Digital Whistleblowing. Blessing or Curse?

Roundtable Debate 6pm – 7:30pm

with Maksymilian Czuperski (Atlantic Council), Marius Dragomir (Open Society Foundations), Simona Levi(Xnet), and Mara Mendes (Open Knowledge Foundation Germany), and Alina Mungiu-Pippidi, DIGIWHIS member and Professor of Democracy Studies, Hertie School of Governance.

Moderation: Anne Koch, Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia, Transparency International

The digital era has brought remarkable opportunities to advance open government. An open, transparent government often allows citizens of a democracy to control their government, monitoring state capture and graft. The invention of social media and its increasingly wise usage furthers the translation of transparency into accountability by expanding the accessibility of civic participation. An army of citizens using their smartphones to check on their government can only bring health to a democracy.

But the world is not made only of democratic states or indeed groups or individuals with democratic views. And digital tools are just tools – they can be used to every purpose. Is digital whistleblowing in every area an instrument of the public good and it should be encouraged? What are the opportunities and the pitfalls of digital whistleblowing?

 The event is hosted in partnership with the World Forum for Democracy: “Freedom vs Control: For a Democratic Response” on 18-20 November 2015 at Strasbourg.