," she asserted.

"The Internet infrastructure was born on the fringes of the law, built by a group of scientists, but was invaded by the business world, with the absence of the State and public policies," stated Marcos Dantas (CGI.br and UFRJ), who also reflected on the political and cultural impacts of the Internet on the conception of democracy, public space, and civilized coexistence.

Still during the opening debate, Luiz Fernando Martins Castro (CGI.br) pointed out the complexity in reviewing the General Telecommunications Law. TIC Domicílios data on the use of E-Government was also commented on by the councilor. "We have the challenge of improving the quality of state services offered online. It's a national agenda".

Digital Memory

The first plenary session of the VIII Internet Forum in Brazil, held on the afternoon of Monday (5th), brought together specialists from various sectors to debate "Digital Memory - Policies for the digitization of collections, interoperability, and governance models". Responsible for moderating the discussion, Dalton Martins (University of Brasília) reflected on the main challenges in the area of collections in Brazil, among them the absence of a national policy for digital collections, the need for a low-cost model for digitizing cultural objects, a decentralized infrastructure for hosting objects and metadata, as well as a common protocol for network sharing. According to the expert, it is also essential to advance with user-inclusive experiences in producing collaborative and participatory processes in information units.

In this context, José Murilo Junior (Ibram - Museums) presented the Tainacan project, being implemented in four Brazilian museums. The initiative seeks to promote citizen access to cultural goods preserved in museums throughout the national territory via the Internet. José Murilo emphasized the importance of bringing different fields (museums, libraries, archives, and cultural centers) closer together in the name of interoperability of cultural assets, citing international experiences like the Europeana, composed of 175 memory institutions and having 54 million digitized objects.

The infrastructure perspective was commented on in the plenary by José Luiz Ribeiro Filho (CGI.br), who pointed out two major fronts of problems to be faced: the preservation and integration of digital collections and content. The new RNP backbone, which will provide 100Gb/s channels for the community, is one of the strengths listed by José Luiz. "We will have sufficient capacity to support heavy traffic on this infrastructure," he emphasized. Complementarily, Bianca Amaro (IBICT) recalled that culture and science coexist in the same environment for dissemination and preservation. "The whole concept of open science is based on the democratization of information. Today, it is no longer possible to develop research without sharing information. The government must organize what is produced and make it available to the population," she reinforced.

Also during the plenary, Gabriel Bevilacqua (Moreira Salles Institute) drew attention to the importance of information and communication technologies (ICT) for documenting the collection. "Given the tragedy at the National Museum of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, there is no antithesis between preservation and dissemination of collections. They are always articulated." Juliana Monteiro (Wiki Educação Brasil) addressed the lack of legal security for disclosing collections. "One doesn't know what is in the public domain, what can be released or not. Legal hurdles are a major challenge for any memory institution in Brazil," she noted. The expert advocated for a paradigm shift. "It is necessary to relearn how to build knowledge and produce content aimed at broad, free, and unrestricted access, something that should be the concrete foundation of all cultural institutions in the country," she concluded.

Programming

The VIII Internet Forum in Brazil began on Sunday (4th) with self-organized activities by entities from the governmental, business, third sector, scientific, and technological community sectors. The program continues until Wednesday (7th) with workshops on topics such as personal data protection, combating online disinformation, counter-narratives to confront hate speech on the Internet, cryptography, regulation and human rights, digital inclusion policies, among others, in addition to the plenary sessions "Internet, Democracy, and Elections" and "Platforms and Data Market". Access the full program: https://forumdainternet.cgi.br/programacao.

Those who cannot attend the Forum in person will be able to watch the live broadcast of the entire program through the NIC.br YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/NICbrvideos). Soon, the videos with each presentation will be available on the same channel.

About the Internet Steering Committee in Brazil – CGI.br

The Internet Steering Committee in Brazil, responsible for establishing strategic guidelines related to the use and development of the Internet in Brazil, coordinates and integrates all Internet service initiatives in the country, promoting technical quality, innovation, and the dissemination of offered services. Based on the principles of multilateralism, transparency, and democracy, the CGI.br represents a multi-stakeholder governance model of the Internet with effective participation from all sectors of society in its decisions. One of its formulations is the 10 Principles for Internet Governance and Use (https://www.cgi.br/principios). More information at https://www.cgi.br/.

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