Nov 21, 2022
Digital connectivity has brought us enormous benefits, yet there can be little doubt that digitalization and technology has also had a deeply polarizing effect on our societies. Today’s algorithms push users to extremes, widen political divisions, and weaken our sense of common humanity. Disinformation has muddled the political debate and become a tool of foreign interference in our democratic processes. Consumers face few choices in markets dominated by technological heavyweights that continue to grow larger, where unsafe or “fake” products continue to be bought and sold online. So what do we do about it? In this SXSW Session, European Commission Executive Vice President Margrethe Vestager, who has gained a strong reputation as a global leader in democratic digital governance, discusses what the United States and Europe can do together to defend democracy and human rights in an automated world.