"DIGital futures: promises and pitfalls": Insafe at EuroDIG 2017

"DIGital futures: promises and pitfalls" is the theme of this year's EuroDIG, taking place in Tallinn, Estonia from 6-7 June 2017.

Date 2017-05-29 Author BIK Team
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To foster Europeans' interest on internet governance issues and to ensure that a proper dialogue takes place on a regular basis and in a participatory manner, EuroDIG - the European Dialogue on Internet Governance - was established in 2008 as an open, multi-stakeholder platform as a key European point of reference on exchanging views about the internet and how it is governed. EuroDIG is not a conference but instead a year-round dialogue on politics and digitisation across the whole European continent, which culminates in an annual event.

This year's EuroDIG kicks off on 5 June with pre-events on defending freedom of media in a complex environment and a Global Internet Policy Observatory (GIPO) session on sustainable governance models for an internet policy observatory. The programme continues with a diverse mix of presentations, workshops and flash sessions on issues such as business models on the internet, community connectivity, human rights and the Internet of Things (IoT), and the internet in the "post-truth" era. See the full programme overview on the EuroDIG website.

A delegation from the Insafe network of Safer Internet Centres (SICs) in Europe will be present at EuroDIG where they will facilitate both a workshop and flash session"

  • A workshop on "Digital citizenship, integration and participation" will take place on Wednesday, 7 June 2017. Digital citizenship today means more than just national citizenship: digital citizens are global citizens of somewhere and everywhere. Technology has developed so much that, today, physical national borders and restrictions no longer present an obstacle, but still we face problems relating to digital access which is key component in understanding digital citizenship. During this workshop, a panel of experts will discuss a range of issues including: What does digital citizenship mean? What are the obstacles and risks? How can we ensure digital identity for all? And what would a "perfect" digital society look like for its citizens? Find out more about the workshop on the EuroDIG Wiki.
     
  • A flash session on "Children's rights and protection on the internet" will take place later that same day. Jutta Croll from Digital Chancen will provide an introduction to the session, focusing on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) and identifying the rights that need to be adapted to the requirements of the digital environment. Following this, representatives from the Insafe network will showcase strategies and best practices for strengthening media literacy for children and young people, highlighting examples from the EC's Better Internet for Kids (BIK) line of work for a range of stakeholder audiences. Insafe youth panellists will also contribute to the discussion. Find out more about the flash session on the EuroDIG Wiki.

Recognising the important role of including the voice of youth in internet governance discussions, preceding EuroDIG on 4-5 June 2017 is the YOUthDIG (Youth Dialogue on Internet Governance) event. YOUthDIG is the youth programme of EuroDIG, and features a two-day, pre-event track that prepares youth participants (between the ages of 18-30) for the EuroDIG process. Participants in YOUthDIG have the opportunity to:

  • Experience peer-learning and networking with youth residing in Europe.
  • Learn about internet governance and the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) process.
  • Discuss and exchange ideas with experienced internet politics practitioners.
  • Develop youth messages and present them at EuroDIG and the global UN-led IGF.

This year's YOUthDIG programme covers human rights, security and media, alongside sessions on the general internet governance process.

More details are available on the EuroDIG website, or visit the EuroDIG Twitter profile and follow the #EuroDIG17 hashtag. If you're interested in following the presence of the Insafe delegation at EuroDIG, keep an eye on Twitter at @Insafenetwork and @Paneuyouth.

For more information on internet governance events, check the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) website and read more about the IGF 2017 event, this year taking place in Geneva, Switzerland from 18-21 December 2017.

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