Accountability in the Digital Age

What does digital sovereignty mean? Why has it become a hot topic? What are digital assets, and why are they important? What technologies with either local, regional or even global reach are relevant to build, achieve and sustain digital sovereignty? What geopolitical threats need to be taken seriously? Are these challenges too big for one country, and if so, how to collaborate? How to speed up and keep up with ever-increasing and accelerating technological developments including essentials such as cybersecurity and trust? Is speed actually a friend or a foe? Which trustworthy and accountable 21st century digital, collaborative and organizational capabilities can support addressing challenges in this Digital Age? These and other essential queries are explored in this Dialogue. with Paul Timmers, Oxford University.

Mei Lin Fung is chair and co-founder together with Vint Cerf of the People Centered Internet. See PCI.

What was the internet originally intended to be? To which other historic innovations is the evolution of the internet similar? What can we learn from those, and the first decades of the internet? How to improve or rebuild the current internet so it can become less technology-dependent, less vulnerable, more robust and more resilient? Who and which organisations could or should be part of these efforts? How can accountability be included, by design, while running, and by supporting continuous improvement? These and other key topics are addressed in this Dialogue.

A dialogue with Pradeep Gupta, Chairman Cyber Media Group discussing the role of media and Accountability in the Digital Age.

Is the role of media news and other content provider, watch dog, or both? What has the media reporting about (and had  influence in) during the past decades. What is it focusing on now and the next years? How does a media organisation implement accountability, both internally as well as externally? How does it cope with being branded as ‘fake news’? How does it deal with such attacks from a technical, digital perspective? Are there national/regional differences through the world? Why do people (like to) believe unverified information, and seem to enjoy echo chambers? How can an accountable media organisation help and share good practices? What are 21st good practices for 21st problems? Who should be at the table to help (further) develop, build, try, implement and improve accountability in the Digital Age? What can start-ups learn and how can they take in these good practices and initiatives? This Dialogue covers all these important queries.

A dialogue with Prabhat Agarwal, European Commission

What is AI for Good about? When did it start, why, and where is accountability taken in? What’s the level of awareness of digital impact (positive and negative) of people, society and businesses? What are their leaders doing about it? Are there already instruments available that can be deployed to support and cater for accountability? Who should be at the table on these ever-growing opportunities, challenges and related accountability? And, how can you engage? Concrete examples throughout the world, on all kind of different levels, in this dialogue with Stephen Ibaraki, Chairman REDDS Capital.

A Dialogue with Prof. Tatjana Welzer, University of Maribor.

Marietje Schaake discussing Accountability in the Digital Age

Guy Berger

Jacques Kruse Brandao, Global Head of Advocacy, SGS and Co-Founder Charter of Trust talks about connected devices and systems have become a need to have. Now each will need to be able to demonstrate that those are safe and (cyber)secure, and can be trusted. Both seperately as well as holistically. Locally, nationally, and globally. This Dialogue touches on this important dimensions.

Where for journalists internet 1.0 was about how to use it in its daily course of work, nowadays, in this Digital Age, press freedom, freedom of expression and traditional and digital media have been influenced, impact and otherwise changed dramatically, both in positive and negative ways. Who are the players and gatekeepers of communication, what are the nuances of accountability for each of them, and how take in and balance out the numerous different perspectives of multiple stakeholders? In this Dialogue with Guy Berger, Director for Strategies and Policies in the field of Communication and Information with UNESCO these and other topics are addressed, from a practical and UNESCO perspective.