Insafe network to discuss limitations to freedom of speech on social media at EuroDIG 2020

From Wednesday, 10 to Friday, 12 June 2020, the pan-European dialogue on internet governance (EuroDIG) will take place online. On Thursday, 11 June 2020, the Insafe network will host a workshop on "Social media – opportunities, rights and responsibilities".

Date 2020-06-10 Author BIK Team Section awareness

Created in 2008, EuroDIG is an "open platform for informal and inclusive discussions on public policy issues related to internet governance". It "promotes the engagement of Europeans in multi-stakeholder dialogue in order to share their expertise and best practice and, where possible, identify common ground". By pulling national perspectives together, this forum aims to shape European values and views on the topic of internet governance. The 2020 edition of EuroDIG, which is taking place digitally, will focus on the theme "Towards a sustainable governance of the internet".

The Insafe network of European Safer Internet Centres (SICs) will be represented at EuroDIG, through a multi-stakeholder dialogue on "Social media – opportunities, rights and responsibilities", hosted by Sabrina Vorbau, Project Manager at European Schoolnet (EUN)and Abhilash Nair, Senior Lecturer in Internet Law at Aston Law School (UK) . The discussion will feature representatives from governments, the technical community, civil society and academia:

  • Nertil Bërdufi, Assistant professor at University College Beder and Founder and Director of Beder Legal Clinic
  • Tanja Pavleska, Researcher Laboratory for Open Systems and Networks, Jozef Stefan Institute
  • Liz Corbin, Deputy Media Director and Head of News for the European Broadcasting Union (EBU)
  • Charlotte Altenhöner-Dion, Council of Europe, Head of Internet Governance Unit and Secretary to the Expert Committee on Freedom of Expression and Digital Technologies (MSI-DIG)
  • Paolo Cesarini, Head of Unit Media Convergence & Social Media, DG CONNECT, European Commission (EC)
  • Guido Bülow, Head of News Partnerships for Facebook

Digital technologies have been at the centre of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and they have provided a lifeline for everyone in society. Social networking services allow people to connect, work, exchange, learn, and create, but they also present some risks – hate speech, cyberbullying, disinformation, to quote only a few. Policies to address these challenges often revolve around increased oversight (notably using AI) of citizens' behaviours online. This, in turn, raises new concerns related to the risk of mass surveillance on social media. As human rights protected offline should also be protected online, the future of our online freedom depends on our ability to ensure that citizens' online rights are respected.

The workshop will take place on Thursday, 11 June 2020 at 14:30-16:00 CEST – if you are interested, find out more information about the session and follow the livestream on the EuroDIG website.

More generally, find out more information about EuroDIG 2020, including the event's programme, on the EuroDIG website, and follow #EuroDIG2020 on social media.

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