Politics

How does consensus work in the internet era? How do citizen’s movements develop, ones that are committed to internet freedom, environmental protection and open data? What will we be going out onto the streets to demonstrate for next and why? What social and legislative processes need to be set into motion now to regulate emerging technologies?

Not down from the pulpit, but with an array of voices and a 360-degree view onto the challenges and events going on around the world, re:publica has long been focusing on communicating about digitisation’s effects on the segmentation of society/societies, life plans and shifting political dynamics.

We want to challenge discourses on domination and dangerous superficial knowledge, talk about Twitter diplomacy and identity politics and hear about new social movements. We want to fight for civil rights and civil liberties and stand up for the idea that the right of participation and (digital) infrastructure cannot just be eliminated at will. Whose knowledge and whose needs are being heard? How can we stop climate change and how do we oppose digital capitalism?

One of the things this track is about is the right to data self-determination and information, e-privacy and net neutrality. We will take up the topics of community networks, the effects of AI, digital civil disobedience and new models of governance, and will work with you to dissect quite a few more of the interfaces of politics, society and technology.

We invite activists of all stripes as well as experts from civil society to join us in getting to the bottom of these issues.