People
Stephanie Borg Psaila
Director of Digital Policy, Diplo
Dr Stephanie Borg Psaila is the Director for Digital Policy at DiploFoundation, and the Editor of the GIP Digital Watch observatory. In 2018-2019, she served as Diplo’s Interim Director and Head of Geneva Internet Platform (replacing Founding Director Dr Jovan Kurbalija during his one-year position as co-Executive Director of the Secretariat of the United Nations High-level Panel on Digital Cooperation).
Stephanie holds a Doctorate in Law (LL.D.), a Master’s in Contemporary Diplomacy, and two law-related diplomas from the University of Malta, and her special areas of interest include legal issues in digital policy, human rights, and e-diplomacy. She holds a warrant to practice as a Notary Public in Malta, and is a former journalist with The Sunday Times of Malta.
Related events
E-diplomacy workshop held in Addis Ababa
The recent E-diplomacy Workshop organised by DiploFoundation on 6 April 2011 was attended by African diplomats accredited to the UN in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. During the workshop, participants learned about the impa...
Upcoming workshop in Ethiopia
The impact of Internet on modern diplomacy and the emergence of new topics on diplomatic agendas are among the topics that will be discussed during a workshop for ambassadors and high officials of international organi...
Impact of ICT on diplomats' careers
Earlier this month, Jovan Kurbalija and Vladimir Radunovic delivered a presentation on e-diplomacy at the ‘Excellence in Diplomacy - Young Leadership Diplomatic Seminar’ in Belgrade, Serbia. The seminar, organise...
E-Diplomacy day at Malta workshop
Participants at the Malta Master/PGD Workshop on Contemporary Diplomacy are learning about the applications and implications of e-diplomacy tools. Today, guided by Diplo staff members Stephanie Borg Psaila, Mary Mu...
Diplo & GIP at WSIS Forum 2017
DiploFoundation and the Geneva Internet Platform will be actively engaged at WSIS Forum 2017. Join us for the following events and sessions, visit us at the booth, and read our just-in-time session reports and newslet...
#Cybermediation: What role for blockchain technology and natural language processing AI?
Technological developments impact all aspects of society. Similarly, they impact the practice of diplomacy. Mediation, the peaceful resolution of conflicts through a third party, is no exception. The #Cybermediation i...
[Webinar] Water and armed conflicts
The Platform for International Water Law of the Geneva Water Hub (GWH) and DiploFoundation are pleased to invite you to a webinar on 'Water and armed conflicts'. This event is being organised within the framework of t...
Commonwealth Peoples Forum, Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting
As part of this event, Diplo held a discussion panel aimed at decision makers likely to be involved in Internet Governance issues from countries with limited financial and human resources. The discussion helped par...
Workshop: Intercultural communication essentials
Why do small assumptions sometimes escalate into big misunderstandings? How can we avoid misreading each other? And are we all too hasty in jumping to judgement? This workshop promotes intercultural awareness as a me...
Unpacking the High-Level Panel’s Report: Contributions from Geneva
[Update] The event report, including the participants' recommendations, is now available. One of the main mandates of the UN Secretary-General’s High-Level Panel on Digital Cooperation, launched in July 2018, was...
Online discussion: Navigating Geneva’s digital policy landscape
Most Geneva-based institutions and organisations are now tackling digital aspects as part of their work. The Geneva digital policy landscape has therefore become richer and more diverse. How can we navigate this lands...
[WebDebate #44] Diplomacy in times of COVID-19: The experience of developing countries
[WebDebate #44] Diplomacy in times of COVID-19: The experience of developing countries [Update] The summary and recording of WebDebate #44 are available here. While the COVID-19 pandemic demanded adaptation across t...
Discussion: Cyber detente after the Biden–Putin summit in Geneva
Cyber detente after the Biden–Putin summit in Geneva Friday, 25th June 12:00 UTC (08:00 EDT | 14:00 CEST | 20:00 CST) Join us for a discussion on cyber detente with diplomats, tech experts, and researchers from ...
Data economy: human-centric approach at the forefront
The European Union Delegation to the United Nations in Geneva, the Permanent Mission of Switzerland to the UN in Geneva, the Permanent Mission of Slovenia to the UN Office and other international organisations in Gene...
[WebDebate #50] Training cyber diplomats: Tools, gaps, and opportunities
Diplomats need to be ready to address digital topics adequately and to harness the challenges and opportunities brought about by digitalisation and emerging digital technologies. Whether we are talking about security,...
[Briefing for diplomats] An inclusive internet: Lowering the barriers for access
Online briefing for diplomats on inclusive internet: Thursday, 2nd December 2021, 9–10.30 EST / 15–16.30 CET Closing the digital divide is one of the main priorities for governments worldwide. The 2030 Agend...
Diplo and the Geneva Internet Platform at IGF 2021
Date: 6–10 December A number of Diplo and Geneva Internet Platform (GIP) team members will participate in sessions of the 2021 Internet Governance Forum (IGF). IGF 2021, which is hosted by the Government of Polan...
Information as a public good: Which platform regulation for a troubled digital era?
Diplo's Dr Stephanie Borg Psaila (Director for Digital Policy) will be speaking during a side event to UNESCO's Internet for Trust conference, titled Information as a public good: Which platform regulation for a troub...
Related blogs
WikiLeaks three months on: discussions and reflections
Over the last three months, we have held a series of meetings discussing the impact of WikiLeaks on diplomacy. It included two panels in Geneva, one focusing on the general impact of WikiLeaks on diplomacy (1...
You are what you tweet
Tamás Deutsch, a Hungarian politician and a member of the European Parliament, strikes again. The gist of his Twitter update – in criticism of Thomas Melia, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State at the US Department...
Obama on Twitter
Over 26,000 people took part in a live Twitter Town Hall event dedicated to US President Barack Obama on Wednesday week. They asked the president 40,000 unique questions using the #AskObama – in just 70 minu...
Diplomats on Twitter
We might be past that phase where we ask whether diplomats should blog or tweet. Today we might ask, who are the diplomats who tweet? What do they talk about on Twitter? Of course, you need to be following them on Tw...
The 'send' button: hit with caution
Many machine operators will tell you that accidents happen when the operator starts taking the machine for granted. The longer the time spent using the same machine, the more dangerously accustomed to it an operator i...
How did the world learn about Bin Laden's death? Twitter, of course
It was one tweet, yesterday at 10:25 pm (EDT) that seemed to confirm the news. In a short time, the news ‘erupted’ on Twitter and other social networks. The tweet came from Keith Urbahn, chief of staff fo...
More e-tools: info aggregators, blogging, and microblogging
It has been almost a year since the E-diplomacy website was launched. It has also been some time since we posted Stefano Baldi’s list of ‘Essential tools’ on our blog. Technology progresses at an incredible spe...
Live coverage of E-diplomacy workshop
Follow us on @ediplomat, at https://www.facebook.com/ediplomacy and on edip.diplomacy.edu today, for live coverage from the E-diplomacy workshop in Malta, organised by DiploFoundation. The programme for the E-diplomac...
Our WikiLeaks poll: here's how you voted
The dust from the CableGate bomb has settled down. Diplomats and politicians are now cautious about what to say and where to say it. Whistleblowers are wondering how they can avoid sharing the same fate as Bradley Man...
Policy Briefing: WikiLeaks and the Future of Diplomacy
Policy Briefing: WikiLeaks and the Future of Diplomacy The release into the public domain of thousands of confidential documents leaked from diplomatic services was for some an embarrassing scandal and for others ...
How will WikiLeaks impact public diplomacy?
Milos Radakovic writes: Once a blizzard of diplomatic cables started pouring through the gates of WikiLeaks, my initial reaction was – ‘that’s it, this will obliterate the basic premise for public diplomacy’....
WikiLeaks and Diplomacy
Ambassador Kishan S. Rana writes: The release of 250,000 diplomatic 'cables' (a lovely, quaint term) by the US diplomatic system has produced some shock-waves and a vast outpouring of comment. Of course, some faces,...
Social media: How less (money) can lead to more (impact)
Jovan Kurbalija writes: In April this year (2010) I visited the US State Department in order to learn more about its highly successful e-diplomacy project. I expected to see a state-of-the-art computer centre, a cri...
Waking up to Facebook, six years later
Mary Murphy writes: Driving to Dublin recently, I was listening to talk radio. A local councillor was being interviewed about a Facebook course for local representatives taking place in Kerry this weekend - Facebo...
The far-reaching Google-Verizon proposal
Loads of articles and commentaries have already sounded their concern at the Google-Verizon proposal, not least due to the likely consequences on Net neutrality. This week's article on Time Magazine, 'Net Neutrality:...
Blackberry bans continue
Blackberry developer Research In Motion must be very busy these days fighting its way through bans. A handful of countries threatened to block some or all of the Blackberry services, after raising concern that local d...
A multistakeholder IGF
Thoughts and impressions on what was said and unsaid at the Internet Governance Forum held in Vilnius, Lithuania, on 14-17 September, 2010 I am sure that Rod Beckstrom’s clear-cut appeal last week to keep the Int...
Europe’s Internet treaty?
Thoughts and impressions on what was said and unsaid at the Internet Governance Forum held in Vilnius, Lithuania, on 14-17 September, 2010 What started off as a concept paper circulated by members of a Council of Eur...
The next big thing
Thoughts and impressions on what was said and unsaid at the Internet Governance Forum held in Vilnius, Lithuania, on 14-17 September, 2010 Look back at all the IG-related events that took place since the 4th IGF. Yo...
The Social Network: copyright breach or betrayal?
‘You don’t get to 500 million friends without making a few enemies.’ If you haven’t watched the movie, I won’t be spoiling it by saying who the enemies are, even though there’s much more to the movie. And...
The 8 most over-used words in Internet governance
In Internet governance parlance, some words and terms are used over and over again – ad nauseum. Read through the IGF transcripts, for example, and you’ll know what I mean. I’ve made a rough list of such words ...
IGF renewal: negotiations under way
The mandate of the Internet Governance Forum expired with its 5th meeting in Lithuania two months ago. A renewed mandate for another five years is currently being debated at the UN. At which stage are the negotiation...
IGF renewal a step closer: Second Committee to approve final text on Nov. 30
The Second Committee of the General Assembly has just negotiated a final version of the draft resolution on the future of the Internet Governance Forum, a reliable source has confirmed. Our source in New York has als...
Second Committee approves draft resolution on ICT for development
The Second Committee of the General Assembly yesterday approved the draft resolution on ‘Information and communications technologies for development’ (A/C.2/65/L.56). The text was approved by consensus. In a pres...
WikiLeaks: we’re forgetting Bradley Manning
While the world is talking WikiLeaks, I cannot fail to think: what if even more classified information is compromised? Is technology failing us? What we should question is not simply what has been leaked, but how it h...
Google eyes online newsstand
© Daniel Jaeger Vendruscolo www.sxc.hu Print newspapers and journals could suffer another setback as Google Inc. ventures its way into the online newsstand segment. News of this emerged a fortnight ago in a r...
IGF preparations: discussions aplenty while key positions still vacant
It was a busy week for IG stakeholders, who gathered in Geneva for the regular consultation meetings on agenda, overall theme and sub-themes, remote participation, and other matters related to the preparation of the a...
E-winds of change
Photo by Ralaenin, sxc.hu Try filling an old, worn-out plastic bag with water. Most of the water stays in, but some of it will still seep through the small holes, until nothing is left in the bag any more. That’s...
Internet blackouts and their impact on IG and ICT policy
'Freedom of expression' by Michael Foley Photography. Some rights reserved. In my previous blog post, ‘E-winds of Change’, I described the recent – and unsuccessful – attempts to silence dissent. Yet, just ...
Right to access the Internet: the countries and the laws that proclaim it
Have you ever come across articles or reports that state that the Internet has been declared a right in a number of countries? I’ve come across scores, citing Finland, Estonia, France, Spain, Greece, Costa Rica, and...
‘UN declares Internet access a human right’ – did it really?
Dozens of online journals this week trumpeted the news of a fresh report (Report of the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression) by the United Nations Human...
Cloud computing: what goes on up there?
I’m reading two unrelated articles, both on cloud computing. The first article describes Apple’s launch of iCloud during the company’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC 2011), last week. Much hype surrounded...
Teacher-student online private communication banned in US state
If you want to raise awareness among parents on the effects of social networks on their children, try passing a law like Missouri’s Senate Bill 45. The new law is making it illegal for teachers to have private cont...
Internet governance book in Serbian
Jovan Kurbalija’s An Introduction to Internet Governance has just been published in Serbian (BCS). The Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian version, Uvod u upravljanje internetom, has been produced with the support of the Dig...
Private networks for children and new ‘life skills’
It’s the first time I’ve come across it, and it’s so true: the use of social networks has become a necessary life skill, especially for children. I’m quoting a blog post from Forbes, which talks about what on...
To cease or not to cease?
The Telegraph reported on Monday that NATO's ability to defend the rebels would be severely limited if the Africa Union persuaded Gaddafi to observe a ceasefire. On the other hand, Gaddafi has everything to gain. 'Mu...
Young people’s digital responsibility
What would you say if you had to read that on average, children in Europe start to go online at the age of seven? And how many children, aged between 9 and 12, do you think have a social networking profile? (Despite a...
Establishing a strong online presence through the use of social media: E-diplomacy in practice
Just how deeply involved in the use of social media are today’s diplomats and embassies? In the first of a two-part series, we caught up with Karen Melchior, First Secretary at the Danish Embassy in London, who talk...
Digest of the debate: Diplomatic Reporting in the Internet Era after WikiLeaks
A month after DiploFoundation and GCSP organised their first post-WikiLeaks debate on ‘WikiLeaks and the Future of Diplomacy’, a second discussion on ‘Diplomatic Reporting in the Internet Era after WikiLeaks’ ...
Online Freedom of Expression: issues and frameworks
Online Freedom of Expression is one of the most controversial issues right now. Several world events – such as the Arab Spring and the Occupy movement – have shown that many grey areas surround this freedom. How s...
Outcomes of ICANN 43: debates and developments
The webinar podcast is available here. The 43rd meeting of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), concluded recently in Costa Rica, was nothing short of controversial. Our March IG webinar,...
Bypassing censorship: An activist's experience
His own personal website censored by government, his car vandalised, and his supporters’ initiatives blocked. Yet, he found a unique way of circumventing the censorship. He transferred all the content from his websi...
Illegal online content and liability of Internet intermediaries: Why the messengers should not be shot
There are approximately 550 million websites on the Internet; around 60 hours of video are uploaded every minute on YouTube; around 140 million tweets per day, most of them containing links, are posted on Twitter. Wh...
Diplo fellows at the Internet Governance Forum
I’m reflecting on the annual IGF meeting which took place two weeks ago, thinking about all the discussions that took place during workshops, the conversations that followed, and the new initiatives that will break ...
ICANN’s new engagement strategy in the developing world
In the midst of updates and controversy surrounding the new gTLD Program, ICANN is working on a new engagement strategy that can foster closer regional involvement, better engagement with stakeholders – especially i...
The threat of cyber-attacks
A few days ago, Spanish authorities arrested a 35-year-old Dutchman, a few kilometres north of Barcelona. He is suspected of mounting what is being considered the biggest attack on the Internet in history. The attack...
Placing the citizens’ needs at the centre
Is your country part of the multilateral initiative that promotes the principles of open government? Is your country among the 60 governments that are part of this initiative, called the Open Government Partnership (O...
IG entering the ‘premier league’ of global governance
If you know Diplo’s director Jovan Kurbalija, you’ll know that he’s great at mapping out complex ideas in easy-to-understand illustrations. Jovan’s speech at the Opening Ceremony of the 8th Internet Governance...
Information overload?
Dougald Hine has definitely got some facts right: our mobile devices are bringing us more words than any of us could ever read, more music than we could ever listen to, more video than we could ever watch... We are b...
Access to the Internet is a Human Right
60% of the world's population is not online. Michael Moller, Acting Director General of UNOG, was the first to raise the issue during his opening remarks at the launch of the Geneva Internet Platform (GIP) on 8th Apri...
The right to be forgotten: from Spain to Luxembourg and beyond
Last Friday, during a Google Advisory Council meeting in London, freedom of expression activist Article 19 once again expressed its concern over the recent decision on the right to be forgotten, and the implications o...
Outcomes of the ITU’s Plenipotentiary Conference
Arduous negotiations, lobbying, and watered-down amendments characterised the three-week ITU Plenipotentiary Conference, which took place earlier last month in Busan, Korea. The aim of the conference was to decide the...
Taking Internet governance webinars to the next level
As for many of Diplo's friends, the monthly Internet governance (IG) webinars have been a constant on our schedule. Last year alone, over 300 participants joined us online to discuss IG issues. Screenshot...
GDPR to take effect one year from now
The European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation will take effect one year from now - on 25 May 2018. In this post, two central questions are tackled: Who will be affected by the new rules, and what does the ...
Offline markets are tech giants' next quest
The combined quarterly revenue of a handful of Internet companies is staggering. As the recent financial results have shown, the $142 billion figure is a 12-fold increase over the companies’ revenue 10 years ago. ...
From digital independence to digital interdependence
An analytical summary of the Final Report of the UN High-level Panel on Digital Cooperation The report of the High-level Panel in Digital Cooperation, The age of digital interdependence, has historical relevance. It m...
[WebDebate #46 summary] Unpacking the EU's digital diplomacy and foreign policy
Foreign policies have for many years served as countries’ compass in their relations with each other. With the fast digitalisation of most sectors of society, updating foreign policies to incorporate digital aspects...
Apple's new measures to protect children online on hold
The spread of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) has plagued the internet for decades. While new material appears every now and then, existing photos and videos keep re-appearing, mostly on the dark web. Scanning im...
Year in review: The digital policy developments that defined 2021
For most countries, 2021 was a continuation of pandemic woes. As people swapped contact tracing apps for vaccine passports, the wave of misinformation on COVID-19 vaccines spread even faster. Beyond COVID-19, the b...
'37 people are waiting for you to confirm their friend requests'
'Your 37 friends are waiting', says the Facebook e-mail which I have just received. They’re waiting for me to accept their friend request. That is, for me to share personal information, photos of me and my loved one...
Governments vs ChatGPT: Investigations around the world
ChatGPT has taken the world by storm. Now, governments around the world are starting to take notice of these tools, and have launched investigations into OpenAI’s ChatGPT. Here are the countries that are probing Ope...
Governments vs ChatGPT: Regulation around the world
ChatGPT has taken the world by storm. Now, governments around the world are starting to take notice of these tools, and have launched investigations into OpenAI’s ChatGPT. Here are the countries that are probing Ope...
Related resources
Small States at the United Nations
The proliferation of small states in the past few decades has brought small and larger states on the same playing field. Their increase in number triggered a wave of studies, raised concern by 'realists' and some powe...
20 Aug, 2010
The EU’s New Commission: Digital Policy in the Limelight (Briefing Paper #13)
In this briefing paper, Dr Stephanie Borg Psaila analyses Ursula von der Leyen's new EU Commission's emphasis on digital policy for 2019–2024....
08 Aug, 2019
Improving the practice of cyber diplomacy: Training, tools, and other resources - Phase I
Cyber diplomacy, the conduct of diplomacy with respect to a state’s interests in cyberspace, is too important to ignore. Yet, the participation of countries is far from ideal....
01 Oct, 2021
Improving the practice of cyber diplomacy: Training, tools, and other resources - Final study
This study analyses the capacity development of cyber diplomacy, including training opportunities, tools, and other resources, and looks at their reach, take-up, and what should come next. Why? Because although cyber ...
01 Dec, 2021
Diplo: Effective and inclusive diplomacy
Diplo is a non-profit foundation established by the governments of Malta and Switzerland. Diplo works to increase the role of small and developing states, and to improve global governance and international policy development.
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