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Chapter 2:
Empowered by quantum cryptographic keys, Ava unlocks her self-sovereign identity. As she leaves the walled garden, a new field of possibilities are within her grasp. Drafting a document for a new era of digital freedom, she reflects on the old systems of control that sought to enslave and manipulate her. "Beyond Here" is a short film of a young girl’s awakening. Ava is one of the founding females authoring The Declaration of Digital Independence. Born in the age of surveillance capitalism, she finds herself trapped in a walled garden. Ava’s identity is at risk when her data is used to control her. Ava’s Voice: “What do you see when you look in the mirror? I can’t help but feel like I’m not enough. Not pretty enough, not successful enough, just never enough. It must all be in my head but it’s like someone or something is controlling everything I hear and see. Even my thoughts before I speak, seem to come from elsewhere. There may be hope for a way out and each of us individually could hold the key. When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for the people to dissolve the centralized social media networks, a union of coders, philosophers, artists and innovators must act to create alternative forms of social media. Behavior modification engines have become autonomous and beyond our control. Now they control us. Our personal data is mined, exploited and sold to the highest bidder. Without a conscious choice, people are at the mercy of a system designed to capitalize on their fears and desires. To become self-sovereign, we the people must claim ownership of our data and author a declaration of digital independence.” © Film by Jeff Zavala at ZCreative Media
