NGI ENGINEROOM

Internet
& Data Sovereignty

The Cambridge Analytica revelations have made it abundantly clear how little control we have as consumers over our own personal data, and the way the internet operates more generally. Building solutions and new models that allow citizens to understand the increasingly more complex processes behind dominant internet applications should therefore be a key component of a more democratic NGI. Experimentation with encrypted data boxes and data commons, as well as fostering more citizen involvement in, for example, internet governance processes and technology development would need to be a part of this, as would moving production of these technologies back into Europe.

A Safe, Accessible
& Diverse Internet

Before we can talk about building a next generation internet, we need to ensure that all Europeans can have access to the current generation of the internet - that means investing in infrastructure, multilingual and accessible tools (targeting for example less tech savvy or lesser-abled users), but also creating a safe environment for all (particularly as online harassment and hostility particularly affect more vulnerable groups). Increasing diversity in who gets to build and use the internet is important if we want to ensure we don’t perpetuate existing inequalities also in the digital economy, but also helps stimulate innovation, as diverse teams tend to be more creative.

Online Identities & Trust

If Europe were able to build a trustworthy and secure system for managing online identities, offering an e-ID to every European citizen (not unlike the incredibly successful Estonian model), the continent would be able to take a massive leap ahead in strengthening e-commerce and other relationship-based online interactions. Effective identity management wouldn’t only increase trust on the internet (who am I really talking to? Can I trust the online service?) and so bolster the European digital economy, but would also help us build more personal online relationships. The currently dominant rate-and-review system places a lot of power in the hands of the reviewer (a single low score on ride sharing app can seriously damage a driver’s ability to attract new customers), e-identity systems could make these interactions more positive and equal.

Cybersecurity and Resilience

Ethical AI & ML

As discussions about the potential transformative impact of AI and Machine Learning have come to dominate public debate in recent years, so have concerns about the potential negative side-effects of allowing these kinds of technologies to play an ever-larger role in decision-making and the governing of our societies.

The development of ethical AI and ML tools doesn’t only involve the use of responsibly managed data (make sure we have a representative sample, privacy and anonymity is ensured) and algorithms that don’t further existing societal biases (around gender and ethnicity, for example), but also that the tools themselves are used for purposes we consider ethically just. Ensuring we have solutions that are fair and inclusive along the value chain (from data generation to the impact of the decisions being made or tasks replaced).

Trustworthy Online Media and Information Ecosystems

The proliferation of “fake news” and the weaponisation of information is a key challenge for the internet today, threatening the fundaments of our democracies and even societies. Ensuring access to trustworthy information, and preventing the deliberate manipulation of information flows without resorting to censorship and hampering of freedom of speech remains an unsolved challenge however. Under this topic, we would explore potential solutions for specific issues such as fake news bots and preventing filter bubbles, but also take a wider view in trying to strengthen (social) media ecosystems and exploring alternative sustainable business models for quality news and information provision.

The Right to Opt out & Self-Govern

With the internet becoming ever more pervasive in our lives and societies, shaping our jobs, our cities, our interactions with the government and so forth, it has become harder and harder for individuals to shape our relationships with, or opt out of “the internet” altogether. With the rise of the smart city, and the millions of connected IoT-devices that will underpin it tracking our every move, how do we ensure citizens can meaningfully consent to what happens with the data they generate, and retain their privacy? With everything from our smart vacuums to credit card companies collecting and selling our data to the highest bidder (through very opaque processes), we need new solutions that help citizens give informed consent, as well as the ability to completely opt out of being part of, for example, data sharing systems, while still being able to use key services.

Decentralising
Power

Most of the issues the internet faces today are a direct consequence of the increased monopolization of the internet, and the business models that sustain this dynamic- and when not, at the very least are more complicated to address because so few actors have the power to do so.

We urgently require new business models that can provide an alternative to the reigning advertising-supported model, and can sustain a more pluralistic and healthy digital economy. Alternative models, such as platform cooperativism or blockchain-enabled micropayments systems can help empower smaller players, help level the playing field and offer better protections to consumers and digital workers. We need to support initiatives and SMEs that operate under these alternative models, through policy (protecting net neutrality, designing next generation competition and antitrust policy) and funding support.

A Sustainable
Internet

One key challenge for the internet moving forward is ensuring that the hardware and infrastructures underpinning it are sustainable and can meaningfully contribute to building a more circular economy. The challenges around the internet’s environmental footprint are myriad: from the extraordinary amount of energy used by data centres and emerging technologies like blockchain, to the costly mining processes behind the materials making our tech devices function. Though there is a growing recognition of these issues, we do not yet see enough solutions- this is we think a space where Europe can start to play an important front-runner role.