©EuropeanCommission
The afternoon workshops will take place at 15.00 - 16.20.
Title: Bringing the DSA to reality: how to preserve freedom of expression and freedom and pluralism of the media on online platforms
Description
This workshop will look at the opportunities and challenges ahead of the application of the DSA with regards to users freedom of expression and information, as well as the freedom and pluralism of the media.
Experts from all sides of the online platform ecosystem will help in understanding the needs, tools, and risks for protecting our fundamental rights and our public spaces; for democratic discourse and how the DSA provisions should be implemented and supervised, in particular as regards very large online platforms, to duly safeguard the right to freedom of expression and information enshrined in Article 11 of the Charter.
Speakers
Moderator: Lubos Kuklis, Case Handler Officer, European Commission
- Elda Brogi, Scientific coordinator, Centre for Media Pluralism and Media Freedom (CMPF)
- Siada El Ramly, Founder and managing director, DOT Europe
- Helen Hahn from RSF (TBC)
- Felix Kartte, Senior advisor, Reset
- Jan Penfrat, Senior policy advisor, European Digital Rights (EDRi)
Title: How interface design affects user choices: dark patterns and advertising
Description
The discussion in this workshop will focus on the ethical considerations surrounding the design of online interfaces, advertising and recommender systems in the most transparent way. The discussion will shed light on the importance of designing interfaces that prioritise user choice and autonomy, and the need for digital service providers to act responsibly in line with the relevant rules of the Digital Services Act.
Speakers
Moderator: Alexandre De Streel, Professor of European law at the University of Namur, Academic Director at CERRE and Chair of the Observatory for the Online Platform Economy expert group
- Nataliia Bielova, researcher, Institut national de recherche en informatique et en automatique
- Professor Francesco Decarolis, Bocconi University, member of the expert group for the Observatory on the Online Platform Economy
- Caspar Drazewski, Senior Legal Officer, BEUC
- Alexandra Geese, Member of European Parliament
- Rebecca Kelly Slaughter, Commissioner Federal Trade Commission (FTC) (TBC)
Title: Safeguarding democracy from online disinformation
Description
This workshop aims to assess the efforts by online platforms in addressing disinformation, information manipulation, and election interference on their services. It will representatives from civil society organisations, independent experts, governmental bodies, and online platforms, fostering an exchange of insights and experiences related to these challenges.
The discussion will focus on what platforms are doing, also in the context of the Code of Practice on Disinformation, to combat information manipulation and preserving the integrity of democratic processes. Participants will discuss the effectiveness of online platforms actions, areas for improvement and the specific needs the community believes should be addressed.
Speakers
Moderator: Krisztina Stump, Head of Unit, Media convergence and social media, DG Connect, European Commission;
Scene setter: Yoel Roth, Technology Policy Fellow at the UC Berkeley Goldman School of Public Policy
- Alexandre Alaphilippe, Executive Director, EU Disinfolab
- Meysam Alizadeh, Senior researcher, University of Zurich
- Brandi Geurkink, Senior Policy Fellow, Mozilla Foundation
- Jana Kazaz, Research Fellow of the Centre for Democracy & Resilience, Globsec
- Stanislav Matějka, Head of Analytics Department, Council for Media Services Slovakia
- Gabrielle Robitaille, Senior Digital Policy Manager, World Federation of Advertisers (WFA)
Title: Conducting DSA risk assessments - algorithms in the spotlight!
Description
While the other sessions of the conference will look more closely at each of the societal risks and how they materialise through online platforms, this session will focus specifically on the methodologies, sources of information, and concrete steps platforms could take to conduct diligent and robust risk assessments.
In particular, platforms should assess risks stemming from their algorithmic systems, such as their recommender systems, content moderation or advertising systems. The workshop will highlight the particularities of algorithmic risk assessments, from their socio-technical implications, to specificities of generative models and other technological choices.
Speakers
Moderator: Mathias Vermeulen Director, Reset
- Eliska Pirkova, Senior Policy Analyst, Access Now
- Anna Katharina Messmer, Project Director Stiftung Neue Verantwortung;
- Professor Aravind Narayanan, Princeton University (TBC)
- David Sullivan, Executive Director, Digital Trust and Safety Partnership
The closing plenary Tackling Online Disinformation: A Democratic Model for the Internet Age will be from 16.35-17.35.
Description
The panel focuses on the systemic political risks to our democratic values and processes posed by social media platforms. It takes stock of the lessons-learned in the past years, including the achievements and remaining challenges for policymakers. Concretely, it discusses how the Digital Services Act could contribute to the creation of a vibrant, egalitarian, and inclusive online democracy.
Speakers
Closing speech: Per Enerud, Swedish Psychological Defence Agency (TBC)
Panel moderated by Renate Nikolay, Deputy Director General, DG CONNECT (TBC)
- Professor Michael Bang Petersen, Aarhus University
- Raphael Glucksmann, Member of European Parliament (TBC)
- Gulsanna Mamediieva, Director General, the Directorate for European Integration, Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine (TBC)
- Maria Ressa, Co-founder and CEO of Rappler, Nobel Peace Prize (TBC)