Speaker Interview: George Katz
George Katz is an open-source investigator within the Justice & Accountability Unit at a Netherlands-based investigative journalism group Bellingcat.
🪩 DISCO:
What does digital sovereignty mean to you? How do you (try to) live a digitally sovereign life?
🎤 George Katz:
To me, digital sovereignty means that I have a right to exercise exclusive control over my own digital data and assets, free from undue external interference. So living a digitally sovereign life means that I have an effective toolkit to shield my online activities where necessary, be it by using encrypted communications, relying on open-source and decentralised platforms, or minimising my traces to prevent the exploitation of my data.
🪩 DISCO:
As we witness rapid technological breakthroughs in the field of AI, which digital rights do you consider the most endangered?
🎤 George Katz:
One of the most important rights that can be severely affected by AI is our right to privacy. This directly impacts all other rights, including our anonymity and freedom from non-consensual data harvesting, which are at the top of my list. The distribution of deepfakes can exploit our ever-growing reliance on facial recognition technologies and lead to false allegations, either unintentionally or deliberately, against individuals that can have serious legal consequences for them and impact the sustainable workings of society as a whole. Not to mention the serious reputational risks posed by AI-powered disinformation campaigns. Verification efforts are crucial in this regard.
🪩 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?
🎤 George Katz:
Multidimensional disinformation campaigns and the use of advanced spyware against independent journalists are among other threats I believe pose serious risks to digital sovereignty. To address these, education focused on digital literacy, the adoption of robust cyber laws, and, of course, international cooperation are crucial. We must ensure that all major platforms and developers are transparent and accountable for any misuse of their digital tools.
🪩 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?
🎤 George Katz:
Events like DISCO Slovenia provide an excellent platform for experts, journalists, citizens, policymakers, and tech leaders to share their perspectives, share ideas, and forge new partnerships. There is safety in numbers. Together, we can foster an international understanding of the challenges and solutions tied to digital sovereignty and civil liberties. El pueblo unido jamás será vencido!
🪩 DISCO:
What would you consider responsible and inclusive engineering? What are the key ethical considerations that should guide the development and deployment of emerging technologies to ensure digital sovereignty and safeguard human rights?
🎤 George Katz:
Technologies must prioritise the well-being and rights of all users by design. They must be built on a strong ethical foundation: transparency, data minimisation, informed consent, and the avoidance of biases in AI tools. They must serve humanity, not the other way around.
🪩 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?
🎤 George Katz:
- Be cautious about sharing any personal information, have a healthy bit of paranoia; have a good reason to share anything. Vanity is not one of those.
- Use end-to-end encrypted platforms and protocols for communications, like Signal or Session. Avoid giving control over your data to other people as much as possible.
- Regularly update the software.
- Use reliable VPNs (I personally use Mullvad).
- Learn about the advantages and limitations of privacy-focused browsers and search engines.
🪩 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?
🎤 George Katz:
"Thinking, Fast and Slow" by Daniel Kahneman.
🪩 DISCO:
Which disco tune should we definitely add to the opening party playlist?
🎤 George Katz:
For an upbeat vibe, I’d go with “Goca Dunya” by Altin Gun!