WORKSHOP: Civil Society on the Digital Battlefield

As warfare becomes increasingly digitalised, civil society organisations, activists, journalists and communities are finding themselves on the front lines of a rapidly changing battlefield. Internet shutdowns, cyberattacks, surveillance, AI-enabled disinformation, online harassment, deepfakes and more are creating new risks for civic space and those who defend it. This workshop with digital rights activist Brett Solomon will explore these challenges through the Four Quadrants of Digital Warfare: Network and Infrastructure Control, Cyber Operations, Information Interference, and Autonomous and AI-enabled Systems. Together at this closed-door session, we will consider how these threats affect civil society, including their disproportionate impacts on women, LGBTQ+ communities, political and ethnic minorities, journalists and human rights defenders. Participants will share experiences and explore practical strategies for protection and resilience – from online security and digital humanitarian response to updated legal frameworks and reducing digital dependencies. Finally, we will look beyond to ask a bigger question: what role can civil society play in building Digital Peace?

The workshop is intended primarily for people working in civil society, human rights, journalism, digital rights and related fields. A limited number of places are available to festival attendees with relevant professional or activist experience – apply here. A second workshop in Kraków will be open to everyone.

Co-curated as part of the cooperative project TIMES.