Julie owano is executive director of in er out without boarders, and newly appointed member of face book's oversight board. N warns that if this continues, we are sleep walking into an age of what she calls digital colonialism. "I saw this as an opportunity to bring the attention of the platforms on things that they pretend they don't see"
This summer, Facebook unveiled “2Africa,” a subsea cable project that will encircle nearly the entire continent of Africa — much to the surprise of Julie Owono. As Executive Director of Internet Without Borders, she’s seen how quickly projects like this can become enmeshed in local politics, as private companies dig through territorial waters, negotiate with local officials and gradually assume responsibility over vital pieces of national infrastructure. “It’s critical, now, that communities have a seat at the table,” Julie says. We ask her about the risks of tech companies leading us into an age of “digital colonialism,” and what she hopes to achieve as a newly appointed member of Facebook’s Oversight Board.