Online Racism in the Coronavirus Crisis

This IEEE Computer Society webinar, brought to our global audience by the IEEE Computer Society Victorian Chapter, will feature a panel of three experts on the problem of rising online racism as a result of the Coronavirus crisis. The panel will explore the emerging problem and its immediate and long-term implications as the sudden digital disruption from public health measures reshapes society not just during lock down, but for the foreseeable future.

We’ll explore some of hate, misinformation and conspiracy theories which have circulated as a result of COVID-19. We’ll discuss the need for those managing online spaces and tools to redouble their efforts to ensure the environments they manage are safe and welcoming, help the community connect, increase international ties and support the recovery effort. The alternative risks damaging social cohesion, increasing isolation and making the path to economic recovery far more difficult.

Our of this crisis will come an imperative for technology companies to do more to ensure their platforms remain safe both for individuals and for society at large. With more of their work occurring online, businesses may find themselves targeted with online racism, needing to support staff who experience online racism or needing to respond to allegation of staff spreading online racism. A new mix of technology, policies and laws may be needed for the emerging post COVID-19 society.

When: Wednesday 27th May 2020, 7:30pm (Melbourne, Australia)

Auckland, New Zealand 9:30 pm; Tokyo, Japan 6:30 pm; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 5:30pm; Delhi, India 3pm; Dubai, UAE 1:30 pm; Cape Town, South Africa 11:30am; London, UK 10:30am.

Cost: Free, but registration essential

Commissioner Chin Tan Chin Tan is Australia’s Race Discrimination Commissioner at the Australian Human Rights Commission. The Commission is an independent statutory organisation, established by an act of the Australian Parliament, to protect and promote human rights in Australia and internationally.

He previously served as the Chairperson and Statutory Head of the Victorian Multicultural Commission, an independent statutory authority with responsibilities to support and promote the benefits of cultural diversity in Victoria, Australia.

Prior to becoming Race Discrimination Commissioner, Chin spent three years as the Director for Multicultural Engagement at the Swinburne University of Technology. He has enjoyed a successful career of more than twenty-four years as a practising lawyer, including as partner in a number of Melbourne firms. He has served as President of the Chinese Community Council Australia (Vic) 2016-2017, Co-Chair of Victoria’s Police and Community Multicultural Advisory Committee and in many other organisations and bodies including with the Chamber of Commerce, the Australian Football League's Multicultural Focus Group, professional and business associations and Local Council committees.

Dr Andre Oboler Dr Andre Oboler is CEO of the Online Hate Prevention Institute (OHPI), an Australian charity that tackles all forms of online hate and extremism. OHPI’s monitoring and research outputs bring transparency to social media, while its technical, policy and law reform recommendations improve online safety.

Dr Oboler is a former Distinguished Visitor for the IEEE Computer Society and currently chairs its Geographic Activities Committee. He also serves on the IEEE’s Global Public Policy Committee, is a member of the Australian Government’s delegation to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance and a past co-Chair of the Global Forum for Combating Antisemitism. He is known for his work on “Antisemitism 2.0”, Islamophobia on the Internet, online racism against Indigenous Australians and on the recent rise in terrorism growing out of online culture.

He holds a PhD in Computer Science from Lancaster University (UK) and an LLM (Juris Doctor) and Bachelor of Computer Science (Hons) from Monash University (Australia). He is an honorary Associate in the Law School at La Trobe University.

Dr James Gomez Dr James Gomez is Regional Director of the Asia Centre (Bangkok, Thailand and Johor Bahru, Malaysia), a not-for-profit organisation that seeks to create human rights impact in the Asian region. He is the convener of the Centre’s Freedom of Expression Project on Fake News, Hate Speech and Authoritarian Disinformation in Asia.

Dr. Gomez currently oversees the Centre’s operations in both Thailand and Malaysia and provides strategic oversight for the regionalization of the Centre. He represents the Centre in media and public speaking engagements and builds relationships with key stakeholders around the world.

Dr. Gomez, a Singapore national, brings to the Asia Centre over 25 years of international and regional experience in leadership roles at universities, think-tanks, inter-governmental agencies and non- governmental organisations.

He holds a PhD. (Monash University, Australia), MA (University of Essex, United Kingdom), and B. Soc. Sci. (Hons.) (National University of Singapore).