Crisis Code: Humanitarian Protection in the Digital Age
A two-day conference exploring how crisis-affected populations can be safeguarded from emerging threats in cyberspace. See here for more details.
ICT4Peace’s Sanjana Hattotuwa has been invited to speak at Swissnex San Francisco on a panel on Humanitarian Threats in the Age of Cyberwar and to kickoff a workshop on Taking Stock and Making Plans with Peter Maurer, President of ICRC.
The two public panel discussions will be streamed live on Swissnex San Francisco’s Facebook page on September 27 and 28, starting around 7pm PST on both days. To watch the lives, simply visit our Facebook page and you will find them there. The videos will be published to the page so that those who missed the live can watch at a later time. Workshops are invite-only. To request an invitation, please contact: benjamin@swissneSF.org, martin.schwartz@eda.admin.ch
About Crisis Code
Can you put a Red Cross emblem on a Wi-Fi tower in a refugee camp? How can the life and dignity of crisis-affected populations be protected from cyber-attacks and unintended harm in cyberspace? How should humanitarian agencies and their technology partners work together to safely and responsibly meet information and communication needs in crisis?
Together with US, Swiss, and international partners, the Consulate General of Switzerland in San Francisco and swissnex San Francisco convene the two-day conference Crisis Code: Humanitarian Protection in the Digital Age on September 27-28 to collectively examine our international humanitarian and human rights laws, standards, and norms in light of new cyber-realities. The program provides a neutral platform to develop a better understanding of the relationship between cyber-threats and humanitarian protection, and identify a possible agenda for mitigating the digital vulnerabilities of populations in crisis. In workshops and panel discussions, researchers, practitioners, and policy makers will map out new territories of vulnerability in cyberspace, assess existing practice around humanitarian data, and build consensus for action.
This conference is part of the Swiss Touch Campaign, a series of events dedicated to leveraging Switzerland’s innovative and forward-looking edge. Switzerland is striving for a relevant, responsive, and meaningful humanitarianism in the digital age—through building bridges between the technology and the humanitarian sectors, and between Silicon Valley and international Geneva.
In codifying the rules of war and civilian protection, the Geneva Conventions have protected countless lives for decades. But do international humanitarian laws, standards, and norms need to be reexamined in light of today’s digital reality? While Microsoft’s Brad Smith went so far as to propose a new international framework, the Digital Geneva Convention, the ensuing debate has not emphasized humanitarian imperatives.
Crisis Code, Panel 1: Humanitarian Threats in the Age of Cyberwar
The first day of the Crisis Code conference aims to develop a collective understanding of the digital promises and perils of humanitarian protection. In Panel 1, humanitarian thinkers and cybersecurity leaders sit together to synthesize and reframe the day’s learnings, and to explore emerging threats to civilian populations.
Moderator
Joseph Guay, The Policy Lab
Speakers
Eva Galperin, Electronic Frontier Foundation
Sanjana Hattotuwa, ICT4Peace
Jeff Moss, DEF CON
Paul Nicholas, Microsoft
Nathaniel A. Raymond, Harvard University