Internet generates multiple opportunities for training, information, development, social expression and even citizens’ participation. Nevertheless, within the internet there has been the development of negative behaviours as virtual harassment, verbal and symbolic violence, discrimination and even criminal behaviours. So far, there are important initiatives that show the growing concern for the recognition and regulation of citizenship rights in the digital environment.
The PROLIFIC project is aimed to generate awareness and create tools to protect vulnerable groups from being scammed or having the identity stolen, bullying and grooming, phishing, or being victim if companies power abuse and to fight the spread of extremist, discriminatory, racist, xenophobic, anti-Semitic, homophobic or sexist messages.
These vulnerable groups are migrants, older people and people with disabilities. These groups have different characteristics but have in common a greater vulnerability to the negative consequences of the rapid development of digitisation and ICTs due to a lower level of digital competences too.
For these reasons, PROLIFIC will train professionals, volunteers and educators who work with these vulnerable groups by developing and offering a web-platform that personalises a training curriculum to make them develop the right competences to respond better to the specific problems mentioned before related with the violation of citizens’ digital rights, according to the characteristics of each specific target group. Moreover, an evaluation tool will be provided to measure the impact of promoting digital rights among vulnerable groups.
Target groups addressed by the project will be then end-users (migrants, older people, and disabled people), professionals working with vulnerable groups (social workers, volunteers, educators, etc.), experts (e.g. lawyers, education, IT), and other stakeholders (NGOs, associations).