Description:

The Internet, ubiquitous connectivity, and the proliferation of sensors have created a new domain of influence. As sovereign states continue to rely on power from governing physical territories and enforcing laws, and corporations leverage traditional forms of capital for market dominance, a new form of power has emerged that we can call “Internet Power.” Internet Power is rooted in the access, control, and utilization of data flows over the Internet that can transcend traditional administrative borders, undermine military might, and eclipse business models that rely on traditional forms of economic capital.

The Blue Center for Global Strategic Assessment will host Jed Sundwall, a lecturer at the Jackson School, who will deliver a talk describing the concept of Internet Power and how it may be wielded to enable or thwart states’ capacity to govern.

The talk will be followed by a discussion with Lynn Overmann, executive director at the Beeck Center at Georgetown University and former senior advisor for delivery within the US Digital Service, and Macon Phillips, founder of Starling Strategies and former director of digital strategy for the White House. 

The discussion will explore the implications of Internet Power accrued through the control of physical network infrastructure, data, and Internet software, including: how governments have become reliant on big tech companies to address global crises such as climate change; how hegemonic Internet platforms can sway decisions, behavior, and perceptions of entire populations; why it may be impossible to create “tech for good” platforms built in the image of today’s big tech companies; and how the rise of big tech companies has led to the commoditization of powerful technologies that have dramatically lowered the cost of creating and sharing data.

The event aims to provoke a conversation about how the rapid growth of the Internet can be leveraged to create different kinds of distributed power based on shared data standards and cooperative business models, facilitating planetary-scale cooperation on global challenges.

This event is co-sponsored by the Deitz Family Initiative on Environment and Global Affairs and the Yale Environmental Data Science Initiative.

The event is open to the public, but registration is required.