Panel: Internet Governance Forum, Berlin

During the 14th IGF in Berlin, I was invited to join a panel on “Unpacking Digital Trade”. And while my knowledge on trade negotiations is pretty limited, it was certainly interesting, and both surprisingly valuable and surprisingly shocking, to learn how many of the established channels for multistakeholder engagement are yet again pushed aside to move government-dominated conversations into archaic, difficult to reach fora (WTO et.al.) — and also how many of the lessons learned throughout my professional life were helpful in this context, too.

You can watch the recording on Youtube (my intervention starts around 54min).

In addition, I very much enjoyed seeing so many of my Mozilla colleagues in action and demanding better of the internet in the IGF village at our booth.

November 29, 2019 0

Op-ed: Internet addiction isn’t the problem, it’s the symptom

If we want technology that values well-being over engagement, we need to rebuild trust between users and tech companies.

Read the full piece on DW Akademie.

April 11, 2019 0

Podcast Interview: TonspurN

Auf der Bits&Bäume Konferenz in Berlin im November 2018 hatte ich die Gelegenheit mit Roman Mesicek vom TonspurN Podcast über “Die erneuerbaren Energien der Digitalbewegung” zu sprechen. Das war ein wirklich unterhaltsames und angenehmes Interview, in dem wir über die Gemeinsamkeiten und Unterschiede von Umwelt- und Digitalbewegung, die Komplexität des digitalen Ökosystems, die Herausforderungen und Ideen, mit denen sich Mozilla beschäftigt und vieles mehr gesprochen haben.

Meine persönliche Hörempfehlung ist nicht nur Folge 63, der Podcast hat noch viele weitere spannende Gesprächspartner rund um die Themen Nachhaltigkeit und Digitalisierung. Hört rein!

February 4, 2019 0

Workshop: Transmediale, Berlin

“Thinking/Acting in Alliance: First Steps Towards a Digital Climate Agreement“, that was the title of an interesting unconference-style workshop at Transmediale, in which I was invited by iMAL to participate as a facilitator and moderator for the “freedom of speech” part of this debate.

It was an intense, but fun ride with plenty of ideas that will be further elaborated in workshops across different cities over the next few month.

And to avoid confusion: This wasn’t about using digital technologies as a tool to fight global warming, but about creating an alliance working to protect the digital environment with the same urgency as climate change.

February 2, 2019 0

Panel: Internet Governance Forum, Paris

On November 12, I was joined by Ephraim Kenyanito, Shashank Mohan, and Solana Larsen at the UNESCO Headquarters in Paris to talk about whether it has become a luxury to disconnect during the 2018 Internet Governance Forum. It was a fantastic, insightful panel, one with plenty of personal stories sharing our individual passions to protect privacy in the digital age. This is also why the featured image focuses on fun, rather than the seriousness of the UN setup.

November 12, 2018 0

Interview: Mozilla Berlin

Berlin is a mad city. Germany’s capital is pockmarked with tattoos, scars, and statues to its paradoxical past. A city notorious for its history, where invasive surveillance and the urge for freedom clasped hands during a shift change at the border control between East and West. Today the world pulls up a chair to relish the scenes of its daunting past. Berlin is both memorial and haven.

Berlin is also a feeling, and a unique one for those whose roots lie here. Cathleen Berger, Lead, Engagement with Global Internet Fora at Mozilla, is one of them. The world is her well-traveled home, but Berlin has never lost its gravity for her. “If you grow up in a divided city, it doesn’t take much to realize how important privacy is. If you know what permanent surveillance does to people and how it changes their behavior.”

Interview by Anja Fordon. Read the full piece here [EN on Mozilla Berlin].

October 16, 2017 0