IRIS on the radar

IRIS – the Institute for Research on Internet and Society – turns seven in the second semester of 2022. It will also start the next half of the year with the direction of Paloma Rocillo. Even though I am no longer the director of IRIS as of August 2022, here I explain the reasons why I will continue to follow the Institute closely – and why I believe you should do it too.

The borders expand

In 2015, I joined the founding of IRIS as a think-tank, an independent research center that constitutes a private non-profit association. This model, largely made possible by the Regulatory Framework for Science and Technology in Brazil, is still relatively recent. This has allowed us, over the years, to cover more and more topics related to the internet and society. We no longer have only legal perspectives, to seek to understand the phenomena and impacts of the internet on society (and vice versa) in dialogue with different areas: anthropology, social sciences, social communication, knowledge engineering, librarianship and computer sciences.

Both the IRIS team and partner institutions make it possible to expand the themes addressed by the Institute. Constant dedication to the increasingly intense social, political and regulatory demands on digital technologies enables IRIS to work in projects on internet governance, content moderation, encryption, private communications and criminal investigations, data protection, intermediary liability and blocking of applications, digital inclusion and the exercise of rights and citizenship on the internet (and far beyond it). Furthermore, IRIS activities cover issues such as the metaverse, artificial intelligence, disinformation, and seek to explore new fields, perspectives, and dialogues.

As internet-based technologies become more complex, intricate and globally interconnected, IRIS will continue to take steps forward to expand its themes and respond to contemporary challenges. You can learn more about the institute’s past and present areas of activity, as well as glimpse possible intersections between them, here.

New ways to inform

Over time, we have experienced the so-called “informational crisis”, including the propulsion of disinformation, especially through digital media. Concerns about production, access and sharing of knowledge lead IRIS to think and invest in new ways of showing its activities’ results to people, institutions and at spaces for debate.

The importance of communicating has grown exponentially in recent years. It embraces not only the understanding of the dynamics that connect us to different networks and take content to infinity and beyond, but also new ways of doing it. Therefore, the content production also takes on dynamic formats and is also present in podcasts, such as the “Conectamos?”, videos, events and on our social media. The course format also tends to be increasingly explored, such as the  “Encryption and Society” capacity-building.

The dynamism of these forms of communication also seeks to establish channels between traditional forms of research and, at the same time, to bring the main information on the institute’s themes to the wider public. Regardless of the medium, IRIS continues to improve the form and the content it presents.

In unity, strength

It is not just a motto, but a way of seeing and seeking to lead the actions, productions and opportunities that are on the IRIS radar. In this sense, soon after its foundation, the institute joined the Global Network of Internet and Society Research Centers, which allows exchange of experience between different institutions, with various organizational models and focuses, which are dedicated to the Internet and society topics. Some time later, joining the Rights in the Network Coalition was also an important step towards the goal to contribute to the public debate and information on proposals related to digital technologies, their contours and effects on society. IRIS content is also aggregated by the World Economic Forum‘s Strategic Intelligence tool, which brings together several publications in order to provide quality information in different languages and subjects.

Over the years, different institutions have believed in IRIS proposals and in the contributions offered for different fields. Regarding encryption, for example, in addition to Brazilian partners, IRIS is active in the Global Encryption Coalition and in the Alliance for Encryption in Latin America and the Caribbean – both spaces of cooperation to produce and exchange information on the importance of this tool nowadays. Joining initiatives, aggregating and exchanging perspectives and experiences are fundamental for the performance of IRIS and their relevance only increases. Therefore, the trust of each person and institution is also the strength that keeps moving the institute.

The most important trust, however, is that built with and within the IRIS team. Since its establishment, several people have already been part of the institute’s history, from which many brilliant paths have followed. From the small founder team, from which I was part years ago, a lot has changed and will continue to evolve. Starting with the proposal to expand the Rio-São Paulo axis of discussions on internet and technological policies, in 2022, the institute has members from practically all Brazilian regions.

The commitment to the campaign for greater visibility and representation of Women in Internet Governance, developed in partnership with IP.Rec, is also reflected in the team’s mostly female composition and the publicization of our work on the campaign page and in all institutional channels. In recent years, IRIS has taken active steps towards ethno-racial diversity, whose path will continue to be followed. Beyond pride’s month, as the IRIS proposal at the 2022 Brazilian Internet Forum stated, being an increasingly inclusive and representative institute for LGBTQIAP+ community proves the power of diversity in, with, by and far beyond the internet.

There is a lot to come

The diversification of thematic areas, the innovation in communication, the bonds of cooperation, and the team’s diversity, are not only goals achieved, but also signs of maturity, development and institutional commitment. In this sense, they represent what, to infinity and beyond, is yet to come.

Being part of the creation and growth of IRIS is much more than being part of the institute’s history. It represents the joy of seeing its bright future, the admiration for each person who will lead it forward and the certainty that many seeds will blossom. As of August 2022, Paloma Rocillo will step in at full power – and for that reason, IRIS will increasingly remain on the radar. I hope it’s on yours too, because it’s certainly on mine.