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Caption: _______ STRENGTHENING THE DIGITAL
SOCIETY by Sarah Genner
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Caption: NEW YORK CITY - The Internet has transformed how we connect and engage with the world around us. About 200 speakers and guests attended the NetGain event on February 11, 2015 to discuss how to strengthen the digital society under construction.
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Caption: Leaders from philantropy, government, business and the tech world met in Manhattan to tackle questions such as balancing security and privacy in the digital era, global digital inclusion, and democracy.
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Caption: In his keynote address, New York City's Mayor Bill de Blasio framed high-speed Internet access for all as a social justice
issue.
Speakers at the event included some of the globally most prominent figures in the history of the Internet, such as the inventor of the World Wide Web, leading academics, politicians and activists.
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Caption: John Palfrey, Head of the Philipps Academy, and MIT Media Lab's Ethan Zuckerman presented the NetGain challenge aimed at collectively identifying the biggest challenges that lay ahead for the Internet.
The former colleagues at the Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University also hosted the session of five minute talks by a number of speakers.
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Caption: Emily Bell of the Columbia Journalism School pointed out how much the Internet has changed reporting in terms of speed, research and reporting tools, and participation in storytelling by
readers and users.
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Caption: "Black Lives Matter" activist Alicia Garza and Egyptian human rights activist Heba Morayef mentioned social media as a vital tool for social movements but also as a threat for activist surveillance.
Sunil Abraham of Bangalore's Center for Internet and Society showed how the digital divide plays out using examples from India.
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Caption: In his five minute talk, Joi Ito, Head of the MIT Media Lab, introduced the abbreviation "BI" to refer to the era before the Internet, while Comptel CEO Chip Pickering underlined his support for net neutrality. Brewster Kahale updated the audience on the Internet Archive that he founded as early as in 1996.
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Caption: Filmmaker Laura Poitras and privacy technologist Christopher Soghoian advocated for encryption of online communication-not only for journalists but also for foundations, NGOs, and others while "the Internet is being militarized".
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Caption: Harvard professor Susan Crawford talked with the inventor of the WWW Tim Berners-Lee about his dedication to openness and the astonishing fact that he could have decided to monetize his invention but didn't. Berners-Lee said he wants to re-decentralize the Web and encourages both using encryption technology and fighting for your right to own your data.
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Caption: In the afternoon, the Oscar-nominated documentary "Citizenfour" by director Laura Poitras, was screened in the auditorium of the Ford Foundation.
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Caption: The screening was followed by a discussion with the Berlin-based filmmaker and Edward Snowden's lawyer Ben Wizner. Moderator Brian Lehrer asked Laura Poitras about travelling to the U.S. after having been under surveillance since covering the U.S. war on terror.
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Caption: At the reception on the top floor of the Ford Foundation, NetGain participants continued discussing future challenges and opportunities of the digital age if they were not too distracted by exchanging business cards and by the truly stunning views of Manhattan.
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Caption: MIT MEDIA LAB
FUTURE OF NEWS
FEBRUARY 2015
An experiment in news and multimedia storytelling using a smartphone only.
All photos, videos, and English grammar
mistakes by Sarah Genner.