News Commentary from Europe

When cyber threats weigh on democracies

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The main source is the transcript of a roundtable discussion entitled “When cyber threats weigh on democracies”, organized by the University of Geneva and the Global Studies Institute in collaboration with Swiss Aware during Human Rights Week 2024. The event brought together experts to discuss the growing impact of cyber threats on global democratic processes, in a year marked by a high number of elections around the world. Speakers explored how disinformation and cybercrime affect popular sovereignty and public debate, highlighting the need for digital literacy, international cooperation and innovative approaches to counter these risks, including the integration of humanities skills and the development of information verification platforms.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJVezgVkHOA

  • Biographies

  • Frédéric Esposito: Moderator of the roundtable. He works at the University of Geneva and the Global Studies Institute.

  • Cécile Meier: Vice President of Swiss Aware, a non-profit association based in Geneva that focuses on the human aspect of cybercrime, especially on young people.

  • Basil Simmerman: Fellow at the Institute of Global Studies at the University of Geneva, holder of a PhD on contemporary China. He is a specialist in China and new technologies and teaches at the Global Studies Institute, participating in projects and foundations in the field of technology and ethics.

  • Nicolas Gianacopoulos: Former graduate student at the University of Geneva in Political Science. He is an independent expert on corruption issues, having worked in Bern on these topics. He is currently the president of the Organized Crime Observatory in Geneva.

  • Fabien Leimgruber: Criminologist, graduate of Lausanne, and head of cyber-resilience at the Cyber ​​Peace Institute.

  • Patrick Amon: President of Swiss Aware. He has a PhD in physics and has experience in both academia (member of the Board of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL) and head of a cybersecurity expert group) and the private sector (president of his own cybersecurity company).

  • Elon Musk: Owner of X (formerly Twitter), mentioned for his potential role in influencing the US election and his management of the platform.

  • Mark Zuckerberg: Founder of Facebook (Meta), mentioned in analogy to historical figures with influence on the news media.

  • William Randolph Hearst (Citizen Kane): Historical figure in the publishing world, compared to modern news tycoons for his influence.

  • Melanie: Mentioned in reference to the Federal Emergency Management Centre (MELANI) in Bern, which deals with cybersecurity for critical infrastructures in Switzerland.

  • Camel Daoud: Algerian writer and journalist, laureate of the Prix Goncourt, scheduled as speaker at the closing event of Human Rights Week.
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    News Commentary from EuropeBy Mana Bond Limited