Patrick Penninckx, the Head of the Information Society Department addressed the European Dialogue on Internet Governance 2020 on 11 June. Speaking in the panel “European Digital Economy and COVID-19 pandemic” he emphasised the link between vibrant human rights and a prosperous economy and reviewed the benefits of the digital economy as well as the challenges posed by it. He further shared solutions developed by the Council of Europe prior and during the pandemic, underlining the importance of protecting privacy, human-rights proofing of algorithms and AI systems and cooperating with companies. Other key speakers in the panel included Audrey Plonk, Head of Digital economy policy division at OECD, Caterina Bortolini, Head of International and European Institutional Affairs, TIM, and member of the ETNO Executive Board, and Stephen Taylor, Deputy Director General at “AREA Science Park” (Startup Accelerator).
Social media – opportunities, rights and responsibilities
The Information Society Department also participated in a workshop on the limitations and pitfalls of freedom of speech on the Internet. Charlotte Altenhöner-Dion presented Council of Europe perspectives on the new media environment in which the proliferation of technology, devices and content allows more people than ever to express themselves, while disrupting the fragile business models of traditional media and their accountability mechanisms.
Since EuroDIG’s inception in 2008, the Council of Europe has provided secretariat support and actively participated in its planning and annual events. The 2020 edition was organised online due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, along several major topics: standardisation, access, data governance, media issues and security.
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