On Monday, 15 May, about 150 people attended a lecture given by Ben Wagner, new professor Media, Technology & Society, in Amsterdam’s Pakhuis de Zwijger. Irrespective of what was going on outside, those inside were treated to a 90-minute disconnect from the ominous digital world sketched by Ben and fellow panel members. In a digital sense, our human rights are being abused, they argued. And this is exposing us to risks, both individually and for society as a whole. Fortunately, the lecture ended on a positive note of optimism and resistance. “Sign up with a community that advocates a future based on digital human rights.”

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The floor of Pakhuis de Zwijger is patterned with undulating grids that give the illusion that it moves beneath your feet as you walk across it. It is an illusion that Ben exploits in his short introductory film. "We live in a hybrid world in which we think the ground under our feet is stable. But the illusion here covers up the fact that our digital human rights are being continuously violated."

Tramping on our digital human rights 
In his address, Ben leaves no doubt that the violation of digital human rights extends much further than mere discussions about privacy. "We’re talking about infrastructure and architecture, things that transcend the individual level and that we are therefore unable to avoid. Take democratic elections, for example. We all know about the attempted theft of information in the Watergate scandal. But stealing information online for political gain is a lot more commonplace than you might think, even in what we consider democratic Europe."

Knowledge, legality and power 
He goes on to explain that we live in a surveillance society that is not going to change anytime soon. What can change, however, is how we deal with it. Should we accept that we are just pawns in this digital world? Or would we rather understand how the digital infrastructures work so that we can take control and deal with it all more consciously? “Three elements are important here,” he assures. “Firstly, we need an in-depth knowledge of how the digital ecosystem works. Secondly, there’s the legality, what exactly is allowed? And thirdly, there’s power; without power nothing will change.”

Be a part of the community
“It's not about me, it's about what I do for the community,” concludes Ben. “Without that community I can't do my job. So be inspired and get involved. There’s nothing stopping you. Be a part of the community that underscores a future that’s based on digital human rights.” 

Decolonisation of cultural heritage
The ensuing panel discussion, about realising digital human rights, is led by journalist, podcaster and author, Tracy Metz. Adriana Muñoz, curator of the National Museums of World Culture (Varldskulturmuseerna), says that, like Ben, she recognises an interesting challenge in the simultaneous digitalisation and decolonisation of cultural heritage and archives. “With most artifacts still being in the hands of western museums, we take it upon ourselves to decide who has access to other people's treasures. But we must learn to share.” Picking up the thread, Ben says that Adriana's project focusing on the development process of projects is of particular interest. "It brings to the surface the stories and voices of more people than just the owners."

Need for total transparency
Sophie in 't Veld, a European parliamentarian in the D66 Dutch political party, also makes her presence known during the discussion. She advocates that an unequivocal right to information and total transparency in the digital world should be basic conditions. "We should no longer make it the responsibility of the individual citizen; it is the system itself that needs fixing. If we are to restore democracy, we will need a counter balance to the power that is currently wielded by tech companies and governments. The rule of law has become the law of the ruler."

Sustainable living environment and a resilient society 
Following the panel discussion, Marije Deutekom, a member of in Holland’s Executive Board, officially installs Ben as new professor. “Your research group,” she tells him, “is a perfect fit with the spearheads of our university of applied sciences. We advocate working from the perspective of social issues. Educating our students to become critical, responsive professionals who don't hesitate to stand up for their digital rights while working on a sustainable living environment and a resilient society.”

Sustainable Media Lab students
Didi Baas, a third-year Creative Business student is also someone who supports digital rights. “Last semester I followed a lab track themed on peace and justice. At the time our Sustainable Media Lab team focused on making primary school pupils in groups 7 and 8 media literate. Now I am doing an internship at the Digital Rights House Amsterdam, which is a partner of the Lab. I have a coaching role with new groups of students from the Lab who are carrying out projects on digital human rights, which include the digital rights of minors, hate speech and sexism. It’s gratifying to see more and more students becoming aware of their digital rights. This really should become a movement.”

Work to be done
Jake Blok is a board member of Digital Rights House Amsterdam and welcomes Ben’s installation as new professor. “This research group is not a destination; it’s a stop along the journey. Digital rights is work in progress, with a lot of work still to be done. I am very curious how a large institution like Inholland University of Applied Sciences will grasp opportunities with this research group, the Digital Rights Research Team and a broad array of students from different backgrounds and nationalities. This is all about applied research, so I hope that Inholland also develops practical initiatives on digital rights and itself grows into a digital-rights-proof university of applied sciences.”
 

Society is digitalising very quickly, with business and meetings increasingly taking place online. The digital world offers benefits, of course, but drawbacks too, one of which is that our human rights are constantly being violated. And this is not just annoying on a personal level, it can also be disruptive for our democratic society, warns Ben Wagner. As a new Professor of Media, Technology & Society Ben, together with partners inside and outside Inholland University of Applied Sciences, is contributing to a safer and fairer digital ecosystem. He intends to discuss this challenging issue during what will be his inaugural lecture on 15 May.

Watch the recording of Ben's inaugural lecture > 

We are living in a hybrid world, begins Ben. With one foot firmly in the physical, tangible world and the other in a digital environment. The latter is becoming increasingly dominant in our daily lives and work, but when it comes to our rights as consumers and citizens, unfortunately clouded in uncertainty. Our personal data is being pilfered, algorithms are deciding what we read and, without us even noticing it, creating profiles of us.

Impact on society
In the physical world, companies simply wouldn't get away with such abuses of our human rights, continues Ben. ‘The application and enforcement of laws and regulations online certainly leave a lot to be desired. This not only impacts you as a person, it also affects society as a whole. Just think of the algorithms that played a key role in the benefits scandal that recently rocked the Netherlands. Or the dissemination of fake news that influenced democratic elections.’

Transparency and accountability
But how do we go about reclaiming our human rights in the digital world? Transparency is a crucial first step, insists Ben. ‘What are the policies and political premises that algorithms are based on, for example? Exposing these mechanisms will make it easier to hold organisations accountable and the mechanisms themselves could then be made fairer, more democratic and more honest. It’s therefore an issue that transcends just being technical; above all it’s also organisational, judicial and political.’

Digitalising our cultural heritage
Grounded in practically oriented research, Ben intends to help develop evidence-based solutions that will provide more digital legitimacy. ‘How can we give stakeholders who have to deal with digital systems in their everyday lives more influence in the operation of those systems, for example? And avoid the bias that labels certain groups as potential fraudsters by involving them in the development of the digital systems they are expected to use. It is good news that we are now collaborating with institutions for cultural heritage, which are digitalising their archives on a large scale. But hopefully they won't be doing so from the same colonial perspective with which those archives were initially set up, over a hundred years ago. We need to set up a digital infrastructure that does justice to the way we see the world today.’

Digital Rights Research Team
At Inholland University of Applied Sciences, the research groups with which Ben is working include those of Wina Smeenk, Professor of Societal Impact Design, and Ander de Keijzer, Professor of Data Driven Smart Society. The three of them have set up the Digital Rights Research Team (DRRT) to explore how our digital society can improve the quality of life. From a technological perspective, Ander cautions that digital rights are far from easy to guarantee. ‘The problem is that while you may be the owner of your personal data, its management lies elsewhere, often with commercial companies, who subsequently sell it on without you having any say or control over the process. The way that the digital infrastructure is now set up makes it very difficult to reconcile the ownership and management of data. The most practical thing is for there to be good regulations and enforcement. Within the framework of the DRRT we are organising co-design sessions to develop solutions with students, including those from senior secondary vocational schools. An example of such a solution is a label that indicates how organisations approach digital rights.’

The Hague Humanity Hub
Ben also works with external partners in the Sustainable Media Lab, such as The Hague Humanity Hub, a community for professionals active in the field of peace and justice. ‘We involve students from the Lab in Just Peace, a programme aimed at familiarising a broader audience with the work being done in the area of peace and justice,’ says head of communications, Thomas Ansell. ‘We also want to interest young people, through ways that include our online platform. And what better way to do so than with young people themselves? Which is why we have asked students from Inholland University of Applied Sciences to write blogs and articles about topics such as biases in artificial intelligence and the future of facial recognition. We are also one of the organisations that give students other challenging assignments. Like how to use metadata to establish whether photos from conflict areas are authentic, or developing teaching aids to help secondary schools identify fake news on social media. Digital human rights constitute the common thread that runs through it all. It’s also a key focus area for The Hague Humanity Hub, because our digital rights trail behind digital developments by some distance. We have a lot of catching up to do.’

"Digital rights are also human rights. Yet they are constantly being violated. It is time to ensure our digital human rights." During his inaugural lecture on Monday, May 15, in Amsterdam, Ben Wagner, Professor of Media, Technology & Society at Inholland University of Applied Sciences, will address challenging issues surrounding digital human rights. In doing so, he invites a special panel to clarify what digital rights are about, showing how many different areas are touched by digital rights and how big the effects can be. 

Ben Wagner's inaugural lecture (English spoken) has been recorded. Watch the recording on the page of Media, Technology & Society.

As digital infrastructures become increasingly complex, Ben Wagner says it is imperative that we focus on more sustainable models that embed digital rights at the core of digital infrastructures. In his inaugural lecture, Ben outlines the problem and then addresses these three core areas: 

• the digital infrastructure of museums and cultural heritage;
• challenges of online platforms for democracy and elections; 
• the infrastructure of societies in which people are constantly being watched, so-called surveillance societies. 

He proposes paths beyond fixing broken systems. Instead, these paths run toward systemic change for digital infrastructures. Building more sustainable media ecosystems, he says, is a tremendous opportunity that can unlock enormous social and economic power. "At the same time, it provides hope that one day we can stand on firm ground again, without the risk of it sinking beneath us." 

Broad view of the impact of digital rights with specialized panel 
"Usually when we talk to each other about digital rights, it's about a very narrow set of issues: is my phone safe? How do I adjust my settings to improve my privacy? Or: why are my posts deleted from Facebook?" explained Ben, who wants his lecture to talk about the impact of the topic much more broadly. Hence, he has also invited two specialists to discuss his issues in interaction with the audience: European Parliament member Sophie in ’t Veld (D66) and Adriana Muñoz, curator at The National Museums of World Culture in Sweden. Their conversation will be moderated by journalist, podcaster and author Tracy Metz. 

"Because we live in hybrid digital and physical spaces, Adriana and Sophie's work is really not about technology at all, but about democracy, history and justice," Ben explains the choice of these guests. "Regarding the perspective of digital rights, they can provide valuable insights that go beyond oversimplifications that center on phone security or Facebook use." 

More information about the specialists:

About Sophie in 't Veld 
Sophie in ’t Veld sits on behalf of D66 in the European Parliament. In these times of 'digital democracy' and political opposition in Europe, she is working hard to safeguard privacy between the tech giants and nosy governments. On Sophie's initiative, privacy violations are regularly challenged. Both in the European Parliament, and at the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg. She is also PEGA rapporteur (PEGA: The European Parliament's Committee of Inquiry into the use of Pegasus and equivalent surveillance spyware). 

About Adriana Muñoz 
Focusing on the digital infrastructure of museums and cultural heritage, Adriana Muñoz joins us. She is a curator at the National Museums of World Culture (Varldskulturmuseerna) and works, among other things, on the project "Digital Repatriation of Cultural Heritage in the Global South. The research project focuses on the decolonization of a Swedish database for museum collections.  

About Tracy Metz 
Journalist, podcast maker and author Tracy Metz is a moderator. She writes for NRC Handelsblad and De Architect and makes the podcast 'Wetness. Uplifting stories about our water'. She is also director of the John Adams Institute, the independent center for American culture in the Netherlands. Her contribution to the public debate on city and landscape was awarded the Grand Maaskant Prize.