Democracy and technology in harmony – utopian dream or future reality?

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I. You. He. She. It. We. They. You. – We are all essential members of a society that not only interacts in the real world but is also devoting more and more time and effort to the digital world. Innovation cannot be halted – this is something we have known for a long time. In the digital domain, innovation is advancing at lightning speed, with new phenomena frequently astonishing us, but sometimes leaving us confused and overwhelmed as well. Can you explain, for example, what a reel is, why TikTok captivates millions of people worldwide, or how exactly ChatGPT, Web 1.0, 2.0 or 3.0, the metaverse and the fediverse work?

The fact remains: We are all integral parts of this society. We encounter it in various roles – as children, parents, CEOs, tradespeople, scientists, politicians, investors, etc. Each of us is part of society and brings different expectations, needs, fears and hopes to a world that is not just shaping our everyday lives in an analogue manner but increasingly – and at least simultaneously – in a digital way as well. 

However, for the major players in the digital domain, we are primarily one thing: valuable suppliers of data. We routinely feed our data into digital products and services that we seemingly use for free, often sharing highly personal information. How many data points (besides name, location, favourite band and singer) do you think data analysis company Cambridge Analytica¹, together with Facebook, was able to collect and analyse from millions of potential voters in the United States in 2016? 

More than 5,000 data points². Yes, 5,000 data points per person! How well do you really know yourself? Do you understand what makes you unique, what your preferences are, what you react positively or negatively to, or even at what time of day you are most vulnerable to being manipulated? We now know that Cambridge Analytica knew all of these things. 

So, all they had to do was bombard people with the news that scared them the most or enraged them the quickest – regardless of how relevant the topic actually was. Xenophobic tendencies? Pictures of migrants coming into the country! Deeply religious? News about abortion rights advocates! This tactic, known as “rage farming”, is still an excellent way to get people worked up about something. We also know now that large numbers of voters were manipulated, ultimately leading to the world witnessing a US president who was uniquely incompetent. 

Imagine if we could collect 5,000 data points per person to cure diseases or to create ­tailored education and training programmes, for example. In technological terms, Cambridge Analytica performed extraordinary feats in 2016. However, from a social, political and ethical perspective, we now realise that something like this must not happen again. The then CEO of Cambridge Analytica was later convicted and banned from acting as a company director for seven years³. Clearly, there was a lack of digital responsibility here – in a management, human and technological sense.

It’s all about trust.

Digital responsibility. Responsible leadership. Trustworthy digital products and services. Trust. These are the things that keep me awake at night. To ensure that the digital transformation is responsible, we need to establish a socially sustainable vision, provide orientation, set boundaries, and create the necessary framework. All of these things have been on my mind since spending several months in Silicon Valley to fuel my passion for innovation and technology. The place where no digital transformation is taking place, since digital living and working were actually invented and continue to be invented there. The place where economic success comes first. 

Success here means generating huge profits, inventing apps that are adopted by as many people as possible in the shortest possible time, and accumulating millions – often for just a few individuals and, sadly, at the expense of many others. It also comes at the expense of a more meaningful digital transformation, one that holds much greater potential to serve the sustainable development of humankind. This alternative digital transformation, based on responsibility and trust, is still possible.

How can we make the digital world more trustworthy? How can we design digital products and services responsibly and, based on European values, assume a new leadership role in the global market? These are questions I have been addressing for several years now. I am incredibly grateful that I have met many fascinating, visionary and kind individuals and organisations along the way to founding Identity Valley in 2020, all of whom are still actively involved in paving the way to a better future.

Identity Valley demands and promotes digital responsibility. As a non-profit organisation, it appeals to thought leaders in science, politics and industry to create a value-based future for the digital world through networking, lobbying and communication. Identity Valley advocates for data economy that is founded on trust, privacy and individual identity, all rooted in Europe’s humanist tradition.

Orientation framework for a sustainable digital economy

The Digital Responsibility Goals (DRGs) provide various stakeholder groups and decision-makers from business, science, the regulatory landscape and civil society with the opportunity to form a common agenda and plan a joint approach to dealing with digitalisation. Similar to how the UN Sustainability Goals have mobilised the international community to act and provided an agenda for using the planet’s resources more sustainably, the Digital Responsibility Goals aim to promote digital technologies on the basis of democratic rights and values. 

Development of the Digital Responsibility Goals was initiated in a consortium consisting of academics, NGOs and industry experts and is being continuously advanced through a multi-stakeholder approach. The DRGs propose specific measures for seven areas, so that the digital economy can be designed in a way that aligns with values, is ethically sensitive, and prioritises both humanity and the planet.

2023 – a turning point?

2023 feels like a turning point to us. We can sense the momentum and are excited to be actively involved in driving a movement and creating added value. For us. For our society. For our future. For our children and grandchildren. Rethinking life. Today. For tomorrow and the day after. Because we are the ones who must take on and bear the responsibility. We can’t just turn round later and say: “We didn’t know that.“ We know that things aren’t right as they are. We know that our democracy and our peace are at risk. And that is why we must act. Now.

Being successful means taking responsibility. Recognising and embracing the challenges and opportunities at the interface of democracy and technology and engaging in debate on issues such as migration, education, religion and climate change is crucial for all areas of our work.

How can we preserve the space for democracy in a digital world that is increasingly affecting our daily lives? How can we avoid the risks that artificial intelligence and digital technology pose to human dignity and social justice? How can we break down digital barriers in the interest of the most vulnerable and make our communities stronger? How does the digital world affect our ability to respond on an individual and collective level? In what form is technology good for people and democracy? How can we prevent information and energy from becoming another weapon?

With our global movement based on the Digital Responsibility Goals, we are contributing to creating a more trustworthy, human-centric and democratic digital world where the top priorities are the users of technology and their values. 

Even a small organisation can achieve great things if it has a clear mission. Trust and responsibility are the drivers of a digital transformation that benefits everyone. It’s all about trust. It’s all about trust.