Internet censorship, hacker attacks and trolls on social media: the Internet has long been an important factor in international security policy. In 2011, Egypt temporarily had no Internet access – an attempt by the government to defeat the Arab Spring protest movement. In 2016, the American presidential election was heavily influenced by so-called ‘bots’ and ‘trolls’. These examples demonstrate the relevance of the Internet to peace and security worldwide.
“The Internet as a Threat to World Peace”: this was the question under discussion at the Hamburg State and University Library on 24 June. The German United Nations Society (DGVN) and the IFSH invited academics from the field, as well as local people from Hamburg.
Dr Ulrich Kühn, Deputy Head of Arms Control and New Technologies at the IFSH, introduced the topic. Then Dr Mathias Kettemann (Leibniz Institute for Media Research - Hans Bredow Institute), Isabel Siekra (European School of Management and Technology Berlin) and Julia Schütze (Stiftung Neue Verantwortung) discussed the new security risks posed by the Internet.
The event was moderated by Dr Holger Niemann, Senior Researcher and UN expert at the IFSH.