Global Digital Policy Incubator

Global Digital Policy Incubator

Enhancing Freedom, Security & Trust in the Global Digital Ecosystem

Featured Policy Proposals

Technology Policy Priorities for the New Administration: Rally the world around a democratic vision of digital society

The incoming Biden-Harris administration will face many urgent and competing priorities as it seeks to signal a distinct shift from the Trump presidency. In the technology policy realm alone, there are many challenges to confront. Chief among them is the urgent need to solidify international support for a values-based vision of “the internet” and a compelling democratic approach to governance of digital society.

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A Rights Respecting Digital Policy Agenda for the New Administration

In the months leading up to the U.S. presidential election, the Global Digital Policy Incubator undertook a discovery project to illuminate potential opportunities in the new administration to advance a rights-respecting digital policy agenda. This project was motivated principally by awareness that the rights community is often underrepresented within formal government planning processes.

A Transatlantic Effort to Take on China Starts with Technology

Technology is the epicenter of geopolitics. To keep their competitive edge, democracies must develop a shared strategic approach that reflects values of openness, drives innovation, and establishes a framework for digital governance. The transatlantic alliance should be the driver of such a 21st-century democratic digital agenda. Read “A Transatlantic Effort to Take on China Starts with Technology,” a joint paper by Alina Polyakova and Ambassador Eileen Donahoe.

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State of the World 2021 Conference: Struggle for Democracy

State of the World Virtual Conference Screenshot

Larry Diamond on Challenges at Home: Polarization and Forces Pulling Us Apart

Eileen Donahoe on Social Media and Disinformation

A Transatlantic Effort to Take on China Starts with Technology

Politico’s Ryan Heath moderates a conversation between Eileen Donahoe, GDPi Executive Director, and Alina Polyakova, CEPA President and CEO, on the new era of emerging technology and geostrategic competition.

Watch the Conversation

The Social Media Dilemma - who is in control and who is to blame?

The Alliance of Democracies Foundation and the US Embassy in Copenhagen partnered to host the #DefendDemocracy virtual series discussion.

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Research and Publications

Heal the Transatlantic Technology Policy Rift to Combat China's Digital Authoritarian Model

Eileen Donahoe, Executive Director of the Global Digital Policy Incubator (GDPi), and Alina Polyakova, President and CEO of the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA), make the case for a Transatlantic effort and call on EU partners to resist the impulse to digital sovereignty.

National AI Strategies and Human Rights: A Review

Global Partners Digital and Stanford’s Global Digital Policy Incubator have published a report examining governments’ National AI Strategies from a human rights perspective. The report looks at existing strategies adopted by governments and regional organizations since 2017.

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Conference Report: Social Media Councils, from Concept to Reality

Stanford’s Global Digital Policy Incubator (GDPi), ARTICLE 19, and David Kaye, UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Freedom of Opinion and Expression, convened an international working meeting in early 2019 to discuss the creation of multistakeholder social media councils (SMCs).

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Internet platforms should exercise their own free expression to protect democracy

Should internet companies have the power, or even the responsibility, to prohibit or demote political disinformation to protect the integrity of our elections?

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The Rights and Responsibilities of Internet Platforms

What does it mean when private-sector platforms commit themselves to protect free expression? Whose speech interests are they protecting?

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The COVID-19 Test of Democratic Governance

How has COVID-19 seeded new doubts about the efficacy of democratic, human rights-based governance and provided authoritarians with an opportunity to challenge this model in the global arena?

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GDPI INITIATIVES

GLOBAL DIGITAL POLICY SNAPSHOT

Explore GPDi’s new policy snapshot examining opportunities for policymakers to incorporate human rights principles into National AI Strategies. This is part of a new series of policy explainers providing human rights analysis of important digital policy issues.

GLOBAL DIGITAL RIGHTS DIGEST

Every two weeks, our team at GDPi will provide you with an overview of some of the key recent developments in the digital policy and human rights space, plus context and analysis to help you better understand the events of the day.

The Rise of Digital Authoritarianism Conference: China, AI and Human Rights

The Rise of Digital Authoritarianism Conference Banner Announcement

Fall 2020 - Stanford University’s Global Digital Policy Incubator, the Hoover Institution, the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence, and the Human Rights Foundation jointly produced a four-day conference to understand the following questions: the extent to which artificial intelligence (AI) is used inside China today; how the Chinese government and big tech are shaping the global market; how surveillance technology is exported around the world; and what can be done to meet this rising challenge; and ultimately, what are the ethical responsibilities inherent in developing these technologies? View the conference program and watch the video recordings below.

VIEW THE PROGRAM AGENDA

CONFERENCE VIDEOS

The Rise of Digital Authoritarianism: Opening Remarks by Condoleezza Rice

Day 1 | How AI is Powering China’s Domestic Surveillance State - September 29, 2020

Day 2 | The Ethics of Doing Business with China and Chinese Companies - October 1, 2020

Day 3 | China as an Emerging AI Global Superpower - October 6, 2020

Day 4 | How Democracies Should Respond to China’s Emergence as an AI Superpower - October 9, 2020

The Rise of Digital Authoritarianism: Fei-Fei Li Keynote & Closing Remarks

GDPI: What we do

Identify and incubate high potential digital policies and technologies.

Generate implementation & advocacy strategies for security & rights enhancing governance.

Convene global multi-stakeholder thought leaders & governance actors.

Digital Freedom:

Universal Human Rights & Democratic Values in Global Digital Society

https://thehill.com/opinion/technology/511943-internet-platforms-should-exercise…

Digital Security:

Citizen Security, National Security & International Security in Digitized Society

https://www.cigionline.org/publications/getting-beyond-norms-new-approaches-inte…

Algorithmic Governance:

Artificial Intelligence & Democratic Governance

https://www.journalofdemocracy.org/articles/artificial-intelligence-and-human-ri…

Global Internet Governance:

Developing Transnational Norms & Processes

https://www.justsecurity.org/30046/software-eaten-world-human-rights-security-go…

"The timely launch of the Global and Digital Policy Incubator could not be at a better time or place." - Secretary Hillary Clinton

GDPi Launch Conference Report

Three Panels, Seventeen Panelists, over six hundred participants, and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Read about the conference that Launched the Global Digital Policy Incubator on October 6, 2017.

Read the Report Summary and Download the Full Report

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