Welcome, Introduction to Internet Governance & EU Digital Policies – YOUthDIG 2023 webinar 01

29 April 2023 | 10:00-13:00 CEST
YOU^thDIG 2023 programme

Working title: Welcome, Introduction to Internet Governance & EU Digital Policies

Session teaser

During the first webinar of YOUthDIG 2023, we will introduce the Org Team and they will share their YOUthDIG experiences. An introduction to EuroDIG and the EuroDIG wiki will also be made. This is followed by a session led by Prof. Jamal Shahin, who will give an introduction to Internet Governance, and Dr. Esteve Sanz, who will conduct an introduction to European Digital Policies. YOUthDIGers are expected to contribute to the discussion on the topics, so prior preparation/contributions are needed. Further instructions will be provided through e-mail.

Format

Lectures, small group discussion and open discussion

Background

Introduction to Internet Governance:

The session aims to provide an introduction to the concept of internet governance. The session may cover topics such as digital sovereignty and the threats to global communications. Participants will have the opportunity to get to know each other and to learn about different aspects of internet governance in a session designed to be accessible to participants with varying levels of familiarity with internet governance.

Introduction to European Digital Policies:

During the 1-hour session on European Digital Policies, Dr. Esteve Sanz (Head of Sector Internet Governance and Multistakeholder Dialogue at the European Commission) will briefly introduce the European Union’s digital strategy, with a focus on policies related to Internet Governance. The rest of the time will be devoted to input from the YOUthDIG participants. To enable an interactive session, participants will be asked for a bit of “homework” in advance. They are encouraged to look at some of the Digital EU initiatives and to provide input. A background document and Slido link for input will be provided to participants through e-mail - this should be done by Thursday 27 April 12:00 CEST. Participants are free to decide which of the topics to contribute to. There are four main topics to discuss:

• The Declaration for the Future of the Internet
• The Digital Services Act
• The Digital Markets Act
• The AI Act

And there are three guiding questions:

• What is your understanding of this initiative and how do you think it will change the digital landscape?
• How do you think this initiative will impact your personal life?
• What do you think is missing in the EU Digital Strategy?

Further reading

General introduction

• An Introduction to Internet Governance (available in many languages)
• How the Internet works

Current affairs

• 12 digital governance and diplomacy trends for 2023
• Internet Governance Outlook 2022: A Global Digital Compact or a Bifurcated Cyberspace?

Newsletters we recommend

• Digital Watch created by the Geneva Internet Platform, operated by the DiploFoundation
• Internet Governance Forum Newsletter

Materials mentioned during Nadia's session

• Internet Governance Forum website
• EuroDIG website
• EuroDIG wiki

Materials mentioned during Jamal's session

• Internet Governance Acronym Glossary
• Dr. Strangelove
• UN Secretary-General's High-Level Panel on Digital Cooperation
• Age of Digital Interdependence
• High Level Advisory Board on Effective Multilateralism Report
• Paris Call
• A Declaration for the Future of the Internet

Teambuilding

Book Suggestions - The Sandman, by Neil Gaiman

- Educated, by Tara Westover

- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, by Douglas Adams

- The Medium Is the Massage: An Inventory of Effects, by Marshall McLuhan and Quentin Fiore

- Trainspotting, by Irvine Welsh

- Cultish, by Amanda Montell

- A Fortune-Teller Told Me: Earthbound Travels in the Far East, by Tiziano Terzani

- The Master and Margarita, by Mikhail Bulgakov

- Worldmaking after Empire: The Rise and Fall of Self-Determination, by Adom Getachew

- The Agony and the Ecstasy, by Michelangelo Buonarroti

- The Red Web: The Struggle Between Russia's Digital Dictators and the New Online Revolutionaries, by Andrei Soldatov and Irina Borogan

- The temple of the Golden Pavilion, by Yukio Mishima

- The Divine Comedy, by Dante Alighieri

- The Wealth of Networks: How Social Production Transforms Markets and Freedom, by Yochai Benkler

People

Focal Points

• João Gomes, YOUthDIG
• Nadia Tjahja, YOUthDIG and EuroDIG Secretariat

Speakers

• Nadia Tjahja, YOUthDIG and EuroDIG Secretariat
• Prof. Jamal Shahin, VUB / UNU-CRIS Chair in Digital Sovereignty and Programme Director MSc in European Integration
• Dr. Esteve Sanz, Head of Sector Internet Governance and Multistakeholder Dialogue at the European Commission