Michael Granitzer
University of Passau
Biography
Prof. Dr Michael Granitzer has been the chair of data science at the University of Passau since 2017. His research interests are applied machine learning, web information retrieval and natural language processing. He has published over 190 mostly peer-reviewed works, including journal publications, book chapters and books in the above-mentioned fields. Currently he is coordinating the OpenWebSearch.eu project. For more details, see
Organisation
University of Passau
Educational institution
Speaker session
PLENARY 2 : Shaping Digital Identity and Credentials in the Web 4.0 Era: Empowering and Safeguarding Individuals in the Online World
Three European Commission’s flagship initiatives – the European Digital Identity (EUDI) Regulation, reinforced by the European Blockchain Services Infrastructure (EBSI), and the Next Generation Internet (NGI) – have great potential to boost the adoption of digital identities across Europe and to prepare for future implementation. Driven by a common set of values, they aim, among others, to shape a user-centric digital identity and establish an enabling ecosystem for the Web 4.0 era.
The panel will explore whether – and how – the three initiatives could steer technological developments towards social and environmental good, ensuring that digital identity solutions empower and protect users in the EU and across the globe, leading to a safer, more connected, and sustainable world for all.
The invited experts will examine potential synergies between the initiatives to reinforce the adoption of digital identities across Europe and facilitate cross-border services while prioritising inclusion, user protection and privacy. The panel will furthermore explore future evolutions of digital identity, challenges and ways to shape a user-centric digital identity ecosystem for Web 4.0 that would foster trust and confidence in the digital realm globally.
Moderated by Alex Grech, Executive Director, The 3CL Foundation
Alex Grech
University of Malta
Biography
Alex Grech is a strategist, change consultant and academic. Over the past 30 years, he has worked with multinationals, governments, NGOs and startups in sectors ranging from ICT, telecoms and neuroscience to culture, education and public policy. Following an early career in multinationals, Alex has advised organisations including the ILO, UNESCO, the European Commission, RISE, the Mastercard Foundation, Ericsson, the World Bank, the Pan-African Consortium on the Digitalisation of TVET and the Ministry for Education in Malta.
Alex is the founding Executive Director of the 3CL Foundation, a knowledge hub for a global network of institutions and educators interested in the rapid deployment of EdTech programmes based on action research, advocacy and praxis. He is a member of the strategic committee of DC4EU, a large scale EU-funded project piloting the EU Digital Identity Wallet in both the educational sector and the Social Security domain, and leading strategic communications. Alex teaches new media at the University of Malta within the Faculty of Media & Knowledge Sciences, with research interests in digital and media literacies, blockchain & self-sovereign identity, social media and power. He holds a PhD in Internet Computing from the University of Hull and is a Chartered Accountant by profession. His book Media, Technology and Education in a Post-Truth Society was published by Emerald. His latest publication, a Manifesto for Young People on Information, is being translated in several languages.
Organisation
University of Malta
Educational institution
Speaker session
PLENARY 2 : Shaping Digital Identity and Credentials in the Web 4.0 Era: Empowering and Safeguarding Individuals in the Online World
Three European Commission’s flagship initiatives – the European Digital Identity (EUDI) Regulation, reinforced by the European Blockchain Services Infrastructure (EBSI), and the Next Generation Internet (NGI) – have great potential to boost the adoption of digital identities across Europe and to prepare for future implementation. Driven by a common set of values, they aim, among others, to shape a user-centric digital identity and establish an enabling ecosystem for the Web 4.0 era.
The panel will explore whether – and how – the three initiatives could steer technological developments towards social and environmental good, ensuring that digital identity solutions empower and protect users in the EU and across the globe, leading to a safer, more connected, and sustainable world for all.
The invited experts will examine potential synergies between the initiatives to reinforce the adoption of digital identities across Europe and facilitate cross-border services while prioritising inclusion, user protection and privacy. The panel will furthermore explore future evolutions of digital identity, challenges and ways to shape a user-centric digital identity ecosystem for Web 4.0 that would foster trust and confidence in the digital realm globally.
Moderated by Alex Grech, Executive Director, The 3CL Foundation
Adriana Groh
Sovereign Tech Fund
Biography
Adriana Groh is a co-founder of the Sovereign Tech Fund, a new programme with the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action set up to invest in open digital infrastructures. Previously, she developed a project on digital sovereignty, participation and data commons at The New Institute in Hamburg, and was director of the Prototype Fund, an innovation fund of the Open Knowledge Foundation and the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research.
Her interest lies in applying democratic principles to the field of innovation and digitalisation, which led her to co-initiate several tech projects, such as a chat app for the 2017 and 2021 federal elections in Germany and the #WeVsVirus Hackathon 2020 which saw close to 30 000 participants involved.
Organisation
Sovereign Tech Fund
Local/national government
The Sovereign Tech Fund supports the development, improvement and maintenance of open digital infrastructure. Our goal is to sustainably strengthen the open source ecosystem. We focus on security, resilience, technological diversity, and the people behind the code.
Speaker session
PLENARY 2 : Shaping Digital Identity and Credentials in the Web 4.0 Era: Empowering and Safeguarding Individuals in the Online World
Three European Commission’s flagship initiatives – the European Digital Identity (EUDI) Regulation, reinforced by the European Blockchain Services Infrastructure (EBSI), and the Next Generation Internet (NGI) – have great potential to boost the adoption of digital identities across Europe and to prepare for future implementation. Driven by a common set of values, they aim, among others, to shape a user-centric digital identity and establish an enabling ecosystem for the Web 4.0 era.
The panel will explore whether – and how – the three initiatives could steer technological developments towards social and environmental good, ensuring that digital identity solutions empower and protect users in the EU and across the globe, leading to a safer, more connected, and sustainable world for all.
The invited experts will examine potential synergies between the initiatives to reinforce the adoption of digital identities across Europe and facilitate cross-border services while prioritising inclusion, user protection and privacy. The panel will furthermore explore future evolutions of digital identity, challenges and ways to shape a user-centric digital identity ecosystem for Web 4.0 that would foster trust and confidence in the digital realm globally.
Moderated by Alex Grech, Executive Director, The 3CL Foundation