Date: March 20, 2023
Time: 8:45 – 9:45 AM EST
In the framework of its ‘Digital Decade’, the European Union (EU)’s main objective was to regulate some of the most salient aspects of the digital transformation. Another objective was to inspire the relevant legislation of other states in the international community, both to increase the block’s influence through the ‘Brussels effect’ and to foster the progressive shaping of a global digital sphere, by nature borderless, in which users and stakeholders are aware of their rights and obligations. While waiting for different countries to adopt their own legislation, it is crucial to understand how various acts adopted by the EU have and will have an undeniable impact on digital rights across the Global South. In many instances, enforcement contributes to the strengthening of the protection of online freedom of expression and other basic rights. However, in others, the application may lead to the deepening of existing asymmetries. This session will focus in particular on the footprint of key texts for content moderation on social media, such as the Digital Services Act or Regulation (EU) 2021/784 on addressing the dissemination of terrorist content online, as well as for privacy, such as the General Data Protection Regulation. This session aims to become an exercise in collective imagination and foresight, thanks to careful prior preparation by the organizer and facilitator, allowing for the full involvement of panelists and participants around current issues that intertwine global problems (conflicts, violence, exploitation…) and the impact of regulation of the digital sphere.
Speakers:
- Asha Allen (CDT)
- Paige Collings (EFF)
- Mona Shtaya (7amleh)
- Jan Penfrat (EDRI)