Skip to the main content
Past Project

International Digital Self-Determination Network

Data is changing how we live and engage with and within our societies and our economies. As our digital footprints grow, how do we re-imagine ourselves in the digital world? How can we be supported to determine ourselves in our data-driven spaces?

In the context of data access and protection, emerging debates about autonomy and communal responsibility highlight a pressing imperative to re-imagine "the self" in digital spaces.

The Berkman Klein Center is a founding partner in the International Digital Self-Determination Network, a collaboration that is defining the concept of digital self-determination and working to ensure that people everywhere are legally, socially, and technically empowered to participate in the digitally connected world.

The other founding partners of the network are Directorate of International Law, Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs; the Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Data Governance at Singapore Management University; the Global Tech Policy Practice at the TUM School of Social Sciences and Technology; and The GovLab at New York University.

These founding partners also participated in the 2021 Digital Asia Hub/BKC research sprint on digital self-determination, which brought the context and complexities of the topic to a network of early career scholars from around the world.

Each network member is developing a use case on digital self-determination in a different sector, from finance to migration to tourism. BKC's efforts, led by Lis Sylvan, focus on digital self-determination for students and educators in school environments.


Our Work 06

Mar 30, 2023

Digital Identity During Times of Crisis

What We Learned During the Fall 2022 Research Sprint

BKC hosted a 10-week Research Sprint from October to December 2022 investigating Digital Identity in Times of Crisis, in collaboration with partners metaLAB at Harvard, the…

News
Oct 13, 2022

Research sprint examines challenges of navigating digital identity amid crises

GLOBAL COHORT OF EARLY-CAREER SCHOLARS AND PRACTITIONERS EXPLORES THE ETHICAL AND HUMAN RIGHTS CONSIDERATIONS OF DIGITAL IDENTITY IN TIMES OF CRISIS

The Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society, in collaboration with metaLAB (at) Harvard, the Edgelands Institute, and AccessNow, is welcoming 34 early-career scholars and…

News
Aug 18, 2022

Call for Participants: Digital Identity in Times of Crisis — Research Sprint

Applications are due September 5.

Applications are due September 5.

Jun 28, 2022 @ 11:00 AM

Empowering People in Their Digital Lives: A Conference on Digital Self-Determination

[VIDEO] Hosted by the Directorate of International Law of the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, in collaboration with the Federal Office of Communications and the…

Nov 24, 2021

BKC incorporating "#GoodID" into research and programs

#GoodID, an effort to catalyze constructive conversation around digital identity, will be a part of the Center's research and programming in the coming year.

News
May 27, 2021

Open Access Resources on Digital Self-Determination

A living syllabus and a Wikipedia entry on digital self-determination allow the work of the Research Sprint live on and embody some of the key elements of digital self…


People 04

Point of Contact

Team

Sandra Cortesi

Faculty Associate

Urs Gasser

Director


Related Projects & Tools 01

Digital Self-Determination Research Sprint

From March to May 2021, we co-hosted a virtual program that convened 25 student participants from 21 countries spread over six continents.