News of Note 12/5/25: Bolivia Protects First Indigenous Amazon Area, Anacé Protest TikTok Data Center, Data Sovereignty Standard Launches
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Loma Santa marks first Indigenous protected area in the Bolivian Amazon (Mongabay)
”Establishing the first Indigenous protected area in the Bolivian Amazon took years and involved local communities, NGOs and the government. This natural reserve is home to five Indigenous peoples of the Bolivian Amazon, who act as the guardians of Loma Santa. Imperiled by illegal logging, communities hope new tools will make combating the exploitation of their natural resources more effective. The protected area emerged from the first Indigenous territorial autonomy in the Bolivian Amazon, where the communities have their own system of self-governance.”
The Anacé Indigenous people are protesting TikTok’s construction of the largest data center in Brazil (El País)
“This Indigenous community has launched a peaceful battle with the support of lawyers, NGOs and the Public Prosecutor’s Office against the Chinese company. They fear that the mega-data center it plans to build on land which they consider to be their own will negatively impact them. They’re also concerned because no ‘free, prior and informed consultation’ took place, as mandated by the Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention of 1989 (an International Labour Organization convention, often referred to as Convention 169). Around the world, this convention is as frequently ignored by investors as it is invoked by Indigenous peoples.”
New industry standard calls for better record-keeping to protect Indigenous data (ICT News)
“A new standard developed in partnership with Indigenous data sovereignty experts at the University of Arizona, New York University, Harvard University and multiple international universities outlines how scientists and technology professionals should record the origin and history of use for data about and relating to Indigenous people. The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers recently approved the first-ever international standard regarding the ‘appropriate disclosure of Indigenous peoples’ relationships and/or links to all data.’”
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