[acc-cca-l] Call to Action: Reducing Digital Inequality

[Paolo Granata]

Dear colleagues,

I’d like to share with you a Call to Action undertaken by the University of Toronto’s Media Ethics Lab at St. Michael’s College, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s a campaign to reduce digital inequality during a time of social distancing.

We believe that, in response to the #COVID19 pandemic, we all have the responsibility to ensure everyone in our communities can connect to the Internet. Facing the social consequences of the coronavirus outbreak requires acknowledging digital inequality and building bridges to overcome barriers to digital inclusion. While facing this global emergency, Internet access must be conceived as a basic human right, necessary to the quality of life, — everyone is entitled to access to it.

In a state of emergency and self-isolation, we all can do our part to ensure that all individuals and communities, including the most disadvantaged, both in cities and remote areas, have access to the Internet to thrive. While practicing #SocialDistancing, we need to balance this isolation with #DigitalCloseness — for everyone.

This Call to Action aims to accelerate progress towards digital inclusion and foster a coordinated effort across all sectors. Public institutions and public health are de facto, but we believe that the Private Sector, organizations of the Civil Society, and Private Citizens can do more toward reducing digital inequality amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Please check it out: http://mediaethics.ca/digitalcloseness/

Hope this can be of interest to you.

Stay safe,
Paolo





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