Through the internet, it seems like we can see everything about almost anything. But what are we not seeing? What if a country is cut off from the internet? What if you’re kidnapped and your phone is taken away? This primarily happens to people living in extreme poverty without connectivity, those in war zones, refugees seeking safety, and activists standing up for human rights who are silenced. Even AI can’t find them because, in the digital world, they don’t exist.

And this is how a digital black hole forms. If we can’t see it, know nothing about it, and can’t hear what’s happening in these black holes, then sympathy and solidarity are impossible. These people become increasingly isolated and cut off from the rest of the world.

That’s why we must learn more about it! We need to ask ourselves: can we recognize digital black holes? What causes these digital black holes? And what can we do to counter them?

This session will be in English

When: 11h00
Where: Bol zaal
Speaker: Mirjam van Reisen