Rapid technological developments make people across the world hyper-connected to each other, and to information. To over 2 billion citizens worldwide the internet has become both a public space and a marketplace.
As people worldwide connect to online services they transcend traditional borders of nation states, and defy traditional concepts of jurisdiction. This creates opportunities for enjoying human rights, fostering development, trade and innovation.
New technologies and the internet have proven powerful forces of change, innovation and civil empowerment. But also affect concepts of security and morality – domains traditionally closely linked to nation states and not yet adapted to the new global borderlessness.
After violent protests by extremists in reaction to the “Innocence of Muslims” video, the question whether or not YouTube should take this video offline after political pressure has been fiercely debated.
Beyond the tragic incidents of the past weeks, a broader question remains:
Which role should companies and governments play in a hyper connected world?
How to ensure that our rights and freedoms online, either as individuals or as a part of an internet public, are best protected and preserved?
As the Parliament’s Rapporteur for a report on ‘A Digital Freedom Strategy in EU foreign policy‘, and on ‘Press and Media Freedom in the World‘ I therefore cordially invite you to participate in the discussion.
The panel:
H.E. Mr. William E. Kennard, US Ambassador to the EU (video);
H.E. Mr. Arif Havas Oegroseno, Indonesian Ambassador to the EU;
Mr. Bill Echikson, Head of Free Expression Policy and PR,Europe, Middle East & Africa, Google;
Ms. prof. mr. dr. Mireille. Hildebrandt, Chair of Smart Environments, Data Protection and the Rule of Law at the Institute for Computing and Information Sciences (iCIS) at Radboud University Nijmegen, ’Centre for Law Science Technology & Society (LSTS), Vrije Universiteit Brussel;
Mr. Kustaw Bessems, Journalist, editor of ‘Vonk’ at Dutch newspaper ‘de Volkskrant’;
Mr. Sameer Padania, Media Programme at Open Society Foundation in London.
ALDE is the third largest political group in the center of the European Parliament, currently with 85 mostly liberal MEPs, holding the balance of power between the left and right. ALDE is led by former Belgian Prime minister Guy Verhofstadt.
ALDE is a pro-European party and has European Parliament MEPs from 21 of the 27 member states who come together with shared values and a positive vision for the European Union.
Marietje Schaake has been serving as a Member of the European Parliament for the Dutch Democratic Party (D66) with the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) political group since 2009. She serves on the International Trade committee and is the spokesperson for the ALDE Group on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). Schaake also serves on the committee on Foreign Affairs and the subcommittee on Human Rights. She is the founder of the European Parliament Intergroup on the Digital Agenda for Europe. Furthermore, Marietje Schaake is the Vice-President of the US Delegation and serves on the Iran Delegation and the Delegation for the Arab peninsula. She was a Member of the Global Commission on Internet Governance and is a Young Global Leader and a Member of the Global Future Council on Future of Digital Economy and Society with the WEF.
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