In Latin America, abortion access is both elemental and high risk. Online and offline, abortion collectives are harassed, attacked and criminalised as they strive to provide sexual reproductive information online. Their campaigns are powerful and amazing, but often use proprietary platforms that are patriarchal, colonial and paternalistic, handing over sensitive information at the slightest request. A member of the collective Kéfir explains, "A feminist internet requires autonomy and independence, not unlike that which we demand for our own bodies. Furthermore, we have bodily autonomy online when we resist commodification of our data for corporate profit."

 

While the price of dissent goes up, autonomous digital infrastructure provides relief to activists, journalists, collectives, social organisations, free/libre tech organisations and independent media. At the same time, the barriers to entry are higher than ever for new initiatives that control their own infrastructure. We need more principled providers, not fewer. We need more bare metal and less cloud.

 

Established, autonomous ISPs have put together a fundraising event because they want to see their colleagues from a feminist ISP in the global South ferment and cultivate social justice. Thanks to our growing number of sponsors: APC, APC member May First/People Link, Calyx Institute, Riseup and eQualitie.

 

Live event: If you're in Brooklyn on 15 July, bring your friends to Starr Bar. We'll be drinking and dancing together on a hot summer night. While you're here, throw in $5 for the cause.

 

Online campaign: If you can't make it, send your contribution to paypal@apc.org.

 

Kéfir is a feminist libre tech co-op that provides autonomous digital infrastructure to social movements in Latin America: https://kefir.red.

 

APC is a network of progressive internet organisations that was founded in 1990: https://apc.org.