OII Politics and the Internet Seminar Series

In Defence of Digital Freedoms

About

Technological developments and the open Internet have led to revolutionary changes and the potential of emancipating individuals, bottom up. However, increasingly technological possibilities also put the spotlight back on top down responsibilities and control.  The starting point has to be that digital freedoms and fundamental rights are enforced, and not eroded in the face of vulnerabilities, attacks, or repression.  This requires answers to difficult questions on the implementation of the rule of law, historically place-bound by jurisdiction rooted in the nation-state, in the context of a globally connected world. This is a matter for the EU as a global player, and should involve all of society.

The good news is that we don’t need ‘cyber democracy’ to guarantee ‘cyber security’. In most cases the foundations for resilience are already in our existing laws and regulations. Technologies are an essential part of our daily lives, businesses, education, cultural experiences and political engagement. As a result, resilience and defence need to be integrated and mainstreamed to strengthen both freedom and security.  To prevent fear, hype and incident-driven policies and practices, knowledge, transparency and accountability are needed. We should focus on integrating technological developments in a way that allows us to preserve core constitutional principles, democratic oversight, and digital freedoms as essentials in our open societies.

Please note that seminars will be conducted ‘off-the-record’ under Chatham House rules.

Each of these seminars will be followed by a short drinks reception.