Digital Threats to Democracy Working Group

In 2020, Digital Threats to Democracy Working Group was initiated by Luminate and created in the partnership with the Aspen Institute Kyiv in the framework of the Good Governance Program.

The purpose of the Working Group is to create a discussion platform dedicated to a broader agenda of actual digital threats to democratic institutions.

The goal will be achieved through:

• systematization and generalization of international experience through discussion of selected thematic materials;
• investigation of Ukrainian experience and cases related to the field;
• increasing capacity for coollaboration and partnerships among the experts and professionals.

The Group is co-headed by: Ms. Olena Boytsun, Trustee of the Aspen Institute Kyiv, Investment Director, Central & Eastern Europe, Luminate and Mr. Sergii Rogol, Trustee of the Aspen Institute Kyiv, co-owner of the group of companies “ESTET”.

Members of Aspen Alumni community were invited to participate in the Group, the personal configuration of the Group was approved by the Aspen Institute Kyiv together with Luminate.

In 2020, seven meetings were held, with the first of them as constituent one to determine the range of issues to be discussed followed by five thematic discussions on specific issues of digital threats and a final meeting dedicated to summarizing the results and findings of the working group, participants’ reflections on potential developments in Ukraine.

Working Group Participants discussed the following topics:

• Good governance and counteracts to digital threats to democracy.
• Digital media environment and information security: looking for balance (information hygiene, dealing with disinformation).
• Institutional, legal and socio-philosophical aspects of digitalization (digital rights, identification, and personal data).
• Artificial intelligence: pro et contra of a democratic agenda (an essence of ethics problem and evolution of deep fakes).
• Ecosystem ethics of digital environment and democratic values (concepts for regulation and privacy ensuring).
• Digital aspects of good governance and the development of democracy (financial transparency and accountability, inclusion toolkit and social engagement).

The discussions plot was grounded on the contribution from Group participants and invited speakers, whose professional activities are related to the topics of discussion.

The meetings were moderated by the co-heads of the Working Group in the off-record format.

Collection of Group materials was developed and distributed among Group participants to allow deeper study of the agenda due to kind permission of authors granted also to further Aspen topical events.

Good Governance Program is supported by a grant from Luminate.