What can we do to protect civil rights and liberties in the digital age? A group of German experts from all fields of civil society has created a draft proposal for a “Charter of Fundamental Digital Rights of the European Union”. The idea of the Charter is to lay the foundation for a binding legal framework in the digital era. This idea does not need to stop at national or European borders; rather, it could also be developed as a universal approach on the basis of common values. The Charter is an initiative under the umbrella of the ZEIT-Stiftung, a foundation based in Germany. (More about the initiative…)
Full Charter Text in English (PDF)
Some of the 27 authors of this “Digital Charter” will present and discuss the idea in the Bay Area in October 2019 on multiple occasions with influential people from US politics, civil society, tech industry and the media.
List of events:
“Do humans have rights in the digital era? – A transatlantic dialogue”
- October 27-29, 2019: Transatlantic Sync Conference, Mountain View (Conference part)
- October 29, 2019: Roundtable with Foundations, Palo Alto (Not public)
- October 29, 2019: HanaHaus, Palo Alto, 6:30pm (free public event)
with
Lenny Mendonca, Economic Advisor to CA’s Governor
Tim O’Reilly, founder and CEO of O’Reilly Media,
Rebecca MacKinnon, Director of Ranking Digital Rights, New America
Dr. Jeanette Hofmann, Director of Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society (Berlin/Germany), co-author of the Digital Charter
Dr. Heinz Bude, Sociology Professor at the University of Kassel/Germany, co-author of the Digital Charter
Learn more about this event (PDF) // Register for this event (free admission) - October 30, 2019: Roundtable with NGOs and Academia (Not Public)
- October 30, 2019: Manny’s, San Francisco, 6pm (public event)
with
Rebecca MacKinnon, Director of Ranking Digital Rights, New America
Malte Spitz, data expert, author, politician from Berlin/Germany, co-author of the Digital Charter
Heinrich Wefing, Head of the Political Department of the German weekly DIE ZEIT
Learn more about this event (PDF) // Register for this event (admission $2)
Meet the experts
The Digital Charter was written by a team of 27 authors from all fields of civil society in Germany. A delegation of the authors’ group will now present the idea of the Charter in the Bay Area.
Dr. Heinrich Wefing
Head of the Political Department of the German weekly DIE ZEIT
Heinrich Wefing was born in Hamburg in 1965. He studied History of Art and Law in Bonn and Freiburg and finished his studies with a dissertation in 1992. From 1995 on he volunteered at DIE ZEIT and FAZ, becoming feuilleton editor with the FAZ in 1996, first in Frankfurt, then Berlin, from 2001 to 2004 in San Francisco. From 2008 on he was editor at the political desk of the German weekly DIE ZEIT in Hamburg, in 2010 he became Deputy Head of the Political Department, in January 2018 Head of the Political Department.
Malte Spitz
Secretary General of the German Society for Civil Rights
Malte Spitz, *1984, is a German activist, author, politician and Secretary General of the
German NGO Gesellschaft für Freiheitsrechte (Society for Civil Rights). He deals with the topics of future regulation in the digital age and focuses on data protection and civil rights. In 2014 and 2017 his books on data protection and digital regulation “What are you doing with my data?” and “Data – The Oil of the 21st Century? Sustainability in the Digital Age” were published. His lawsuit against Deutsche Telekom and the subsequent publication of the metadata of his mobile communications caused an international attention. In 2015, he co-founded the Gesellschaft für Freiheitsrechte (Society for Civil Rights), which works for fundamental and human rights through strategic litigation. From 2006 to 2013, he was one of six members of the Federal Executive Board of the Green Party in Germany and has been a member of the Federal Board since 2013.
Prof. Dr. Jeanette Hofmann
Professor of Internet Policy at Freie Universität Berlin
Jeanette Hofmann’s research focuses on Internet governance and regulation. Her current research areas concern digital democracy and the development of digital platforms. She teaches at the Institute for Media and Communication Studies at Free University Berlin and she heads a research group on ‘Politics of Digitalization’ at the Berlin Social Science Center. Jeanette is a co-director of the Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society and Prinicipal Investigator at the recently founded Weizenbaum Institute for the Networked Society in Berlin. In addition to her academic work, Jeanette is a member of the expert group to the EU Observatory on the Online Platform Economy. She also heads two national academic expert commissions on ‘digitalisation and democracy’ (Leopoldina, National Academy of the Sciences) and on ‘Young Engagement in the Digital Age’ (Federal Government).
Prof. Dr. Michael Göring
CEO of the ZEIT-Stiftung Ebelin und Gerd Bucerius
Since 1997 Prof. Dr. Michael Göring has been executive member of the board and since
2005 CEO of the Hamburg-based foundation ZEIT-Stiftung Ebelin und Gerd Bucerius, one of the largest foundations in Germany. Central to its mission is the commitment to invigorate civil society in Germany and Europe and to promote innovative transatlantic programs, exchanges and perspectives. The foundation established the first private law school in Germany, the Bucerius Law School, in 2000. The Digital Charter is another initiative under the umbrella of the ZEIT-foundation. Michael Göring received his Ph.D. in English Literature and started his career as assistant professor in English Literature at the University of Munich. Since 2000, he has taught as honorary professor at the Cultural and Media Management Institute at the Hamburg School of Music and Drama. He is the author of various publications and has published four novels. As one of Germany’s philanthropic leaders, he is involved with numerous foundations and private organizations.
Christoph Keese
CEO of Axel Springer hy GmbH
Christoph Keese is one of Germany’s best-known thought leaders on digital transformation. He is a passionate innovator, serial entrepreneur, business angel, and keynote speaker. In addition, he authored bestselling books on digitization and economic policy (“Silicon Valley”, “Silicon Germany”, and “Disrupt Yourself”). As editor-in-chief and manager, he drove digital transformation at leading German newspapers (e.g., Financial Times and WELT) as well as at Axel Springer SE. Today he is CEO of Axel Springer hy, a digital consultancy in Berlin.
Daniel Opper
Head of Bucerius Lab, ZEIT-Stiftung Ebelin und Gerd Bucerius
Daniel Opper is head of the Bucerius Lab of the Germany based ZEIT-Foundation, which deals with current issues of societal change — such as the effects of digitization on politics, civil rights, work and culture. Daniel studied politics, sociology and journalism in Göttingen, Germany and Berkeley, CA, and worked for various media. Recently, he co-curated the exhibition “Out of Office” about the future of work in the digital age.
List of Initiators – Sign and Support the Digital Charter
For press enquiries please contact ZEIT-Stiftung or email at: presse@zeit-stiftung.de
For inquiries from US media, please contact:
Julia Reinhardt, phone +1 (415) 340 9199, julia.reinhardt@germaninnovators.com
For inquiries from German media, please contact:
Jessica Staschen, phone +49 (40) 41336871, presse@zeit-stiftung.de
The events are supported by our Academic partners, Transtatlantic Sync Team, KIT-Link, The German Consulate in San Francisco, HanaHaus and SAP, Manny’s Community Space in San Francisco and The Bridge Network. Thank you very much!