CMCS hosts strategic workshop on cyber security, 7-8 June
On 7-8 June, the CMCS at Central European University will host the strategic workshop "Europe and the Global Information Society Revisited: Developing a Network of Scholars and Agenda for Social Science Research on Cyber Security".
The workshop, which is supported by the European Science Foundation, will bring together over two dozen experts from across Europe and the US from universities, intergovernmental organizations and research institutes. The workshop is coupled with a public event on Cyber Security in Europe, with a presentation by Andrea Servida, Deputy Head of the Unit "Internet; Network and Information Security" at the Information Society and Media Directorate-General of the European Commission.
High level cyber attacks, such as the recent attacks on Google in China and earlier ones in Estonia, Georgia and South Korea, have served as a wake-up call to policy makers, industry leaders and civil society alike. Developing cyber security strategies has become a priority in government policy. The once utopian narrative that was associated with the Global Information Society seems to become replaced with a more alarmist one.
The workshop aims to help develop a more systematic understanding of the interplay between technological innovations and geopolitical conditions, and its impact on cyber security from a social science perspective. It sets out to map the state of analysis around specific questions in the field of cyber security studies, such as:
- How are different organizations (states, institutions. particular alliances and interest groups) within the European Union (EU) and elsewhere defining responses to cyber security?
- What are the emerging competing frameworks and narratives of cyber security threats and intervention?
- How can institutional analysis be brought to bear to explain and improve approaches to state entities dealing with these questions?
Participants will also consider human rights concerns and the relationship between security and privacy needs. What new vulnerabilities come with emerging technologies and their impact on security and innovation? What is the broader impact of cyber security policy on public life?
The workshop will be addressed by John Shattuck, Rector and President of Central European University, and Balázs Kiss, Head of the Social Sciences Division of the European Science Foundation (ESF). Individal sessions will cover such topics as:
- Comparing responses: State Responses, Models and Policy Transfer
- Establishing Trust: Attribution, Surveillance and Privacy
- Protecting an Open Society: Information Law and Policy, Liabilities and Incentives
The workshop is organized by Stefaan Verhulst, Monroe Price and Kate Coyer, pooling the expertise of the CMCS and the Centre for Global Communication Studies (CGCS) at the Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania.
Find more information about the workshop program and participants, or go to our Bibliography of Key Cyber Security Background Materials (PDF).