Humanitarianism Tech Governance

Presented by: Raphael Lemkin Genocide Prevention Program

Facilitator: Ziad Al Achkar

With the rise of digital technologies and the ability to collect large quantities of data, new digital processes and tools are deployed to tackle the most pressing challenges in society. These new tools and capabilities raise questions about regulations, ethics, standard operating procedures, transparency, privacy, ownership, and power asymmetries. As such, the genocide prevention, humanitarian, and peacebuilding space are grappling with what tech governance should look like to unlock the potential of technologies while still preserving the values and principles they champion. We are organizing this panel to further the discussion and debates about this critical issue and help move the conversation from theory to practice.

The session is scheduled for 80 minutes as part of the Carter School’s Peace Week event. About 45-50 minutes will be allocated for presentations and 30-35 minutes for discussion and questions.

Panelist & Presentations

• Ziad Al Achkar, PhD candidate Carter School

• Elana Sokol, PhD student, Carter School

• Nicole Bennett and Dr. Hamid Ekbia - Security or Vulnerability? The Optics of Data in the Refugee Crisis.

• Arushi Singh - The Contemporary Nuances and Dimensions of Data Centre Colonisation in Africa.

• Tiffany Ng - Why US Law is Indispensable for Preventing Platform-enabled Atrocities.

• David Simon - Atrocity Prevention in the Digital Era: Using norms, laws, and code to adapt to changes in the ways atrocities are committed.

*Sessions may be recorded for documentation purposes and shared on public platforms