Program/Schedule

Democracy in the Age of Data

Diverse Conversations & Perspectives on Past, Present, & Future

October 26th, 2018

Overview

With recent concerns about cyber security, the influence of social media, and fake news, people are increasingly concerned about the potential effects of the internet on our democracy. Ballots & Bots brings together specialists in technology, social scientists, and political players in a one-day conference that is open to the public. Please join us for one or all of the five sessions that will run throughout the day from 9am to 5pm.

Refreshments will be provided, so please RSVP to help us plan enough for all.

9:30 - 11am

The PAST - Lessons from the Cold War

To better grasp the impact of modern technology on democracy today, we need to look back at lessons of the past, and to this end we are hosting a morning panel presentation and discussion on lessons learned from Western radio broadcasts during the Cold War, and lessons learned for the New Cold War.

Our panelists will be:

A. Ross Johnson, Former Director, Radio Free Europe, History and Public Policy Program Fellow, Wilson Center

Gene Parta, Retired Director of Audience and Opinion Research, RFE/RL; Chair, Conference on International Broadcasting Audience Research

Jane Leftwich Curry, Professor of Political Science, Santa Clara University, Moderator

11am-noon, and noon-1pm

The PRESENT - Featured Talks on Russian Hacking & the Arab Spring

At 11am, Ahmed Said will talk about the critical role social media played in the Arab Spring and recent Egyptian politics. He was one of the IT leaders in Egypt and also was a participant in the Arab Spring, parliamentary deputy, and leader of the reformist party that grew out of the success of the protests.

At noon, our featured speaker will be Russia expert, Donald Jensen, who will look at the recent Russian hacking and other attempts to impact democratic politics in America and Europe.

2-4 PM

The FUTURE - Securing Our Democracies in a Digital World

This panel presentation will be a discussion on cyber security and society from diverse perspectives, featuring technology experts in foundational cyber security issues, critical systems, and cutting-edge research at the intersection of security and AI, as well as a leading editor to talk about freedom of the press and The Trust Project.

Our panelists will be:

Aleatha Parker-Wood, Sr. Principal Research Engineer/Manager, Center for Advanced Machine Learning @ Symantec

Thomas M. Kroeger, Systems and Security Research, Sandia National Laboratories

Yonatan Zunger, Distinguished Engineer & Data Protection Officer, humu; former Distinguished Engineer, Google

Neil Chase, Executive Editor, The Mercury News and East Bay Times

4-5pm

Closing Address and Reflection – Toomas Hendrik Ilves

The closing address of the conference will be a reflection by Toomas Hendrik Ilves who was President of Estonia (2006-2016), the first country to have an e-government. Former President Ilves is a member of the Council on CyberSecurity Advisory Board; Berggruen Fellow, Center for Advanced Studies in the Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University; Distinguished Visiting Fellow, Hoover Institution, Stanford University; and Adjunct Scholar, Global Digital Policy Initiative, Center for Democracy, Development and Rule of Law, Freeman-Spogli Institute, Stanford University. He is also a member of the board of the Transatlantic Commission on Election Integrity.

Venue and Directions

Bots and Ballots is being held at the Locatelli Center on the campus of Santa Clara University. More detailed directions can be found through this link.