EVENTS EVENTS EVENTS 28/02/2023 Can Regulators Handle the Mastodons of the World? Credit: Shubham Dhage Join Prof. Gina Neff at this panel discussion to explore the challenges policymakers face in applying existing laws and regulations to decentralised online services. 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM (CET) / 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM (EST) February 28, 2023 Online Policymakers have spent years designing laws and regulations to go after Big Tech. But they were not prepared for the rise of decentralised alternatives. The last few years have seen tremendous growth in decentralised Internet services—from cryptocurrencies and NFTs on the blockchain to microblogging services like Mastodon and video streaming services like PeerTube. These services focus on decentralizing common online services to provide users with peer-to-peer alternatives to “Big Tech.” Advocates of decentralizsed services believe it will give users more choice over what rules they follow, what content they see, and what personal data they share—potentially improving free speech, user safety, and data privacy. But policymakers have mostly designed Internet regulations for centralised services. Recent laws, including the Digital Services Act and the Online Safety Bill, provide more questions than answers on how they would potentially affect decentralised platforms. Prof Gina Neff will join this Center for Data Innovation panel event to discuss the challenges policymakers face in applying existing laws and regulations to decentralised online services. Speakers: -Neil Chilson, Senior Research Fellow for Tech and Innovation, Stand Together -Konstantinos Komaitis, Internet Policy Expert and Author of The Current State of Domain Name Regulation -Gina Neff, Executive Director, Minderoo Centre for Technology and Democracy -Kir Nuthi, Senior Policy Analyst, Center for Data Innovation (moderator)