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Twenty twenty-four is the biggest election year in world history. Countries making up more than half of the world population organize elections, including the European Union, the United States, India, and the United Kingdom. The Internet plays an indispensable role in the democratic process, promoting the free flow of information and allowing voters to take part in the public debate. To strengthen our democracies, it is critical to safeguard people’s fundamental rights, promote civic discourse and plurality on the internet, and boost trust in political processes. This Brussels to the Bay event, featuring special guest Volker Türk (UN High Commissioner for Human Rights), focused on the EU and the UN’s efforts to reinforce democracy online.

Both the EU and the UN have stepped up their efforts to strengthen democracy in the digital age. The EU, for example, adopted the Digital Services Act (DSA), a landmark regulation that aims to protect the rights of users by setting clear rules for very large online platforms to mitigate any risks to fundamental rights stemming from their services, coming into full effect on February 17. At the same time, efforts to address alleged impact of information in the digital space cannot be dissociated from the broader political and social context. Trust in political processes and democratic institutions also rests on how a State effectively recognizes and implements human rights offline and online and invests in the institutions needed for their protection.

What are the responsibilities of platforms in promoting public discourse? How can we leverage the DSA and other policy instruments to protect internet users’ fundamental rights? What challenges does Generative AI present for the many elections ahead of us? Join us for this special Brussels to the Bay event, co-hosted by the EU Office in San Francisco and Norway, to find out.

EU

Meet the Speakers

Volker Türk, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights

Mr. Türk is the current United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. He took up his official functions as High Commissioner on 17 October 2022.

He has devoted his long and distinguished career to advancing universal human rights, notably the international protection of some of the world's most vulnerable people - refugees and stateless persons.

Prior to this, Mr. Türk was the Under-Secretary-General for Policy in the Executive Office of the United Nations Secretary-General where he coordinated global policy work. He also ensured UN system-wide coordination in the follow-up to the Secretary-General’s “Call to Action for Human Rights” and his report, Our Common Agenda, which sets out a vision to tackle the world’s interconnected challenges on foundations of trust, solidarity and human rights. He previously served as Assistant Secretary-General for Strategic Coordination in the Executive Office of the Secretary-General (2019-2021).

As Assistant High Commissioner for Protection in the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Geneva (2015-2019), Mr. Türk played a key role in the development of the landmark Global Compact on Refugees.

Over the course of his career, he held a number of key positions including at UNHCR headquarters where he served as Director of the Division of International Protection (2009-2015); Director of Organizational Development and Management (2008-2009); and Chief of Section, Protection Policy and Legal Advice (2000-2004). Mr. Türk also served UNHCR around the world, including as Representative in Malaysia; Assistant Chief of Mission in Kosovo and in Bosnia and Herzegovina, respectively; Regional Protection Coordinator in the Democratic Republic of the Congo; and in Kuwait.

Mr. Türk holds a doctorate in international law from the University of Vienna and a Master of Laws degree from the University of Linz, Austria. He has published widely on international refugee law and international human rights law. He is fluent in English and French and has a working knowledge of Spanish.

Gerard de Graaf, Senior Envoy for Digital to the U.S. and Head of the EU office in San Francisco

Senior Envoy for Digital to the U.S. and Head of the new EU Office in San Francisco as of 1 September, 2022, Gerard de Graaf has worked for more than 30 years in the European Commission across a wide range of policy areas. Until his recent appointment, he was director in DG CNECT, responsible inter alia for the Digital Services and Digital Markets Acts(DSA/DMA), two landmark pieces of legislation which have been recently adopted in the European Union to keep the Internet safe, protect fundamental rights and enhance competition in digital markets.

Prabhat Agarwal, Head of Unit DSA, European Commission, DG CNECT

Prabhat Agarwal is Head of Unit “Digital Services” at the European Commission’s DG CONNECT. He comes from a background of academic and industrial research, covering a broad range of fundamental science and commercial high-tech projects. He joined the European Commission in 2007 and has since then covered a variety of digital innovation and regulatory areas. He holds a Ph.D. in Condensed Matter Physics from the University of Cambridge.

Naomi Shiffman, Head of Data and Implementation, Meta Oversight Board

Naomi Shiffman is the Head of Data and Implementation for the Meta Oversight Board, where she leads a team in assessing the Board’s impact on Meta’s content ecosystem. Naomi previously built the academic and research program at CrowdTangle, a Meta product. Before her work with CrowdTangle, Naomi was a policy researcher at Mozilla, focused on privacy policy, data protection, AI accountability, and misinformation. She is a Non-Resident Fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensic Research Lab, a Founding Fellow at the Integrity Institute, and an advisor to Connect Humanity, a fund for digital equity. Naomi has a Master’s in Public Policy from UC Berkeley, and a B.Sc. from UC San Diego.

David Evan Harris, Chancellor’s Public Scholar at UC Berkeley, Senior Fellow at the Centre for International Governance Innovation, Senior Research Fellow at the International Computer Science Institute, and Visting Fellow at the Integrity Institute

David Evan Harris is Chancellor's Public Scholar at UC Berkeley, Senior Research Fellow at the International Computer Science Institute, Senior Fellow at the Centre for International Governance Innovation, Senior Advisor for AI and Elections at the Brennan Center for Justice, and Visiting Fellow at the Integrity Institute. He previously worked as a Research Manager at Meta (formerly Facebook) on the Responsible AI, Civic Integrity and Social Impact teams and was recently named to Business Insider’s AI 100 list for his work on AI governance, fairness and misinformation.

Moderator: Alexis Wichowski, Professor of Professional Practice at Columbia University’s School of Professional Studies, Program Director for the MS and Executive MS programs in applied technologies / technology management, and affiliate faculty with Columbia’s School of International & Public Affairs

Dr. Alexis Wichowski works, teaches, and writes on technology, government, and power. She currently serves as Professor of Professional Practice and Program Director for Columbia University's Masters of Science in Technology Management. Recent roles include Deputy Chief Technology Officer for the City of New York, Associate Commissioner for NYC's Department of Veterans' Services, and various roles within the US Department of State and the US Mission to the United Nations. Recent publications include the 2020 book The Information Trade: How Big Tech Conquers Countries, Challenges Our Rights, and Transforms Our World (HarperCollins) and articles in various outlets including WIRED, Foreign Affairs, TechCrunch, The Atlantic, The Washington Post, among others. Past work includes disaster relief, literary translation, media impact research, indexing, coding, theater production, and pretzel vending. Wichowski holds a Ph.D. in Information Science from SUNY Albany and a BA in Chinese from Connecticut College, completed in three years.