Net Policy Evening

Since 2015, the Net Policy Evening has been addressing currently relevant net policy topics, raising awareness of future technological and social developments and presenting them in an informative and entertaining way. The audience can contribute questions and comments and afterwards continue the discussion with the speakers in a relaxed atmosphere.

On the initiative of Spektral (https://spektral.at), epicenter.works (https://epicenter.works) and mur.at (https://mur.at), this will take place for the 3rd time in Graz as part of ELEVATE.



Talks & Speakers

Tanja Fachathaler (epicenter.works)
›› UN Cybercrime Convention

The United Nations Convention on Cybercrime is an important instrument for regulating the conduct of law enforcement authorities in the context of data sharing, law enforcement and criminalization in the digital domain (cybercrime), including in the context of international cooperation. For the past two years, 193 states have been represented in the plenary sessions of the ad hoc committee for the drafting of such a convention. The negotiations are complicated, intense and sometimes full of tension - almost like a thriller. It is in the nature of things that it is not easy to reach agreement on such far-reaching issues across cultural barriers. And geopolitics also plays a major role. But at least this time NGOs and civil society are involved in the process. This is a big step forward compared to previous negotiations, where only state representatives debated such fundamental issues.

In principle, the negotiations should have been concluded at the beginning of February. The fact that this is not the case is a small stage victory, which is also due to pressure from civil society.



Thomas Lohninger (epicenter.works)
›› Digital identity systems: What comes after ID Austria?

Digital identity systems are on the rise worldwide. While the countries of the Global South already have plenty of experience with their pitfalls and human rights implications, Europe has only recently completed its major reform of digital identity. The new EU system will replace the ID Austria and will be the basis for a variety of use cases: from age verification, doctor visits, online and offline identification, to Facebook login or the replacement of CAPTCHAs. We will discuss key security precautions that attempt to make such systems of state-certified exchange of personal data less dangerous in a world of surveillance capitalism and increasing authoritarianism, and what social consequences we face as a result.



Adele Siegl (Kompetenzzentrum Arbeit und Technik ÖGB)
›› "Reclaim the future of work! – The Open Source Way for the Labor
movement"

In view of the rapid transformation of the world of work through algorithmic management, platforms and artificial intelligence, we are facing increasing precarization, surveillance, intensification and devaluation of work. Legislation on this is slow and hotly contested. Network policy and employment policy are blurring into one another; democracy and co-determination must be defended as quickly, effectively and sustainably as possible. How can we achieve this? We know from science and IT development: Anyone who wants to create rapid leaps in development relies on open source. Coincidentally, there are also many points of overlap and common goals between the FOSS community and the workers' union movement. Is it time for a symbiosis?



Moderation
Andreas Zingerle (mur.at)

Andreas Zingerle is a media artist from Austria. He has lectured at Art and Design universities in Austria, Norway and South Korea and works together with Linda Kronman as Kairus art collective. Since 2020 he has been director of mur.at - a server farm for the creative & cultural sector in Graz, Austria. He'll guide us through the 3rd edition of Netzpolitischer Abend Graz.