Portrait of social activity in the digital era
2.1
ONLINE COMMUNITIES AS NEW CIVIC INSTITUTIONS
TODAY, THE GLOBAL DIGITALIZATION PROCESS HAS COVERED ALMOST ALL TYPES OF HUMAN ACTIVITY IN THE ECONOMIC, POLITICAL, AND PUBLIC SPHERES. THE EFFECTS OF NEW TECHNOLOGIES INITIATE THE NETWORK LOGIC OF CHANGES IN SOCIETY, RADICALLY CHANGING NOT ONLY THE POSSIBILITIES IN COMMUNICATION BUT ALSO THE VERY STRUCTURE OF PUBLIC RELATIONS, BECOMING MORE FLEXIBLE, DECENTRALIZED, AND CONTINUOUSLY CHANGING. A VIVID EXAMPLE OF SUCH MASS CHANGE WAS THE ACTIVE DEVELOPMENT OF NETWORK COMMUNITIES IN RUSSIA AND AROUND THE WORLD.
The Civic Chamber, noting the potential and increasing influence that network structures and communication practices have on society today, interacts as widely as possible with various communities of citizens on the Internet. The Chamber cooperates with them, helps to implement various public initiatives, and strives to convey the important social signals that are formed in such discussions to public authorities. These communities include volunteers, ecoactivists, parents, motorists, and other groups engaged in discussing socially significant issues of society.
Often such self-organizing communities, usually arising spontaneously, move from virtual space to an offline format in the form of traditional public organizations and associations.
PER DAY SPENT BY EVERY THIRD RUSSIAN ON SOCIAL MEDIA AND MESSENGERS
The “Parents of Moscow” movement is one such example of a network community. Its activity began in 2020 with the creation of a telegram channel for parents of a Moscow school to discuss the problem of moving to distance learning. Due to the urgency of the topic raised, the number of community representatives has grown significantly, and parents from all over the city have begun to join the community.43. Today, the “Parents of Moscow” is a citizen group dealing with the most pressing issues of educational management in Russia.
The group took an active part in the discussion of the draft decree of the Government of the Russian Federation, “On Approval of the Regulations on the Implementation of Educational Activity,” which was held in the Civic Chamber on July 22, 2021.
Examples of effective interaction between web communities and public authorities are increasingly frequent today. The active citizens' regional forum “Community” has shown that the authorities at various levels have learned not only to listen to but also to hear public activists speaking up on social media. The authorities have increasingly begun to consider social media as one of the key communication platforms for real-time public assessment of their activities.
Therefore, it is necessary to highlight the effective work of regional management centers (RMC) established by order of the President of Russia44 to ensure online interaction between citizens and officials. At the end of 2020, such centers were established across all regions of Russia. The implementation of this large-scale project made it possible to promptly handle problematic appeals from citizens across all areas related to living in the region, aggregate analytical materials on the socio-economic situation, and, what is most important, make informed management decisions given the social request of citizens.
HANDLED BY REGIONAL MANAGEMENT CENTERS IN 2021
Noting that in Russia, in the context of digital modernization, the Internet space is the territory where a new type of civil society institutions is being shaped, the Civic Chamber draws attention to the lag in legislation on regulating legal relations between the state and online communities, as well as between online communities and individuals.
2.2
PROTECTING THE RIGHTS OF CITIZENS AND THE INTERESTS OF SOCIETY IN THE DIGITAL SPACE
THE ACCELERATING DIGITALIZATION AND INFORMATIZATION ACROSS ALL DOMAINS OF PUBLIC LIFE SET A DEMAND FOR CREATING A SECURE DIGITAL ENVIRONMENT WHERE THE RIGHTS OF CITIZENS AND THE INTERESTS OF THE STATE WILL BE PROTECTED.45
At the end of 2020, the President of Russia instructed the Russian Government and the Council for Civil Society and Human Rights to develop a draft concept for the protection of human rights in the digital space. The head of state emphasized that making decisions and adopting legal documents in the field of artificial intelligence and digital economy was impossible without creating the necessary regulatory framework related to ensuring the interests and rights of citizens.
In 2021, the Civic Chamber jumped with two feet into the public discussion on issues of digital space legal regulation in order to consolidate the position of citizens and develop proposals to increase their level of protection.
A broad selection of representatives of state authorities, the expert and scientific community, public associations, and online communities was involved in the discussion of personal data protection issues. The experts noted that today the majority of Russian citizens were deprived of opportunities to protect their personal data in the digital space.46 The State assistance in this area is needed, including in terms of applying the necessary measures against personal data operators which let the data leak.
The State Duma of the Russian Federation of the VIII Convocation, during the first meeting of the Committee on Information Policy, highlighted the prospects and relevance of the legislative initiatives proposed by the Civic Chamber in the field of Internet space legal regulation, protection of the rights of Russian users, countering fake information.47
In 2021, a paramount issue for the Civic Chamber was a noticeable increase in the number of crimes committed using the Internet. Civil activists raised the issue of widespread cases of fraud when raising funds for charitable purposes on social media and fake websites of charitable foundations.
In response to this appeal, the Civic Chamber, after a detailed discussion, submitted its recommendations to the authorized agencies in order to make countering online charity fraud more effective.
To counter fraud and violation of citizens' rights, proposals were also developed to ensure the security of real estate civil circulation in the digital environment. Additionally, at the “Community” final session, methodological materials were submitted, including on the issues of protecting the rights and legitimate interests of real estate owners in the era of digitalization.
Preventing the “social exclusion” of older people and the disabled from the digital environment is one of the most important tasks the new digital era sets. They often fall victims to financial fraudsters, and their access to bank services is limited due to insufficient knowledge in the field of digital technology. To reverse the current situation, the Civic Chamber, together with the Bank of Russia, developed initiatives on using personal biometric data of people with disabilities when they make financial transactions, establishing additional regulatory requirements for financial organizations to prevent financial losses of socially vulnerable categories of citizens, as well as appointing representatives to verify financial transactions.48
ACCORDING TO RESEARCH BY THE HIGHER SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS,
ARE SURE THEY WILL NOT BE ABLE TO PROTECT THEIR PERSONAL DATA AVAILABLE ONLINE
THE STATE IS STILL THE ONLY AUTHORITY THEY CAN RELY UPON. AGREE WITH THIS STATEMENT
ACCORDING TO RESPONDENTS, WEBSITE OWNERS, SERVICE PROVIDERS, AND THE STATE MUST ENSURE THE SECURITY OF PERSONAL DATA ON THE INTERNET
In response to this appeal, the Civic Chamber, after a detailed discussion, submitted its recommendations to the authorized agencies in order to make countering online charity fraud more effective.
To counter fraud and violation of citizens' rights, proposals were also developed to ensure the security of real estate civil circulation in the digital environment. Additionally, at the “Community” final session, methodological materials were submitted, including on the issues of protecting the rights and legitimate interests of real estate owners in the era of digitalization.
Preventing the “social exclusion” of older people and the disabled from the digital environment is one of the most important tasks the new digital era sets. They often fall victims to financial fraudsters, and their access to bank services is limited due to insufficient knowledge in the field of digital technology. To reverse the current situation, the Civic Chamber, together with the Bank of Russia, developed initiatives on using personal biometric data of people with disabilities when they make financial transactions, establishing additional regulatory requirements for financial organizations to prevent financial losses of socially vulnerable categories of citizens, as well as appointing representatives to verify financial transactions.48
Another crucial issue the Civic Chamber continued to work on in 2021 was the information security of children on the Internet. Given the attention the President of Russia49 paid to this socially important issue, the Civic Chamber consulted widely with the public. In the recommendations to the authorized authorities, the Civic Chamber stated that the existing mechanisms do not allow for a quick response and elimination of malicious content on the Internet, emphasizing that in order to form criteria for determining the content dangerous to public safety, it is necessary to arrange for interdepartmental interaction involving representatives of expert communities and organizations.
This work continued with the publication in June 2021 of the “Parent Community Memorandum on Protecting Сhildren on the Internet and Social Media” prepared by the Civic Chamber in close cooperation with public organizations. The Memorandum calls on the authorities to take systematic measures to counter harmful content and introduce children’s age identification on the Internet and social media.
In September 2021, the largest Russian Internet companies, media holdings, and telcos signed the charter on children safety on the Internet.50 The Civic Chamber positively assessed the signing of the charter, having stressed that without involving organizations that directly moderate Internet content, it is impossible to handle the issue and deal with illegal contents.51
2.3
FIGHTING FAKES
ON THE
INTERNET
WITH ADVANCES IN DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY AND THE INCREASING INFLUENCE OF THE INTERNET ON PUBLIC OPINION, THE AMOUNT OF FALSE INFORMATION THAT DISTORTS THE REALITY HAS INCREASED. TODAY IN RUSSIA, THE FIGHT AGAINST FAKES, THAT IS, AGAINST PUBLISHING DELIBERATELY FALSE, TRUMPED-UP “FACTS” ON THE INTERNET ON A NUMBER OF ISSUES IMPORTANT FOR THE STATE AND SOCIETY, IS BECOMING A NATIONAL SECURITY PROBLEM.
Experts of the Civic Chamber point out that fakes most often arise around some key events, such as an emergency or natural disasters, a pandemic, or major domestic political events.
One of the topics that gave rise to a huge number of fakes was vaccination and prevention of COVID-19. Civil activists and public organizations have repeatedly expressed concern about this problem using the Civic Chamber’s platform. The answer was the launch of AntiFakeCOVID, a special Internet project inviting anyone interested to report on suspected fakes about the disease and measures to combat it. All reports were verified, with detailed explanations given as a result of the verification.52
Businesses are also interested in creating a secure information environment. In October 2021, Russian IT companies, media holdings, and print media signed a memorandum on combating false information on the Internet.53 The fight against fakes will be carried out via blogs, news aggregators, parent chats, and other information resources. The companies will develop a joint strategy for verifying and removing false information.
The Civic Chamber pointed out that the memorandum would make the factchecking process more transparent due to the uniform rules to be developed for this purpose.
FAKES IN H1 2021
RATING OF TOPICS WITH THE HIGHEST FAKE-GENERATING POTENTIAL IN RUSSIA ACCORDING TO THE CIVIC CHAMBER AND THE SAFE INTERNET LEAGUE
ABOUT THE POPULATION CENSUS
FAKES ABOUT SCHOOL AND STREET SHOOTINGS
MILITARY FAKES
POLITICAL FAKES (FOREIGN AGENTS, ETC.)
ILLEGITIMATE PROTEST ACTIONS
ACCIDENTS (EXPLOSIONS, FIRES, ETC.)
FINANCIAL FAKES
THE CIVIC CHAMBER CYBER VOLUNTEERS, TOGETHER WITH THE SAFE INTERNET LEAGUE MOBILE GROUPS, REGISTERED ABOUT 69,300 FAKES IN H1 2021, WHICH IS TWICE AS MUCH AS IN 2020
COVID-19 (INCLUDING THE LOCKDOWN)
ELECTIONS
IMMUNIZATIONS
2.4
NEW MEDIA: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR SOCIAL LEADERSHIP
TODAY, THE SOCIAL MEDIA COMPETES ON AN EQUAL FOOTING WITH TRADITIONAL ONES. WINNING IN THE SPEED OF COMMUNICATION. THE SOCIAL MEDIA LARGELY DETERMINES THE SOCIAL, PUBLIC, AND POLITICAL AGENDA, CREATES NEWSBREAKS, GENERATES DISCUSSIONS (THREADS) OF ALL KINDS OF TOPICS, WHICH MAKES EVERYDAY LIFE AS TRANSPARENT AS POSSIBLE AND HIGHLY VULNERABLE AT THE SAME TIME.
Amidst the pandemic, employing direct channels of communication with the population has become an important prerequisite for the fight against the coronavirus infection. In 2020−2021, along with traditional communication channels between society and the authorities becoming more active, such communication formats as hotlines, call centers, channels of COVID-19 crisis centers appeared en masse, proactive efforts were made on social media, where heads of regions and government representatives began to regularly organize streams thus directly reaching out to citizens.54
By the end of 2021, Russia will have another country-wide tool to make the interaction between citizens and the state even more effective — a single feedback platform. With its help, Russian residents will also be able to file their complaints with the relevant authorities or ask them questions. The platform was developed as a part of the Digital Economy National Program.55
The Civic Chamber, in cooperation with citizens and public organizations, actively adopts the resources and tools the “new media” can provide with. This makes it possible not only to communicate the Chamber’s position to all interested social groups but also to have effective feedback, use online resources as a tool for operational monitoring of social changes, respond quickly to public initiatives, and bring the consolidated point of view of civil society to public authorities across all levels in a targeted way.
Every year, the Civic Chamber receives 15,000+ appeals from citizens, public organizations, and associations via all communication channels.
In 2021, the Civic Chamber conceptually updated its approach to working with all popular social media in Russia. Today, the official Telegram channel of the Civic Chamber posts the latest news about its activities, along with opinions of and comments from its members on important events and high profile incidents in Russia, which affect civil society Since the beginning of this year, the channel’s regular audience has increased from 1,000 to 22,000 subscribers.
Responding to the challenges and demands of the new digital era, members of the Civic Chamber actively interact with citizens on Facebook, Instagram, Facebook, and Odnoklassniki. The Chamber members' personal Telegram channels are also gaining popularity, covering various social issues: digital technology and the fight against fakes on the Internet, activities of civil society organizations such members represent, economic development, issues in the nongovernmental sector, and election processes in Russia. The rapid growth in the number of subscribers and active discussions are observed in the “Growth Crystal” channel, dedicated to the release of the eponymously titled book.56
One of the Civic Chamber members uses TikTok, developing a channel dedicated to multiple ethnic minorities of Russia and covering amazing cultural and historical facts. The account is gaining popularity among young people. Individual videos have several hundred thousand views, and the page itself has 94,000+ subscribers.
THIS IS HOW THE PERMANENT AUDIENCE OF THE CIVIC CHAMBER TELEGRAM CHANNEL INCREASED IN 2021
OFFICIAL TELEGRAM CHANNEL OF THE CIVIC CHAMBER OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION HTTPS://T.ME/OPRF_OFFICIAL
Traditionally, in 2021, the Civic Chamber paid great attention to the development of digital competencies of regional civic chambers. As part of the Senezh Management Lab’s workshop program, members of the Civic Chamber shared the best practices of media activity in the digital environment with their colleagues from regional chambers. The Civic Chamber notes that employing new digital communications to interact with citizens is becoming an integral part of the daily activities of regional civic chambers.
Of note, that the development of online and horizontal forms of interaction in society has changed the perception of leadership in the public sector. In online communities today, anyone has the right to be a leader, and almost anyone can become one.
Through its intensive interaction with civil society, the Civic Chamber strives to create all conditions for identifying and supporting a person’s leadership potential, realizing that behind every, even the smallest, change in society, there are real people who have taken the trouble to write letters, donate money, unite citizens, and protect their interests. These people are the growth and crystallization points for civil society
2.5
PERSPECTIVES ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF CIVIC SOCIETY IN THE DIGITAL ERA
ACCORDING TO EXPERTS AND REPRESENTATIVES OF NONGOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS, IN THE COMING YEARS, CIVIL SOCIETY WILL BE DEVELOPING UNDER THE BANNER OF DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION. EXTENSIVE OPPORTUNITIES OF DIGITALIZATION HAVE PROVED TO BE IN DEMAND ACROSS ALMOST ALL DOMAINS OF PUBLIC LIFE. THE NONGOVERNMENTAL SECTOR WILL CONTINUE TO PLAY A SPECIAL ROLE IN CIVIL SOCIETY DEVELOPMENT IN THE DIGITAL ERA.
According to the Civic Chamber’s experts, it is necessary to enhance the introduction of digital tools into the daily practice of nongovernment organizations in order for them to meet the current needs of the Russian society.57 Today, digitalization is not only a sign of the development and competitiveness of NGOs, but it is increasingly becoming a necessary condition for their survival and competitive strength. Active digitalization in public administration and business creates certain expectations for those who actively interact with the nonprofit sector, and these expectations of compliance with the global digitalization trend are a new challenge to digital transformation for NGOs.
According to research, the average digital competency index of Russian NGOs in 2021 was 2.1 points out of 10 possible, which is only 0.4 points higher compared to 2019.58
Another important aspect that will have an impact on civil society development in the digital era is the widespread introduction of artificial intelligence. The digital transformation based on artificial intelligence and big data analysis will be implemented in Russia in the next decade, which will improve the wellbeing and quality of life of Russian citizens.59
Ethical standards are an equally significant aspect when it comes to the development of artificial intelligence and AI-based social advancement. Given the rapid introduction of artificial intelligence technology and its importance for all spheres of social development, the Civic Chamber canvassed ethical regulation issues in the context of new technology advancement, including the development of the AI code of ethics.60 As the Civic Chamber put it, the code must be mandatory, and the right of free will must be at the heart of all digital developments.
At the end of October 2021, at the 1st International Forum “Ethics of Artificial Intelligence (AI): the Beginning of Trust,” the AI Code of Ethics was signed by leading Russian IT companies. According to experts, the document has become a filter for digital security and sustainable development of the future, launched voluntary self-regulation of developers in this area and mechanisms for interaction between humans and artificial intelligence.
DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION STRATEGY UNTIL 2024
IN SEPTEMBER 2021, DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION STRATEGIES UNTIL 2024 WERE APPROVED IN THE RUSSIAN REGIONS. DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION STRATEGIES AFFIRM THE DIGITALIZATION OF IMPORTANT SOCIAL SPHERES
DIGITALIZATION WILL OPTIMIZE PROCESSES IN SOCIAL SPHERES, WHICH WILL LEAD TO AN INCREASE IN THE QUALITY AND EFFICIENCY OF PUBLIC SERVICES, SUPPORT FOR THE POPULATION, INCREASE IN THE EFFICIENCY OF COMPANIES, AND BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
2.6
RUSSIAN CIVIC CHAMBER’S AICESIS PRESIDENCY DIGITAL AGENDA
DESPITE THE UNFAVORABLE CONTEXT AMID THE PANDEMIC IN 2021, THE CIVIC CHAMBER CONTINUED TO PAY CONSIDERABLE ATTENTION TO BUILDING FRIENDLY AND CONSTRUCTIVE TIES WITH FOREIGN PARTNERS AND INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS INVOLVED IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF CIVIL SOCIETY AND SOLVING GLOBAL PROBLEMS.
Thanks to the means of digital communication and the so-called mixed formats of interaction combining online and offline, this year provided an opportunity to return to full-fledged active international cooperation. During the year, the Civic Chamber held 40+ international events in various formats.
This active work at the international level resulted in selecting the Civic Chamber as the President of the International Association of Economic and Social Councils and Similar Institutions (AICESIS) in 2021−2023. The Association aims at promoting the formation of a democratic civil society and developing a social dialog based on the values of peace, security, and human rights.
As part of its presidency, the Civic Chamber highlights a number of vital topics in the field of digitalization, which it plans to include in the AICESIS working agenda:
- Digital inequality as a factor impeding the society’s development;
- Protecting civil rights from IT giants;
- Cybercrime and extremism on the Internet: elaborating a strategy for public counteraction.
THE CIVIC CHAMBER’S AGENDA OF THE AICESIS
PRESIDENCY OF RUSSIA IN 2021−2023. PROPOSAL OF TOPICS FOR THE FUTURE AGENDA
The Civic Chamber points out that an in-depth social dialog at the international level can become an effective tool for solving the most challenging global problems, and public diplomacy is a no less effective tool than traditional methods of interstate interaction.
Strengthening inter-municipal and crossborder ties (including twin-city ones) also remains an important area of the Civic Chamber’s focus on the field of international public cooperation. Noting the trend of increasing involvement of public organizations, online communities, and activists in cross-border and international activities, the Civic Chamber held a series of events in 2021 to summarize best practices and identify barriers to civic engagement in this area. Summarizing the expert discussions and given the high public interest in this subject, it is important to note that international inter-municipal cooperation needs further systematic, comprehensive support at the federal and regional levels.
PRESIDENCY OF THE CIVIC CHAMBER IN 2021−2023: IDEAS FOR MULTILATERAL PROJECTS