Laura Vidal

Laura Vidal is a Venezuelan doctor in Education Sciences based in France and a member of the Curious Shapes Collective. Through FLCC, Laura also works as a research consultant for a number of French technical universities and international organizations while serving as the Regional Editor for the Americas at IFEX and the Language Inclusion Lead at the Mozilla Festival.

Laura's research encompasses a blend of themes, spanning learning, diversity and inclusion, digital literacy, virtual communities, storytelling, and digital rights. Her work delves into the intersections of culture, gender, and freedom of expression.

As a communicator, Laura has produced thought-provoking audio pieces that amplify the voices of digital rights organizations in the Majority World. That includes a collaborative audio piece called "Privacy is Global," in partnership with Internews and the Heinrich Böell Foundation, which tackles the intricate landscape of data politics. She also designed the audio appendix for Mozilla's 2020 Internet Health Report, titled "Sounds." Laura's upcoming audio project, "Así contamos nuestras historias," will shed light on the transformative experiences of over 30 Latin American organizations dedicated to narrative change for social progress based on a research project made by IRIS with the support of the Open Society Foundation.

Laura's articles can be found on platforms such as APC and its sub-site GenderIT, Global Voices - Advox, and IFEX's Americas pages. In her research journey, she has collaborated with influential organizations like Global Voices, The Engine Room, Tactical Tech, and Internews, with a particular focus on intercultural sensitivity, digital security and digital literacy.

This year, Laura's participation in re:publica will open the door to the complex limitations of digital environments in Venezuela. Her presentation is part of an emerging research project being developed at the heart of the Curious Shapes collective and aims to propose questions to study the many ways journalists, civil society and citizens are countering government's efforts to keep their digital environments under control.