02: Digital transformation: Opportunities, risks, sustainability and resilience

Societies in the 21st century are changing at breath-taking speed. Digital technologies are performing an increasing number of tasks in the economy, in politics, and in the private sphere. Data is everywhere and has become the lifeblood of our digitised world. Therefore, IT security is of paramount importance. The effort to make our IT infrastructures secure and resilient enough to resist outside attacks, and the desire of states to keep their areas of influence ‘secure’ and ‘safe’, have lead to the desire to read and analyse traffic and data wherever it can be tracked. Tensions abound between the demands of security, safety, privacy, liberty and technical feasibility.
At the same time, digitalisation holds huge potential for the pursuit of autonomy, freedom and a more sustainable society, making new solutions for old problems possible. Old-fashioned approaches to public safety and security appear to be outdated and no longer convincing.

This seminar will explore the diverging requirements of security, privacy, freedom and control, discussing the resilience of core societal values and mechanisms against digital disruption as well as potentials and scenarios for a more sustainable society. Input will come from different perspectives, including computer science, law, philosophy and the social sciences and further disciplines and points of view.