Cities for Digital Rights @ We Make The City_Programme (Amsterdam, 19-20 June 2019)

Registration link for Coalition on Digital Rights-members:
https://forms.gle/NjC8EPjP98seokPj7

Contact info about this week:

- Aik van Eemeren, a​ [email protected]​, +31611776969
- Practical information: Safia Akkus, s​ [email protected],​ +31623537851

Wednesday June 19​th

09.30-17.00 Cities for Digital Rights (Urban Conference @WMTC)
Location: Zuiderkerk, Zuiderkerkhof 72, 1011 WB, Amsterdam

Cities for Digital Rights
The Internet has become crucial in our daily lives. It is where we meet, learn and shop. It is also
an essential tool for achieving equality, justice and fairness. But who’s in control? Where are
digital rights under pressure and how do we safeguard civil rights?

During the Cities for Digital Rights conference we talk about the dilemmas and we look for
solutions together with citizens and city administrators.

Digital rights are an ongoing global challenge, with the cities in the front line. In cities we are
confronted with the impact of large technology platforms. In cities we see where our rights are
under pressure. But in cities we can also take quick and effective action.

Tickets are available on the WeMakeThe.City website:
https://wemakethe.city/production/cities-for-digital-rights.​ There is a limited number of places.
After purchasing a ticket, a reservation is also required for this conference specifically.
Note for the CCDR-members: if you register through the CCDR-form, we will provide the tickets
for you.

Citizens' rights under pressure
Citizens' rights are threatened in public places, at home and at work when technologies with
limited legal or technical protection are used. Newspaper headlines about digital abuse and
misuse of information include limited freedom of expression. Personal information, including our
movements and communication, is stored without conscious consent. On social media there’s
increasingly being intimidated and incite to hatred. These notions can undermine democratic
processes and public opinion.
Cities often serve as laboratories of new technologies for new products from startups and large
technology companies. Technology makes life easier for residents, but citizens' rights are under
pressure: data is collected everywhere and the decisions made by algorithms are not
transparent.

It's up to cities
Fortunately, a growing number of cities understand that it is their turn. For example, Eindhoven
and Amsterdam have established principles for the digital city. More and more companies and
non-profits are adhering to these principles of Tada.city. Internationally, the Coalition of Cities
for Digital Rights is increasingly gaining a foothold. Yet more needs to be done. Governments,
companies and non-profits can and must do more to protect digital rights. It is time for cities to
really work on the digital rights of their inhabitants.

Program
Morning 9.30 am - 12.30 pm

Speakers
The Cities for Digital Rights conference consists of a morning program with keynotes from
national and international speakers, including Bianca Wylie, digital rights activist in Toronto and
CTOs from cities such as London and Helsinki. Touria Meliani, Digital City Amsterdam deputy
mayor, opens the conference and gives an overview of the Digital City Agenda that was recently
published.

Confirmed speakers:
• Touria Meliani (deputy mayor , Municipality of Amsterdam)
• Bianca Wylie (digital civil rights activist at Digital Rights Now)
• Marleen Stikker (co-founder and director of Waag)
• Ger Baron (Chief Technology Officer Municipality of Amsterdam)
• Mikko Rusama (Chief Digital Officer Helsinki)
• Theo Blackwell (Chief Digital Officer London)
• Roberta Cocco (Councillor for Digital Transformation and Citizens Services

Milan)

Lunch 12.30 - 13.30

Midday 1:30 pm - 4:30 pm
The afternoon program consists of an 'open space'; workshops, artistic interventions and
debates in which we’ll tackle the question of "How do we protect civil rights in rapidly digitizing
cities?". In the program we explicitly bring different groups together; from citizens, civil rights
activists, artists to (international) policymakers.

Partners
This program is being developed by the municipality of Amsterdam, Waag, Humanistisch
Verbond Amsterdam-Amstelland and WeMakeThe.City.
Many partners are involved in the development of the program, including Tada!, DECODE,
AMS, SIDN, VNG, Network Democracy and BUEC.

18.30-20.30 Diner (to be confirmed -> AIK
Location: Mediamatc

18.30-20.30 Diner (to be confirmed -> AIK
. Location: Mediamatc

Thursday June 20t​ h

09.30-12.00 CCDR working session
Location: asap

Working session with representatives from the cities who joined the coalition.

Morning: with CTO’s. After lunch, from 1330-1630, continue of working groups on the
coalition-teams and coordination-group.

Draft agenda:

9:00 Every member presents its agenda / in-dept examples of cities
+ publication getting started guide

10:30 Roadmap for coming years: strategic positioning draft; 2019-2021 (AMS)
- Strategic proposition

11:30 Proposal for governance (lead: BCN, first version ready in 2 weeks; 28 May first draft)
13:00 Which themes and working groups

five groups, per digital rights:.goal: policy agenda per principle.
UCLG, Habitat and EUROCITIES and respond and append for their policy goals and
institutional contexts

12.00-13.30 Lunch
Location: asap

13.30-16.30 CGCC meeting

Location: asap

Working session of the network of CTO’s, CDO’s and CIO’s of a network of European Cities.

Draft agenda will be send second half of May.

17.00-20.00 Welcome & drinks for all international guests of UpClose&Livable and CCDR & CGCC-members
Location: Herengracht 502 > Deutzhuis, official residence major

Friday June 21t​ h

09.00-17.30 UpClose&Livable
Location: ​Leidse square 26 > International Theater Amsterdam (city theater)

with 10.35-13.05 session Digital Rights in Studio 2.

June 17t​ h till 2​ 3​th

The festival will already start the 17th of June and will continue in the weekend till sunday 23th
of June. If you wish to be here on other day’s beside the 19th, 20th and 21th, please inform us
and we are happy to provide tickets for those days as well. All the events are listed on
https://wemakethe.city/nl/programma​ (Not everything in English yet, will follow asap).