Speaker Interview: Domen Savič

Domen is the Director of digital rights at NGO Citizen D and a freelance journalist. He is exploring the interconnected world of human rights and digital technologies. He will be presenting on the second day of the conference.

🪩 DISCO:

What does digital sovereignty mean to you? How do you (try to) live a digitally sovereign life?

🎤 Domen Savič:

Since digital sovereignty refers to the nation states, my focus regarding this phenomenon is engaging with the state and demanding responsible and effective regulatory measures regarding the big digital intermediaries and other groups in this field.

🪩 DISCO:

As we witness rapid technological breakthroughs in the field of AI, which digital rights do you consider the most endangered?

🎤 Domen Savič:

Apart from the already lost right to privacy, we are now in my opinion getting dangerously close to losing freedom of information, freedom of expression and ultimately freedom from slavery. This might sound harsh but looking at the current developments in the field of worker's rights and the shifting power dynamic in the area of exchange of information... We are slowly but surely getting there.

🪩 DISCO:

What other threats to digital rights are you worried about? Do you have any insights on how we can address them as a society?

🎤 Domen Savič:

We have to put more emphasis on the political aspect of technologies, since right now the general perception and media framing still relies heavily on the lie that technology is inherently neutral and is here for the good of mankind. Reframing this debate and putting more pressure on local and global decision-makers to act for the benefit of human rights is one step in the right direction we can take today.

🪩 DISCO:

How can events such as DISCO Slovenia 2023 help foster international collaborations and partnerships in promoting digital sovereignty and protecting civil liberties in the interconnected world?

🎤 Domen Savič:

Putting questions of political impact of technologies on the agenda, increasing the visibility of issues that already exist in this field and re-focusing the debate from techno-deterministic solutionism to social decision-making.

🪩 DISCO:

Can litigation improve our digital rights and make tech companies more accountable? Can you think of any inspiring examples of “the power of law” in the context of digital rights?

🎤 Domen Savič:

It cannot. As we can see from multiple examples the cost of litigation is already the cost of doing business for almost every big digital intermediary. In my opinion, we do not have a single inspiring case, but rather a vast shell-shocked digital environment where the power of law is nothing more than a pipe dream.

🪩 DISCO:

What advice would you give to individuals on how to responsibly navigate the online environment in regard to their privacy and digital rights? Are there any specific tools that you would recommend?

🎤 Domen Savič:

I would advise people not to focus their attention on tools, but rather demand political responsibility and effective regulatory frameworks in this field that have to work in practice. To pay attention and test legal protections in the field and be vocal about their ineffectiveness.

🪩 DISCO:

Can you recommend a book that we should all read before the conference, a podcast that we should subscribe to and/or a website that we should bookmark?

🎤 Domen Savič:

I recommend everyone reads Data Cartels: The Companies That Control and Monopolize Our Information by Sarah Lamdan and listens to Citizen D podcast.

🪩 DISCO:

Which disco tune should we definitely add to the opening party playlist?

🎤 Domen Savič:

Heart of Glass by Blondie.