Day 1

Saturday, November 4, 2017, 9.30am - 6pm 

Venue: Friends House, Euston, London. NW1 2BJ

Day 1 will include talks from a range of experts on digital threats that we face and how we can challenge them. Confirmed so far:

9.30am: Introduction by ORG Executive Director, Jim Killock

9.40 am: Killer robots
Drones that can fire pepperballs or Tazers at suspects. Robots armed with explosives to kill criminals. Driverless cars patrolling our neighbourhoods. All of these innovations exist and are being used by police forces around the world. Professor Noel Sharkey of Robot Wars fame will talk about the growth of the 'killer robot' industry and what needs to happen in order to prevent it from changing policing and democracy.

10. 15 am: What's your porn identity?
The Digital Economy Act means that porn websites will need to verify the age of their UK users. What will this mean for our privacy, free speech and sexual freedom? Journalist Wendy Grossman will chair a discussion between ORG's Legal Director Myles Jackman and feminist porn producer Pandora/Blake on the impact of these plans, particularly on the LGBT community in the UK.

10.50am: Is the law the best way to fight mass surveillance? 
Last year, the UK passed the Investigatory Powers Act, which put the surveillance practices revealed by Snowden - and more - into statute. But while the political response to mass surveillance has been disappointing, a number of legal actions are forcing the state to be more transparent and accountable. Ailidh Callander, Legal Officer at Privacy International, will talk about how civil society has come together to challenge mass surveillance through the courts and highlight the most important legal actions that have been brought since the Snowden revelations.

11.20am: BREAK

11.30am: What about the rights of the next generation?
Why should our children have their rights taken away from them just because they were born in the digital age? Rick Falkvinge, Head of Privacy at London Trust Media says we need to demand that the next generation get the same privacy rights that their parents and grandparents enjoyed.

11.50am: Dystopia: Is life imitating Art? 
TV writer, actor and director Graham Linehan in conversation with journalist Helen Lewis. Driverless cars, AI, supercomputers, hoverboards. The dreams of 20th century sci-fi are becoming a reality. Along with this unprecedented innovation, we are also seeing unprecedented intrusion by states and governments. Are we building a utopian dream or a dystopian nightmare? 

12.35pm: Stories from the Future of Democracy
Audrey Tang, hacker turned Digital Minister will share stories of the dramatic transformations underway to upgrade internet democracy in Taiwan. Civic hackers are supporting activists, voters and political leaders with a constantly refined set of online tools that allows them to share information, mobilize and participate in decision-making.

1pm: LUNCH

2pm: Is the internet supporting the most marginalised or the most powerful? The Web Foundation's Nanjira Sambuli looks at how the Internet has transformed democracy, whether the online world is perpetuating existing power structures, and the ways it can empower marginalised communities. She will consider the impact of 'fake news' on elections and highlight the way social media has brought media attention to atrocities in Kenya when the government and mainstream press are otherwise silent.

2.40pm:  Can online campaigns make real-world change?
Tracy King in conversation with Caroline Criado-Perez, whose achievements include getting a woman of merit on British banknotes in a campaign which has been replicated worldwide, and the campaign to build the first statue of a woman in Parliament Square. They will consider how the internet is transforming the voice of the campaigner and giving women and marginalised voices the tools to take back public space.

3.15pm: Are we at a tipping point for online abuse? 
From rape threats and revenge porn to racist, transphobic and homophobic abuse, hate speech has become an established part of online discourse. What is the impact on political debate and society, particularly for those groups who are disproportionately affected by abuse? The CPS recently announced that they will crack down on online hate speech and politicians are calling on tech companies to do more - but will these approaches work? How do we tackle online abuse while protecting our right to speak freely? ORG Board member Maria Farrell will chair a panel discussion with Nighat Dad, Executive Director of Digital Rights Foundation who has helped women in Pakistan to protect themselves from online abuse and revenge porn and Azmina Dhrodia, a researcher from Amnesty International who is investigating the human rights implications of online violence and abuse against women on social media platforms.

4.05pm: BREAK

4.20pm: Can we stop online extremism?
How do we stop extremists from sharing propaganda online? Writer and Director at Demos Jamie Bartlett will talk about how different radical movements - from ISIS to hardline libertarians - use the Internet; and why he believes attempts to censor so called 'extreme content' is both morally wrong and counter-productive.

4.50pm: The Digital Brexit
What does Brexit mean for digital rights? Mike Butcher, Editor-at-large for TechCrunch, and Dr Paul Bernal, Senior Lecturer at UEA, will get their teeth into Britain's new place in the world, exploring what sort of challenges and opportunities leaving Europe might have on the digital rights landscape in the UK.

5.50pm:  Close