Reflections from the Science in Perspective discussion

A few days ago, as I was on my way to ETH Zürich to moderate a session on Internet and Trust, I took a close look at the importance of trust for my daily routines.

Throughout history, humanity has relied on different critical resources. Oil was one such resource, which spurred economic growth, as well as conflicts over access and control.

Just as the world’s governments came together in 1949 to adopt the Fourth Geneva Convention to protect civilians in times of war, we need a Digital Geneva Convention that will commit governments to implement the norms that have been developed to protect civilians on the internet in times of peace.

Brad Smith, President and Chief Legal Officer, Microsoft

A European rEUnion is the concept under which Malta’s EU presidency took off on January 1. The smallest EU country will now lead the EU during these turbulent times.

Digital is part of Malta’s uniqueness, something that could help Europe in crisis. Being an island, Malta embraced global technological developments as a way of overcoming geographical remoteness.

In addition, digital found fertile ground in Malta’s key resources: the ingenuity, resilience and perseverance of its people.

The IGF, like any other ecosystem, has its own demography. As can be seen in the illustration, the IGF ecosystem radiates both ways from the centre that steers the process and from edges that provide new ideas and inputs.

This detour from Internet governance to the history of philosophy was inspired by the setting of the World Internet Conference which I attended last week. Next to the high-tech conference centre is the ancient city of Wuzhen. This blend of new and old was an invitation to discuss the latest tech developments using ancient thinking, an invitation I couldn’t resist.

This list of 25 points relies on experience gathered over more than 20 years of analysing new technologies in diplomacy, their hype, their sudden disappearances, and their occasional survivals. The list reflects research on digital diplomacy, quantitative  analysis of digital trends, as well as discussions with practicing digital diplomats (see more).

Although many points focus on social media, the list covers an overview of different aspects of digital diplomacy (beyond social media).

Digital diplomacy could determine the results of the current US presidential election. Hillary Clinton’s solid lead is suffering following the discovery of new material related to the use of her private e-mail server as US Secretary of State. Paradoxically, as Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton was one of the first champions of digital diplomacy and may now become one of its first major political victims.