The World Ethical Data Forum (WEDF) is an annual event dedicated to exploring the ethical and practical challenges posed by data and emerging technologies. Organized by the World Ethical Data Foundation, a non-profit organization committed to promoting ethical data practices and advancing human rights in the digital space, the forum brings together a diverse array of stakeholders to foster collaboration and develop solutions to complex issues.
The 2022 edition of WEDF, held from October 26 to 28, addressed a wide range of topics, including cybersecurity and information warfare, data and AI ethics, policymaking, human rights, culture, philosophy, media, futurism, whistleblowing, and sustainability. The forum aimed to confront the ethical challenges presented by our increasingly online lives, emphasizing privacy, democracy, justice, responsibility, transparency, trustworthiness, and basic human rights.
The event featured notable speakers such as Bruce Schneier, an internationally renowned security technologist; Cory Doctorow, an award-winning novelist and technology activist; Francesca Rossi, IBM's AI Ethics Global Leader; and Eamon Gilmore, the EU Special Representative for Human Rights. These experts provided valuable insights into the ethical implications of data and technology in various sectors.
WEDF 2022 was fully online and free for anyone to attend, making it accessible to a global audience. The forum utilized privacy-respecting infrastructure and offered content in multiple languages across various time zones to ensure inclusivity. This format provided ample opportunities for networking, knowledge sharing, and collaboration among participants from diverse backgrounds.
Speakers(37)
Alex Linton
Research and Outreach at OPTF
Alex is a former journalist and is currently doing research and advocacy for the Australian digital rights not-for-profit the OPTF. He is focused on co-designing and creating secure, private, and decentralized technology which helps journalists, activists, and human rights defenders stay safe and complete their work uninterrupted.
Anna Hannem
Director, Data Ethics & Use at Scotiabank
Anna has close to 20 years of professional experience—starting off in customer service and then holding progressively more senior roles in mergers and acquisitions, project management, delivery, transformations, data management, data governance, and analytics. Anna joined Scotiabank in 2019, and her role of Director of Data Ethics & Use perfectly combines educational and work experience, to drive strategy and establish a new way of thinking and acting with data and analytics, while delivering on our promise of trust to our customer.
Annie Machon
Formerly MI5, currently a board member at WEDF
Annie Machon began her career as an intelligence officer for the UK's Security Service, MI5. She is now an author, media commentator, political campaigner, and international public speaker on a wide variety of issues: security and intelligence; ethics and democracy; privacy and internet freedoms; human rights; media freedoms; whistleblowers; secrecy legislation; totalitarianism and police states; and accountability in government and business. In 2020, she was awarded the SA Award for Integrity in Intelligence by the Sam Adams Associates, a global group of ethically-minded intelligence, diplomatic, and military personnel. She served four years as the European Director of Law Enforcement Action Partnership, is a board member of the World Ethical Data Foundation, and an organizer of the critically acclaimed World Ethical Data Forum.
Aza Raskin
President, Co-Founder at Earth Species Project / Center for Humane Technology
Aza is the cofounder of Earth Species Project, an open-source nonprofit dedicated to translating animal communication. He is also the co-founder of the Center for Humane Technology, was featured in the documentary 'The Social Dilemma', and is the co-host for the popular podcast 'Your Undivided Attention'. Trained as a mathematician and dark matter physicist, he has taken three companies from founding to acquisition, is a co-chairing member of the World Economic Forum’s Global AI Counsel, briefs heads of state, helped found Mozilla Labs, in addition to being named FastCompany’s Master of Design, and listed on Forbes and Inc Magazines 30-under-30.
Branka Panic
Founding Director at AI for Peace
Branka Panic is the Founder and Executive Director of AI for Peace, a nonprofit ensuring artificial intelligence benefits peace, security, and sustainable development and where diverse voices influence the creation of AI and related technologies. Branka is a passionate advocate for positive peace, with 13 years of experience in the humanitarian-peace-development nexus, working with governments and think-tanks across the globe. She is a co-founder and Board Member of the Center for Exponential Technologies, connecting policy and the tech world. She is a founding member of Sustainable Healthy Habitats and Healthy Humans for Peace, enabling the sustainability of humanitarian action within the framework of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Bruce Schneier
Adjunct Lecturer, Fellow at Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School, Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society
Bruce Schneier is an internationally renowned security technologist, called a 'security guru' by the Economist. He is the New York Times best-selling author of 14 books—including 'Click Here to Kill Everybody'—as well as hundreds of articles, essays, and academic papers. His influential newsletter Crypto-Gram and blog Schneier on Security are read by over 250,000 people. Schneier is a fellow at the Berkman-Klein Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University, a Lecturer in Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School, a board member of the Electronic Frontier Foundation and AccessNow, and an advisory board member of EPIC and VerifiedVoting.org. He is the Chief of Security Architecture at Inrupt, Inc.
Chris Hedges
Pulitzer Prize Winning Journalist, Author at Truthdig
Chris Hedges is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author who writes a weekly column for Truthdig. He was a foreign correspondent at the New York Times for 15 years, working in Central America, the Middle East, Africa, and the Balkans. He helped the paper’s staff win the 2002 Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Reporting for coverage of 9/11. That same year, he received the Amnesty International Global Award for Human Rights Journalism. Chris has written 12 books, including the New York Times bestseller 'Days of Destruction, Days of Revolt', which he co-authored with cartoonist Joe Sacco.
Clayton Romero
Founding Partner at CodexTen LLC
Clayton Romero began working as an IT consultant at the age of 15. His love of problem-solving and attention to detail led to him cutting his teeth in forensic data recovery and eventually to technology team management and strategic advisement.
Eamon Gilmore
EU Special Representative for Human Rights at European Union
Eamon Gilmore is the European Union’s Special Representative for Human Rights and the EU Special Envoy for the Colombian Peace Process. He was Ireland’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade from 2011 until July 2014. During this time, Eamon led Ireland’s successful Presidency of the European Union, was President of the EU’s General Affairs Council, Chairperson-in-Office of the OSCE, and managed the Northern Ireland Peace Process on behalf of the Irish Government with responsibility for implementation of the Good Friday Agreement, including its core human rights provisions. As a member of the Irish Parliament (Dáil Éireann) from 1989-2016, he was an active advocate for social rights and a champion of the liberal agenda. He played a leading role in the legalization of contraception and abortion in Ireland and was widely recognized for his part in the successful campaign for same-sex marriage equality. Eamon was a trade union leader and a student union leader prior to his election to parliament. He was the Leader of the Irish Labour Party from 2007 until 2014. In his current role as EU Special Representative for Human Rights, Eamon acts to enhance the European Union’s effectiveness, presence, and visibility in protecting and promoting human rights throughout the world. He regularly meets with governments to discuss the human rights situation in their countries, chairs formal Human Rights Dialogues, and speaks for the EU at international human rights fora including at the United Nations.
Estelle Massé
Policy Officer, International Affairs and Data Flows, DG Justice at European Commission
Estelle is Europe Legislative Manager and Global Data Protection Lead at Access Now. Her work focuses on data protection, privacy, surveillance, and telecoms policies. In particular, Estelle leads the work of the organization on data protection in the EU and around the world. She is a member of the Multistakeholder Expert Group of the European Commission to support the application of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). She is a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Data Policy and of the Reference Panel of the Global Privacy Assembly.
Eva Galperin
Director of Cybersecurity at Electronic Frontier Foundation
Eva Galperin is EFF's Director of Cybersecurity. Prior to 2007, when she came to work for EFF, Eva worked in security and IT in Silicon Valley and earned degrees in Political Science and International Relations from SFSU. Her work is primarily focused on providing privacy and security for vulnerable populations around the world. To that end, she has applied the combination of her political science and technical background to everything from organizing EFF's Tor Relay Challenge, to writing privacy and security training materials (including Surveillance Self Defense and the Digital First Aid Kit), and publishing research on malware in Syria, Vietnam, and Kazakhstan. When she is not collecting new and exotic malware, she practices aerial circus arts and learning new languages.
Fabrizio Scrollini
Executive Director at ILDA
Fabrizio Scrollini is the executive director of the Open Data Latin American Initiative (ILDA), and member of the Open Data Network for Development (OD4D). He co-founded Abrelatam and the Open Data Regional Conference for Latin America and the Caribbean, and is one the Lead Stewards of the International Charter of Open Data. He worked with governments, regulators, and civil society at international and regional level on transparency, access to public information, open data projects, and public sector reform. He holds a PhD in Government from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE).
Fahmi Reza
Political Graphic Designer
Fahmi Reza is a self-taught graphic designer and visual activist based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Gerd Gigerenzer
Director Emeritus at Max Planck Institute for Human Development
Gerd Gigerenzer is Director of the Harding Center for Risk Literacy, University of Potsdam, and Director emeritus at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development. He is former Professor of Psychology at the University of Chicago and John M. Olin Distinguished Visiting Professor, School of Law at the University of Virginia. He is Member of the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences, the German Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the American Philosophical Society. Awards for his work include the AAAS Prize for the best article in the behavioral sciences, the Association of American Publishers Prize for the best book in the social and behavioral sciences, the German Psychology Award, and the Communicator Award of the German Research Foundation. His award-winning popular books 'Calculated Risks', 'Gut Feelings', and 'Risk Savvy' have been translated into more than 20 languages.
Gosia Wojas
Artist and Researcher
Gosia Wojas is an artist and researcher currently based in Los Angeles, CA. She holds a BFA in Fine Art from California Institute of the Arts, and an MFA in Art from University of California, Irvine with a Critical Theory Emphasis from UCI’s School of Humanities. Considering materiality of objects as a departure for research and to think through the entanglement of power and agency, Wojas examines the political, social, and economic signification of objects, materials, and gestures often regarded as peripheral or insignificant. In employing the strategies of proximity, mimesis, or performance within installations, she references the materiality, plasticity, and phenomenological experience of a human body, subjectivity, identity, and community.
Harri Hursti
Technical Lead Election Integrity Foundation (part-time); Advisor/Consultant at Medix Biotechnologies Inc
Harri Hursti is recognized as one of the world’s top ethical hackers and a world-renowned data security expert, internet visionary, and serial entrepreneur. He began his career as the prodigy behind the first commercial, public email, and online forum system in Scandinavia. He founded his first company at the age of 13 and went on to cofound EUnet-Finland in his mid-20s. Today, Harri continues to innovate and find solutions to the world’s most vexing problems. He is among the world’s leading authorities in the areas of election voting security, critical infrastructure, and network system security. His work has been filmed and turned into an acclaimed HBO documentary called 'Hacking Democracy', which was nominated for an Emmy award for outstanding investigative journalism.
Ivana Feldfeber
Executive Directress at DataGénero
Ivana Feldfeber is the Executive Directress of DataGénero 'Observatorio de Datos con Perspectiva de Género'. In 2022, she became a team leader in the Center of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Policy (CAIDP) fall clinic, conducting research about public policy and AI in Latin America and mentoring new fellows. She is also a programming and robotics instructor. Ivana holds a postgraduate diploma in Data Science, Automatic Learning, and its Applications from the Universidad de Córdoba, Argentina. In 2022, Ivana and her team were selected by A+ Alliance to do research on AI tools for Criminal Courts working with gender-based violence data in Argentina and Mexico.
Jacqueline Corbelli
Founder, CEO at BrightLine; US Coalition on Sustainability
Joe Slowik
Principal Critical Infrastructure Threat Intelligence Engineer at MITRE
Joe Slowik has over 15 years of experience across multiple facets of information security. Currently leading threat intelligence and detections engineering operations at Gigamon, Joe has also held threat intelligence roles at DomainTools and Dragos, led incident response operations at Los Alamos National Laboratory, and performed various duties in the US Navy.
John C. Havens
Director at IEEE Planet Positive 2030
John C. Havens is Executive Director of The IEEE Global Initiative on Ethics of Autonomous and Intelligent Systems that has two primary outputs – the creation and iteration of a body of work known as 'Ethically Aligned Design: A Vision for Prioritizing Human Well-being with Autonomous and Intelligent Systems' and the recommendation of ideas for Standards Projects focused on prioritizing ethical considerations in A/IS. Currently, there are thirteen approved Standards Working Groups and one completed Standard in the IEEE P7000™ series. He is also Executive Director for The Council on Extended Intelligence (CXI) that was created to proliferate the ideals of responsible participant design, data agency, and metrics of economic prosperity prioritizing people and the planet over profit and productivity. CXI is a program founded by The IEEE Standards Association and MIT whose members include representatives from the EU Parliament, the UK House of Lords, and dozens of global policy, academic, and business leaders.
Kavya Pearlman
Founder & CEO at XR Safety Initiative
Kavya Pearlman is well known as the 'Cyber Guardian,' founder & CEO of the XR Safety Initiative (XRSI). Kavya Pearlman is an award-winning cybersecurity professional with a deep interest in immersive and emerging technologies. Kavya is a pioneer of the novel XRSI Privacy and Safety Framework for the Immersive Technologies Domain, Security awareness in the Metaverse, and various baseline security and privacy standards for Emerging Technologies. She has won several awards for her work and has been named one of the Top twenty Cybersecurity influencers for four years, 2018-2019-2020-2022, and again for the year 2022 by IFSEC Global. Kavya serves as the key member of the Global Coalition for Digital Safety at the World Economic Forum (WEF) and is part of the new Metaverse Initiative at WEF. Kavya currently advises over 20 global governments on global policies for emerging technologies and human rights considerations and provides oversight to several key open source efforts on Metaverse-related technologies, including The Metaverse Standard Forum and Responsible Metaverse Alliance.
Lisel Engelbrecht
Chief Digital and Data Officer at Women in AI
Lisel is currently the Chief Digital and Data Officer for Women in AI. In her professional capacity, Lisel is an Executive Head for Data Engineering at a Financial Services Organisation in South Africa. Lisel has spent most of her career involved in large-scale Enterprise projects all with a Data flavour in the Manufacturing, Retail, eCommerce, Operations, Business, and Personal Banking division of Financial Services environment in South Africa. Lisel specializes in the practical application of data management principles and to use data to tell a story. She’s known for her slightly irreverent yet constructive opinions and rants on data topics. She wants you to love your data! She is well known for her ability to play both deep and wide across the complex data topic. Lisel is known for her high-energy and can-do attitude, no problem is ever too big, in fact, it energizes her as it helps her grow her knowledge, with every problem there is something new to learn or explore and expand her skills.
Luis Fernando García
Executive Director at R3D
Maria Paz Hermosilla
Director GobLab UAI at Adolfo Ibañez University
Maria Paz Hermosilla is currently the Director of GobLab UAI – a public innovation lab at the Adolfo Ibanez University’s School of Government – whose mission is to help transform the public sector through data science. She has a Master of Public Administration from New York University. She is the Academic director of a certificate program in Data Science and Public Policy and researcher and professor of Data Ethics for graduate programs in the School of Engineering, School of Business, and School of Government. She is leading several research projects related to the use of data science to improve public policy, including predictive models in the social sector, the integration of data ethics into the public procurement process, and algorithmic transparency. She was appointed by the Chilean Ministry of Science in the expert advisory committee to create the national strategy for Artificial Intelligence, and in the national committee for Public Interest Data.
Mariana Diaz Kraus
Partner and Institutional and Partnerships Director at Movilizatorio
Mariana Diaz Kraus is a Colombian woman, social entrepreneur, lawyer, political scientist, mother, partner, and institutional and alliance director at Movilizatorio, a laboratory of transformation and social innovation that promotes citizen participation for a better society. She has worked mainly on corporate social responsibility, international cooperation, and socio-political and legal analysis to formulate projects or public policies in peacebuilding, development, conflict resolution, transitional justice, demobilization, disarmament, and reintegration. Mariana studied law and political science at the Universidad de los Andes. She has a Master's degree in Political Science, specialization in International Relations and Negotiation, and a Master's degree in Law and Diplomacy from The Fletcher School.
Mario Schiappacasse
Head of Data Science at Nimbi
Mario is an Industrial Civil Engineer who graduated from the University of Chile, one of the country's leading universities. After 5 years of experience as a Data Scientist, he has designed, developed, tested, and maintained predictive models based on artificial intelligence and machine learning for companies operating in different industries. He was also a co-founder of a last-mile delivery startup in the logistics industry and was responsible for platform development. Passionate about education and learning analytics, he has been involved in projects that aim at the use of students' data to understand and improve learning outcomes. Currently, he is Nimbi’s Head of Data Science. He is responsible for reporting and for the development of fair predictive models for students’ management and support that aim at increasing students’ retention and effective support.
Mark A. Vasquez
Sr. Program Manager at IEEE TechEthics
Mark A. Vasquez is a Certified Association Executive (CAE) with over 25 years of experience in association management at IEEE. He currently serves as the senior program manager for the TechEthics program at IEEE, the world’s largest technical professional organization dedicated to advancing technology for the benefit of humanity. IEEE TechEthics drives conversation on the ethical and societal impacts of technology and seeks to integrate these discussions into the overall technology development process. In his role, Mark develops relationships with a wide range of stakeholders in the technology ethics community, produces events, convenes thought leaders, and more. He is an engineering graduate of The Cooper Union.
Mike T. Ramirez
Digital Platform Project Manager at Bank of America
Mikko Hyppönen
CRO at WithSecure
Mikko Hyppönen is a global security expert. He works as the Chief Research Officer for WithSecure and Principal Research Advisor for F-Secure. His latest book is 'If It's Smart, It's Vulnerable'.
Pat Walshe
DPO at Brave Software
Pat is currently the data protection officer for Brave. He has over twenty-six years’ experience in data protection, privacy, information security, interception and disclosure law, data for development, and mobile identity in addition to regulatory policy in the fixed, mobile, and Internet sectors. Pat has acted as a data protection expert for the Council of Europe and authored and delivered regulatory capacity building training on data protection and privacy. He also authored mobile app privacy design guidelines for the mobile industry.
Rainer Bock
Head of Content and Platform at Tomorrow Unlocked
Rainer leads a documentary production unit at cybersecurity giant Kaspersky. After 10 years in PR, in which he married a man to an iPhone, displayed people’s private data publicly in an underground station, and made Trent Alexander Arnold play chess against Magnus Carlsen, he set out to produce non-corporate content in a corporate environment. He is an Executive Producer of the hacker:HUNTER and Imagine Beyond series.
Rik Willard
Founder and Managing Director at Agentic
Rik Willard is a digital pioneer presently focused on building technology and financial platforms for the ethical development of digital consumer applications that promote privacy, autonomy, and equity. He is featured in the award-winning documentary 'The Blockchain and Us', and has spread the blockchain gospel to audiences from Davos, to Madrid, Seoul, and many other locations worldwide.
Sam de Silva
Consultant - Asia Team, Engagement Advisor at Luminate, OTPF (part-time)
Sam De Silva has a background in digital technologies, human rights, and information. He has field experience working with journalists at risk, helping them protect their data and be safe online, and advocating for digital security and privacy, especially among at-risk and human-rights defender communities. He is also involved in producing disinformation education strategies and conducting research into ways of improving digital literacy and safety at a broader level.
Serge Droz
Senior Adviser Cybersecurity at FIRST / FDFA
Serge Droz is a senior IT-Security expert and seasoned incident responder. After more than twenty years working in different CSIRTs, he now works as a senior adviser for the Swiss FDFA. He studied physics at ETH Zurich and the University of Alberta, Canada, and holds a PhD in theoretical astrophysics. He has worked in private industry and academia in Switzerland and Canada in different security roles as well as at the national CERT in Switzerland. Serge is a member of the board of directors of FIRST (Forum for Incident Response and Security Teams), the premier organization of recognized global leaders in incident response. In this role, he actively participates in discussions relating to cybersecurity at various policy bodies, in particular related to norm building. Serge is an active speaker and a regular trainer for CSIRT (Computer Security Incident Response Team) courses around the world.
Silkie Carlo
Director at Big Brother Watch
Silkie is the Director of Big Brother Watch, a non-profit, non-partisan UK privacy and civil liberties campaign group.
Tanya Coutray
Principal Data and Analytics Strategy Leader at Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Tanya brings more than 20 years of experience in digital transformation, cloud-computing, data management, and advanced analytics. She uses this unique background and expertise to drive innovation and data strategies that accelerate business outcomes. In her role at Amazon Web Services (AWS), Tanya is the data strategy leader for the US-SE and LATAM regions. Previously, she was the executive of technology and analytics over Walmart's Global Sustainability and ESG portfolio, and prior to that Walmart's HR and Global Ethics & Compliance practices across 28 countries. Tanya holds degrees in Theoretical and Applied Mathematics from Virginia Tech and a Masters of Analytics from Villanova University.
Wojciech Wiewiórowski
European Data Protection Supervisor at EDPS
Event Details
- Date
- September 14-16, 2022
- 3 days
- Location
- 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- Pricing
- Free
- Audience
- Professionals, academics, policymakers, and individuals interested in data ethics and technology.