The European Dialogue on Internet Governance (EuroDIG) was launched in Strasbourg, France, on Monday 12 May. Under the motto "Safeguarding human rights by balancing regulation and innovation", more than 700 representatives from politics, business, civil society, science and technology will discuss current internet developments in a hybrid process until Wednesday 14 May. The event is hosted by the Council of Europe in cooperation with the Luxembourg Presidency. This is the 18th edition of the EuroDIG.
At the opening event in the plenary hall of the Council of Europe, Alain Berset, Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Elisabeth Margue, Minister of Justice of Luxembourg, and Michael Falzon, Minister for Social Affairs and Children's Rights of Malta, agreed that regulation is necessary to ensure that all innovations and services serve people and their rights in the long term. Human rights and the implementation of the rule of law are fundamental to building trust. This trust will also have to be guaranteed in Web 4.0 and through applications of artifical intelligence.
Concerns about over-regulation of applications and services are unjustified, according to Michael O'Flaherty, Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe. Citizens expect states to ensure their security. Those services that are committed to security are more likely to be trusted by users and therefore have a competitive advantage in the long term. Smart regulation could also foster innovation and development. To this end, it seems useful to define desired and undesired effects. To this end, it seems useful to define desired and undesired effects. Responding to a question from the audience, Miapetra Kumpula-Natri, Vice-President of the Parliamentary Association of the Council of Europe, said that even technologies and applications that do not exist or are not foreseeable today could be shaped by legislation
Today, users of the digital environment are often confronted with negative impacts and risks, such as misinformation and false news, or (sexualised) violence and exploitation. Vulnerable groups such as children, women and people from immigrant backgrounds are particularly affected. Sandra Hoferichter, Secretary General of EuroDIG, stressed that protecting these groups and ensuring that the digital environment remains inclusive, transparent and respectful of regional realities, cultures and languages is an outcome that can be achieved through national and regional internet regulation initiatives involving all stakeholders.
These perspectives were also supported by the youth representatives. In the intergenerational dialogue, they called for smart regulation. In their view, artificial intelligence must be practicable, understandable and responsible. This should be verified through a process of impact monitoring. Separately, it is also necessary to make digital literacy compulsory in the education system and to enable and encourage everyone to use digital services and applications.