Block 1 – Big Tech and the resilience of the democratic rule of law

4:30 PM to 6:00 PM

In recent years, it has become clear that the rise of large technology companies – often referred to as Big Tech – does not leave the rule of law unaffected. While technological innovation driven by Big Tech was initially seen as a source of progress and economic growth, the attention to its societal downsides is increasing.

Speakers:

Marietje Schaake

In her book The Tech Coup, Marietje Schaake describes how public institutions have been weakened in relation to large tech companies. She shows the impact of Big Techs power on democracy and provides tools to strengthen democracy.

Reijer Passchier

The fact that Big Tech companies pose a threat to the democratic rule of law is also noted by Reijer Passchier in his book The Curse of Big Tech. Europe is largely dependent on Big Tech for obtaining hardware, software, and services, and it is becoming increasingly difficult for states and supranational authorities to hold large tech companies accountable to regulations. These companies not only have the power to evade states or play them against each other but also to restrict or deny access to digital infrastructure and services. In this way, a few large tech companies are playing an increasingly larger role in the international legal order.

Marleen Stikker

The question is how we can regain our digital sovereignty. In her book The Internet is Broken (But We Can Fix It), Marleen Stikker describes the history of the internet, how we have lost our public values, and what we can do about it. She explores safe alternatives, such as the public stack; an alternative internet infrastructure developed from public values.

Block 2 – Digital interference and the democratic rule of law

6:00 PM to 7:00 PM

In the second block, the impact of digital interference on the democratic rule of law will be explored.

Speakers:

Marije Arentze

Digital technologies, and in particular artificial intelligence (AI), can be deliberately used to undermine democratic processes. For example, generative AI is used for the large-scale dissemination of disinformation (including deepfakes), with the aim of undermining trust in government, influencing elections, or exacerbating societal divisions. Moreover, targeted micro-targeting of citizens via social media leads to the formation of filter bubbles, in which citizens primarily see messages that align with existing beliefs. This hinders nuanced public debate and poses a threat to the functioning of the democratic rule of law.

Marije Arentze is an expert in the field of disinformation. She is also an Eastern European specialist. She reflects in her introduction on the complex reality of disinformation.

Inge Bryan

Malicious actors are using AI to carry out cyberattacks that can disrupt both public institutions and private organizations. In a recently published report, the AIVD, MIVD, and NCTV state that AI strengthens existing threats to national security. Europol also points to the risk that organized crime is using AI to massively scale up cybercrime activities, while at the same time the complexity of detection and prosecution increases because it is not easy to trace who is responsible.

Inge Bryan is a cybersecurity expert. She will reflect in her introduction on cybersecurity within the Netherlands.

The expert meeting will be held on Monday, May 26, from 4:30 PM to 7:00 PM in the plenary hall of the Eerste Kamer. You can take a seat in the public gallery, but you can also watch live via this link.

The Committee for Digitalization aims to assess (legislative) proposals with a digitalization component for legality, feasibility, and enforceability. Additionally, it has a significant focus on safeguarding public values and fundamental rights in the deployment and development of new information technology in society and government.