Session
Organizer 1: Technical Community, Eastern European Group
Organizer 2: Technical Community, African Group
Organizer 3: Civil Society, Asia-Pacific Group
Organizer 2: Technical Community, African Group
Organizer 3: Civil Society, Asia-Pacific Group
Speaker 1: Kimathi Eric, Technical Community, Eastern European Group
Speaker 2: Yasmin Curzi de Mendonça, Technical Community, Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC)
Speaker 3: Athanase Bahizire, Technical Community, African Group
Speaker 4: Yawri Carr, Civil Society, Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC)
Speaker 5: Yug Desai, Civil Society, Asia-Pacific Group
Speaker 2: Yasmin Curzi de Mendonça, Technical Community, Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC)
Speaker 3: Athanase Bahizire, Technical Community, African Group
Speaker 4: Yawri Carr, Civil Society, Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC)
Speaker 5: Yug Desai, Civil Society, Asia-Pacific Group
Format
Roundtable
Duration (minutes): 60
Format description: A roundtable discussion is recommended for this session, scheduled for 60 minutes. This format is best suited as it encourages equal participation, interactive dialogue, and a focused exchange of ideas among diverse stakeholders. The session will feature brief presentations followed by a moderated discussion and Q&A, allowing ample time for in-depth exploration of case studies, debate on policy challenges, and collaborative problem-solving. This dynamic, conversational setup is designed to stimulate interdisciplinary insights and actionable takeaways without imposing additional burdens on any single participant.
Duration (minutes): 60
Format description: A roundtable discussion is recommended for this session, scheduled for 60 minutes. This format is best suited as it encourages equal participation, interactive dialogue, and a focused exchange of ideas among diverse stakeholders. The session will feature brief presentations followed by a moderated discussion and Q&A, allowing ample time for in-depth exploration of case studies, debate on policy challenges, and collaborative problem-solving. This dynamic, conversational setup is designed to stimulate interdisciplinary insights and actionable takeaways without imposing additional burdens on any single participant.
Policy Question(s)
• How do privacy and security reviews in standardization processes advance the integration of human rights and internet resilience into digital design?
• What strategies can enhance multistakeholder participation, particularly from private industry and big tech, in privacy oversight?
• To what extent do these reviews impact the internet resilience, real-world adoption and effectiveness of digital standards?
What will participants gain from attending this session? Participants will gain a comprehensive understanding of integrating privacy and human rights into digital technology standardization. They will explore a range of approaches across different SDOs and engage in discussions that highlight diverse experiences and strategies. The session offers an opportunity to reflect on stakeholder engagement and the balance between innovation and rights protection, leaving attendees with new perspectives and a flexible framework to inform their own practices and policy discussions in digital governance. After the session, participants can identify opportunities that exist in internet standardization and the roles that various stakeholders can take up in contributing to standards development.
SDGs
Description:
Digital innovation is reshaping our world, yet embedding human rights—particularly privacy—into digital standards remains a multifaceted challenge. This roundtable session broadens its scope to explore how privacy reviews and human rights considerations are being integrated into digital standardization efforts across a spectrum of standard development organizations (SDOs), including the W3C, IETF, and IEEE. The session invites an open dialogue on the diverse approaches these bodies employ to incorporate privacy into technical frameworks, without prescribing a single method or outcome. Discussions will consider how privacy reviews, stakeholder dynamics, and regulatory oversight interact with technical innovation to shape digital standards. The session will also shed light on best ways to participate in these discussions at relevant bodies which are critical for building the internet. The open-ended policy questions will encourage participants to share insights, experiences, and ideas that will lead to creative solutions and inputs. This format aims to foster an environment where varied perspectives contribute to a broader understanding of how human rights can be effectively embedded in the design and evolution of digital systems.
Digital innovation is reshaping our world, yet embedding human rights—particularly privacy—into digital standards remains a multifaceted challenge. This roundtable session broadens its scope to explore how privacy reviews and human rights considerations are being integrated into digital standardization efforts across a spectrum of standard development organizations (SDOs), including the W3C, IETF, and IEEE. The session invites an open dialogue on the diverse approaches these bodies employ to incorporate privacy into technical frameworks, without prescribing a single method or outcome. Discussions will consider how privacy reviews, stakeholder dynamics, and regulatory oversight interact with technical innovation to shape digital standards. The session will also shed light on best ways to participate in these discussions at relevant bodies which are critical for building the internet. The open-ended policy questions will encourage participants to share insights, experiences, and ideas that will lead to creative solutions and inputs. This format aims to foster an environment where varied perspectives contribute to a broader understanding of how human rights can be effectively embedded in the design and evolution of digital systems.
Expected Outcomes
The session is expected to yield actionable insights on refining privacy review mechanisms in digital standardization. Key outcomes include:
• Identification of best practices for multistakeholder engagement and transparency in privacy oversight.
• Enhanced understanding of the relationship between technical standards and human rights integration.
• Policy recommendations for strengthening the role of privacy reviews in shaping digital ecosystems.
• Opportunities for follow-up collaborations, further research, and the development of guidelines that align technical innovation with human rights imperatives.
• Taking into account the interests of the various stakeholders, the session will provide guidance about privacy, security and resilience discussions, thereby increasing interest and participation in Standards Development Bodies by underrepresented stakeholder groups.
Hybrid Format: The session is designed such that onsite and online participants get enough opportunities for intervention throughout the session and not just towards the end. Use of polls (tools such as mentimeter) will ensure inputs in a hybrid format. In addition, after every discussion on a policy question by the speakers, participants are given an opportunity to share their interventions on the topic. Towards the end of the session, there is a live Q/A and discussion with everyone to generate interaction from the audience. In addition to the chat box, the online moderator will note requests of the online participants and inform the onsite moderator.