Thanks for your interest in the NoC project on the “Ethics of Digitalisation: From Principles to Practice.” Here’s a quick Q&A on the project. 

What is the project about?

The two-year initiative seeks to support dialogue and action at the intersection of science, politics, digital economy, and civil society. Digitalization efforts are rapidly proliferating across sectors, prompting new and large-scale ethical challenges that arise from technological development and deployment that have important implications for rights and justice. The project will engage interdisciplinary networks of scholars and students, as well as civil society groups, policymakers, and other stakeholders in order to advance research outputs with social relevance in application-related and practice-based contexts such as content moderation, tech-assisted learning, or well-being.

Who leads this project?

The project is co-led by the Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society (HIIG), Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society (BKC), and the Digital Asia Hub (DAH). Activities will be organized in collaboration with other NoC research centers from around the globe. 

Who are the supporters of the project?

The German President is the patron of the project. During a panel discussion hosted by the Berkman Klein Center, German Federal President Dr. Frank-Walter Steinmeier described his efforts to promote a global dialogue about our responsibility for the future and how digital transformation will dramatically reshape industry, government, and society. The project builds upon this past event. Financially, the project is supported by the German Stiftung (Foundation) Mercator.

What are the activities?

The project consists of a series of research sprints, interdisciplinary clinics, workshops, and other activities in Europe, the US, and Asia. The first research sprint, focused on AI Platform Governance and Content Moderation, will take place in August 2020 at the HIIG. You can learn more about the program and format here. Each activity is hosted by one of the participating NoC Centers. Individual Centers have academic freedom and autonomy in how they shape the respective programs and other activities. 

What is a research sprint, what is an interdisciplinary clinic? 

Research sprints convene emerging scholars from different disciplines and regions for roughly 10-12 weeks at one of the co-leading Centers of the project, where participants work to produce interdisciplinary policy outputs on specific topics for social and political debate. Sprints are currently being run virtually during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Interdisciplinary clinics are three weeks long innovative, case- and problem-solving forums where scholars share ethical advice, knowledge, and training with students and focus on policy impact and implementation. Participants will work under the guidance of faculty and oftentimes in collaboration with external partners.  

I’m a student interested in this project. How can I get involved?

Several of the research sprints and interdisciplinary clinics will look for participants from different parts of the world to collaborate and learn together. While each participating Center is responsible for the recruitment of program participants, the default will be open calls for participation. You can also indicate your interest in the form below and we will share calls for participation with you. 

I’m a researcher and would like to get involved. How?

The activities - such as research sprints and interdisciplinary clinics - are organized by individual NoC Centers. If you’re interested in contributing to the program as an expert, please fill out this form which will be shared among the Centers co-organizing the project and used as a resource as they organize specific activities. We also encourage you to get in touch with the NoC Center you’re affiliated with to  discuss opportunities to contribute to the NoC generally. 

If you’re interested in joining one of the springs or clinics as a participant, please fill out the form below and we’ll share with you the call for participation once they become available, including application information. 

I’m the representative of an Internet & Society research center; how can I learn more about collaboration?

This project is an effort of the NoC. If your Center is already a member of the Network, we would be happy to compare notes and see how we can collaborate either in the context of one of the sprints or clinics that are in the planning phase and/or how we can share knowledge so that your Center could consider running a similar program. Please get in touch with contact@networkofcenters.net if you’d like to discuss these ideas further. 

If your Center is not an NoC participant yet, please check out this page and consider joining the network. 

I have suggestions and ideas I’d like to share. What’s the best way to do that?

We’d love to hear your thoughts! We’re particularly grateful for inputs on the following questions:

• Do you have a good practical use case or case study in mind that highlights some of the key ethical problems that the project seeks to explore - and that would benefit from an in-depth exploration in the context of an interdisciplinary clinic (see description above)?
• What is in your view an underexplored issue that would benefit from a research sprint (see description above) by the NoC?
• Do you have examples of policy outputs or creative policy interventions that could be produced by students (at any level) over a short period of time?

• Are you hosting events over the coming year where some of the outcomes from the sprints and clinics could be shared with policy makers and civil society?

Please submit your responses via this quick survey -- thanks!

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Announcement

We are pleased to share a new joint project by the NoC exploring ”The Ethics of Digitalisation: From Principles to Practice.” The global project launched during a kickoff event in Berlin hosted by the office of the Federal President of Germany with participation from NoC institutions from around the world, including the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society. 

Led by the Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society (HIIG), the Berkman Klein Center, and the Digital Asia Hub, and in collaboration with other NoC research centers, the project advances dialogue and action at the intersection of science, politics, digital economy, and civil society. Digitalization efforts are rapidly proliferating across sectors, prompting new and large-scale ethical challenges that arise from technological development and deployment that have important rights and justice implications. The project will engage interdisciplinary networks of scholars and students, as well as civil society groups, policymakers, and other stakeholders in order to advance research outputs with social relevance in application-related and practice-based contexts such as content moderation, tech-assisted learning, or well-being. 

Last year, during a panel discussion hosted by the Berkman Klein Center, German Federal President Dr. Frank-Walter Steinmeier described his efforts to promote a global dialogue about our responsibility for the future and how digital transformation will dramatically reshape industry, government, and society. The newly-announced project builds upon this past event, and we’re delighted that the NoC was in this context invited to support the global dialogue as a research partner based on the networks’ unique interdisciplinary expertise, geographic reach, diversity of perspectives, and established history of fostering collaboration across borders and boundaries. 

With the German President as patron and the support of Stiftung Mercator, the project will host a series of research sprints, interdisciplinary clinics, workshops, and other activities in Europe, the US, and Asia.