Today in Pinngle we are delighted to speak with Ofelia Tejerina, who holds a Law Degree, is Master in Computer Law and Doctor in Constitutional Law from the Complutense University of Madrid. As a lawyer, Ofelia is specialized in the legal analysis of the development and evolution of New Technologies.
Pinngle: Since you are our first woman interviewee, with you we would like to talk a little about women, about their rights, their achievements and their freedom today. At the beginning of last month, we celebrated the International Women’s Day, which was proclaimed in 1910, within the framework of the II International Conference of Socialist Women, which reiterated the demand for universal suffrage for women. We were fighting for the equality of our rights and freedom of expression. Do you consider that women today really have these privileges?
Ofelia: With much effort and based on continuous claims we can say that in Europe a legal framework has been achieved which is not only neutral but also active, in the sense of eliminating barriers to achieving that equity. But I think that while this situation has been balanced in the rights, the image that society has of women is still far from that goal. It’s interesting that in this issue the reality is far behind the Law, when normally it should happen vice versa.
Pinngle: “Now is the time: rural and urban activists transform women’s lives” – this was the title of International Women’s Day of 2018. Do you think that a mobile application like Pinngle, that protects privacy and user’s data security to the maximum, can help women activists achieve their goals?
Ofelia: A responsible and safe use of technology is desirable, but it is not enough. We need developers to be fully involved in that task, for example, in applying privacy by default, or even more, in applying the “ethics by default” when they think about their products and its usefulness. Social networks and messaging applications cannot be alien to the rights of their users.
Pinngle: Over the years, women are advancing in their work area. In your opinion what role do they have in the area of new technologies?
Ofelia: In the universities, women are a minority pursuing technological careers, and this has nothing to do with discrimination, but is something totally random and voluntary, so we cannot scandalize if later, in companies or administrations, they are still a minority. I’m used to seeing few women in this sector, that’s the way it is, but it also surprises me a lot when I only see men in a meeting or in a congress, and I have the feeling that it’s required more effort from women than from men to demonstrate what they are worth.
Pinngle: Could you tell us about the new updates regarding cybersecurity and ICT rights? According to your opinion, can the serverless operation, which Pinngle has adopted, be one of the most important novelties to protect the personal data and online security of the mobile apps’ and social networks’ users to the maximum?
Ofelia: Logically, any novelty that contributes to protecting conversations and personal data will be valued as a plus for the quality. But there is no 100% secure technology, so the system chosen must be accompanied by a commitment of responsibility of the provider. The confidence of the client is what makes the market, and it is even more important after the latest scandals of data leaks. Now we are not only concerned that third parties can access sensitive information, but also about what the people behind the applications do with it.
Pinngle: It is said that nowadays the web is in disuse, more and more people use mobile applications to access information online. Do you think Pinngle Public Channels, that cover many topics of interest, can be of great help in this case?
Ofelia: Of course, whenever a channel of information is truthful and reliable, it will be welcomed, and even more in these times of “fake news” in which so much “trash” is circulating through cyberspace.
Ofelia, thank you for dedicating your time and sharing your knowledge and ideas with us!
