Tech and Society Summit

We are excited to announce that CDT Europe, alongside 41 civil society organisations, will be co-hosting the “Tech and Society Summit” on 1 October 2024. This event aims to foster dialogue and debate between civil society and recently elected EU decision-makers, focusing on the intersection of technology, society, and the environment. Together we are creating a bridge between digital rights organisations and new policymakers to support accountable, people-focused policies that advance everyone’s digital rights.

Check out the draft programme to see what will drive the day.

CDT Europe @ the Summit:

We will be co-organising the following panels and roundtable discussions:

• Making EU laws work for people: how can civil society best support institutions? 

In the last few years, the EU has adopted several legislative initiatives critical for addressing the impacts of technology on society, fundamental rights and consumer protection. These include the GDPR, the Digital Services and Market Acts and the Artificial Intelligence Act. Civil society expertise has been vital for providing evidence of harms and concerns and for proposing practical policy solutions. However, the legislative process and the subsequent enforcement mechanisms are often difficult to access and contribute to by civil society, especially organisations representing people affected by the use of technologies. How can EU decision-making and enforcement processes be more inclusive so that they work for people in practice? This roundtable will create a space for exchange between civil society and EU and national institutions regarding lessons learned and best practices related to civil society participation in policymaking, implementation and enforcement of EU laws.

Speakers:

• Asha Allen, Secretary General, Centre for Democracy & Technology Europe
• Irina Orssich, Head of Sector, AI Act Governance and Compliance, AI Office
• Rita Wezenbeek, Director of Platforms Policy and Enforcement (DG CNECT.F), European Commission
• Alexandre Biard, Head of enforcement and redress, BEUC
• Katarzyna Szymielewicz, President and co-founder, Panoptykon Foundation

Moderator:

Karolina Iwańska, Digital Civic Space Advisor, ECNL

• Fundamental Rights in Focus: Joint Efforts for Spyware Regulation in the EU (Invite-only)

CDT Europe and Amnesty International will convene a closed-door roundtable that will bring together influential voices from across the EU policy-making ecosystem, including policymakers and civil society organisations, for a dedicated discussion about existing pathways for spyware regulation in the EU. Spyware poses severe risks to fundamental rights and the very foundations of EU values. It undermines the independence of lawmakers, restricts public debate, and silences journalists and activists.

This roundtable will constitute a unique opportunity for an informed and policy-oriented debate on the adequate EU response to the spyware threat that places the need to protect fundamental rights and the rule of law at the forefront. International initiatives aiming to curtail the misuse of commercial spyware, such as the Pall Mall Process, as well as EU initiatives, including the recently announced review of the EU export controls framework and the Commission’s highly anticipated response to the PEGA Committee, will be central to the discussions. 

• Visionary roundtable: building an EU digital enforcement strategy (Invite-only)

In partnership with EDRi, ECNL, Amnesty Tech, BEUC, Liberties and Panoptykon Foundation, CDT Europe will organise a closed door roundtable bringing together key thinkers and enforcers in the digital field to discuss how to deliver an effective and rights-protective EU digital enforcement strategy. 

The European Union has recently added major laws to the digital rulebook, such as the Digital Markets Act (DMA), the Digital Services Act (DSA) and the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Act. Together with existing laws like the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and future regulations, the EU wants to improve Europe’s competitiveness and protect people’s rights while addressing the challenges of digitalisation. To ensure these laws do not become paper tigers, co-legislators have foreseen public and private enforcement avenues so affected entities take their obligations seriously. Co-legislators have also set up several or built upon existing enforcement networks and designated new enforcers. How these would work together remains a question.

The roundtable will seek to answer three questions: 

• How can we make sure that the action of public authorities facilitate redress to harmed individuals?
• How can we create more synergies between regulators in actual cases?
• How can we make private and public entities subject to the law comply?

Explore our Action Desk: the Antispyware Clinic

Concerned about spyware like Pegasus? Attendees will be able to bring their mobile devices to the Antispyware Clinic for a quick check by experts from Access Now Digital Security Helpline. The CDT Europe team will also be onsite to provide an overview of civil society advocacy efforts to better regulate spyware technologies in the EU.

The event is invite-only. If you are a journalist interested in covering the event, you can reach us at [email protected].