Alejandro Mayoral Baños is the Executive Director of Access Now, an international NGO focusing on digital human rights. 

Access Now is the organizer of RightsCon - world’s largest digital human rights summit. The 2025 edition is set to take place in Taipei from February 24 to 27, 2025, where more than 550 sessions are expected to be staged. 

Baños talks to Ghost Island Media about digital authoritarianism, data governance, and artificial intelligence. 

Prior to his role at Access Now, Baños has been a life-long leader in advocacy and research on  indigenous rights and digital development. He gives advice to CSO on navigating new challenges, finding new financial sustainability, and the importance of networking. 

This interview was conducted on January 22, 2025. Impact of the U.S. President Trump’s executive orders on the freezing of foreign assistance was not discussed. 

Baños’s grew up in Mexico as a member of the Mixtec indigenous people and is now based in Canada. In 2015 he founded the Indigenous Friends Association to bridge the gap between indigenous communities and digital technologies. He has been a Ashoka Fellow for his work as a social entrepreneur. In 2020 he was named a Toronto Community Champion by CBC. 

On-line sessions for RightsCon are available for those who cannot come to Taiwan. Register: https://www.rightscon.org/registration/

Resources Baños mentioned in the interview: 

Indigenous Data Sovereignty: CARE Principles for Indigenous Data Governance: https://www.gida-global.org/care#:~:text=CARE%20Principles%20for%20Indigenous%20Data%20Governance,-The%20current%20movement&text=Existing%20principles%20within%20the%20open,power%20differentials%20and%20historical%20contexts.

Approaches to create AI Models for the Indigenous -  Indigenous Protocol and Artificial Intelligence Working Group: https://www.indigenous-ai.net/

Support us by donating on Patreon http://patreon.com/taiwan

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Emily Y. Wu | Twitter @emilyywu

A Ghost Island Media production: www.ghostisland.media

Alejandro Mayoral Ba&ntilde;os is the Executive Director of Access Now, an international NGO focusing on digital human rights. Access Now is the organizer of RightsCon - world&rsquo;s largest digital human rights summit. The 2025 edition is set to take place in Taipei from February 24 to 27, 2025, where more than 550 sessions are expected to be staged.&nbsp; Ba&ntilde;os talks to Ghost Island Media about digital authoritarianism, data governance, and artificial intelligence.&nbsp; Prior to his role at Access Now, Ba&ntilde;os has been a life-long leader in advocacy and research on&nbsp; indigenous rights and digital development. He gives advice to CSO on navigating new challenges, finding new financial sustainability, and the importance of networking. This interview was conducted on January 22, 2025. Impact of the U.S. President Trump&rsquo;s executive orders on the freezing of foreign assistance was not discussed.&nbsp; Ba&ntilde;os&rsquo;s grew up in Mexico as a member of the Mixtec indigenous people and is now based in Canada. In 2015 he founded the Indigenous Friends Association to bridge the gap between indigenous communities and digital technologies. He has been a Ashoka Fellow for his work as a social entrepreneur. In 2020 he was named a Toronto Community Champion by CBC.&nbsp; On-line sessions for RightsCon are available for those who cannot come to Taiwan. Register:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.rightscon.org/registration/">https://www.rightscon.org/registration/</a>
Resources Ba&ntilde;os mentioned in the interview: Indigenous Data Sovereignty: CARE Principles for Indigenous Data Governance: <a href="https://www.gida-global.org/care#:~:text=CARE%20Principles%20for%20Indigenous%20Data%20Governance,-The%20current%20movement&amp;text=Existing%20principles%20within%20the%20open,power%20differentials%20and%20historical%20contexts">https://www.gida-global.org/care#:~:text=CARE%20Principles%20for%20Indigenous%20Data%20Governance,-The%20current%20movement&amp;text=Existing%20principles%20within%20the%20open,power%20differentials%20and%20historical%20contexts</a>.
Approaches to create AI Models for the Indigenous -&nbsp; Indigenous Protocol and Artificial Intelligence Working Group: <a href="https://www.indigenous-ai.net/">https://www.indigenous-ai.net/</a> Support us by donating on Patreon&nbsp;<a href="http://patreon.com/taiwan">http://patreon.com/taiwan</a> Follow and tag us on social media: Ghost Island Media | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/ghostislandme/">Instagram</a> | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ghostislandme/">Facebook</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/ghostislandme">Twitter</a> Emily Y. Wu | Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/emilyywu">@emilyywu</a> A Ghost Island Media production:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.ghostisland.media">www.ghostisland.media</a>

A current affairs podcast on Taiwan and the world. Every episode, we invite a journalist to a conversation with an expert to get the big picture context of what we need to know. These are global issues, and this is The Taiwan Take. 

Nominated for Best News Podcast at 2020 Excellent Journalism Award in Taiwan. Produced by Ghost Island Media in Taipei, Taiwan.

2020年台灣卓越新聞獎 Podcast 新聞獎入圍者．這是一個專門討論臺灣時事的訪談性英文節目， 以「縱觀世界議題，以臺灣觀點論述」為主軸，由記者採訪跨領域專家、名人與來賓等，第一手將臺灣的故事推向國際．

鬼島之音製作播出．

A current affairs podcast on Taiwan and the world. Every episode, we invite a journalist to a conversation with an expert to get the big picture context of what we need to know. These are global issues, and this is The Taiwan Take. Nominated for Best News Podcast at 2020 Excellent Journalism Award in Taiwan.&nbsp;Produced by Ghost Island Media in Taipei, Taiwan. 2020年台灣卓越新聞獎 Podcast 新聞獎入圍者．這是一個專門討論臺灣時事的訪談性英文節目， 以「縱觀世界議題，以臺灣觀點論述」為主軸，由記者採訪跨領域專家、名人與來賓等，第一手將臺灣的故事推向國際． 鬼島之音製作播出．

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