CPDP 2019: Democracy distrupted?
11/03/2019
In the election year for the European Parliament a debate is needed on the interplay between data protection, media and electoral rules, and on how regulators should act to ensure fair electoral processes in the digital age. A panel discussion held at the CPDP Data protection and Democracy 2019
Respect for people’s privacy and personal data is one of the essential freedoms underpinning a modern and vibrant demos. A handful of private companies, with their unaccountable practices, have colonised the civic space. The ensuing subversion of trust and public discourse has led to speculation about how the democratic foundations of our society could be at risk.
Solutions to these problems are not easy, but enforcement of data protection rules is a key, in particular to safeguard fair and free elections in the digital era. A debate on the role of regulators is needed in the election year for the European Parliament.
• How can democratic discourse survive in an age of ‘pseudo-public’ digital space?
• What is the interplay between data protection, media and electoral rules and how should regulators coordinate enforcement?
• What role for antitrust in disciplining dominant platforms and preventing further concentration of informational power
• What in practical terms is needed to bolster the integrity of the EP elections in 2019?
The panel has been organised within CPDP 2019 , 30 January - 1 February 2019, Brussels
Chair: Elizabeth Denham, Information Commissioner at the UK Information Commissioner's Office
Moderator: Christian O'Cunha, European Data Protection Supervisor
Speakers:
Jason Kint, CEO at Digital Content Next
Martin Moore, Director of Centre for the Study of Media, Communication and Power
Lisa-Maria Neudert, Researcher at Oxford Internet Institute
Louise Edwards, The Electoral Commission, UK
