Digital sovereignty – from users’ empowerment to technological leadership – PL 02 2020

Consolidated programme 2020 overview / Day 1

Proposals: #42, #67, #129, #158, #168, #178 (#133)

Session teaser

The session will discuss how the different facets of Digital Sovereignty, at the individual level and at the macro-level, can be reconciled to shape Europe’ technological leadership.

Session description

Digital sovereignty can be defined as the ability to ensure citizens’ control over their digital lives, in particular through the control of their personal data. It also refers to the capacity to reinforce the digital “capacities” of a country, in terms of its networks, cyber-security capabilities, and control of advanced technologies like A.I. The session will discuss the different aspects of digital sovereignty and how they can be reconciled to support the digital transformation of Europe and its technological leadership without compromising on democracy, openness and fundamental rights.

Format

Moderated panel discussion

Main questions to be addressed during the sessions:

1) In times of digital transformation of all sectors of economy and society and in a context of global race to technological leadership, what is the current positioning of Europe vis-à-vis the other big global players?

2) With its advanced regulatory framework, is Europe doing better than other regions of the world in protecting end-users’ digital sovereignty, in terms for example of controlling their personal data, managing their digital identity, or exercising their digital “self-determination”?

3) How can we ensure that tech companies and states promote and facilitate the end-user digital “self-determination”? How can we push for open data to be used for the common good, rather than going towards complete “privatisation” of data and platform lock-in?

4) Is it possible to build on strong end-users’ digital sovereignty to develop a competitive technology ecosystem and achieve digital sovereignty, understood as the control of key infrastructures and technologies, at the level of a country or at European level?

5) How can we ensure that the European digital companies can successfully compete with non-European key players while respecting the European system of values and norms, taking into account that many big tech companies are subject to a different legal framework?

6) How can we address digital sovereignty in terms of infrastructures, technologies, but also strong and autonomous European research and innovation ecosystem? What is the role of different stakeholders and what role for cooperation between public and private actors?

7) Can digital sovereignty co-exist with the global nature of the internet and in general of technology developments? Can sovereignty co-exist with global cooperation?

Further reading

Links to relevant websites, declarations, books, documents. Please note we cannot offer web space, so only links to external resources are possible. Example for an external link: Website of EuroDIG

People

Please provide name and institution for all people you list here.

Focal Point

• Valentina Scialpi

Organising Team (Org Team) List them here as they sign up.

• Vittorio Bertola
• Andrew Campling
• Lucien Castex
• Sofia Badari
• Debora Cerro Fernandez
• Riccardo Nanni
• Livia Walpen
• Giacomo Mazzone

Key Participants

• 1. Kerstin Noelle Vokinger (Academia);
• 2. Steven Tas (Private sector);
• 3. Francesca Bria (Public institution);
• 4. Pierre Bonis (Technical community)

Moderator tba

Remote Moderator Trained remote moderators will be assigned on the spot by the EuroDIG secretariat to each session.

Reporter Reporters will be assigned by the EuroDIG secretariat in cooperation with the Geneva Internet Platform. The Reporter takes notes during the session and formulates 3 (max. 5) bullet points at the end of each session that:

• are summarised on a slide and presented to the audience at the end of each session
• relate to the particular session and to European Internet governance policy
• are forward looking and propose goals and activities that can be initiated after EuroDIG (recommendations)
• are in (rough) consensus with the audience

Current discussion, conference calls, schedules and minutes

See the discussion tab on the upper left side of this page. Please use this page to publish:

• dates for virtual meetings or coordination calls
• short summary of calls or email exchange

Please be as open and transparent as possible in order to allow others to get involved and contact you. Use the wiki not only as the place to publish results but also to summarize the discussion process.

Messages

A short summary of the session will be provided by the Reporter.

Video record

Will be provided here after the event.

Transcript

Will be provided here after the event.