Can we redesign the digital world to serve democracy, rather than erode it?
That’s the driving question behind a new webinar series from Tech Policy Press, Columbia World Projects, and the Centre for Digital Governance at the Hertie School. The series brings together leading voices in tech, policy, civil society, and academia to explore how digital governance can support democratic renewal–at a time when the US approach to digital policy is increasingly diverging from democracies around the world.
Across Fall 2025 and Winter 2026, we invite you to join us for six virtual discussions as part of a transatlantic initiative on Digital Governance for Democratic Renewal. Each session will address key tensions in the current era of digital policymaking:
- How should we govern platforms that wield outsized influence over democratic discourse?
- Can algorithmic systems and content moderation ever be truly democratic?
- What new models (legal, technical, or institutional) could put public values at the center of platform design?
Each hour-long webinar features a presentation from a leading researcher, policymaker, or practitioner aiming to reshape the future of tech. A respondent will offer reflections, followed by open Q&A and discussion with attendees.
All events are open to the public. Whether you work in policy, tech, activism, or research, or are simply concerned about the future of democracy in the digital age, this series offers a unique space to learn, debate, and engage with new ideas.
Watch previous discussions in this series:
March 2026: Paddy Leerssen on Platform Ownership and the Politics of Online Content Governance
Paddy Leerrseen (University of Amsterdam) opened this session by discussing his article, “From Murdoch to Musk: Platform ownership and the political economy of online content governance”. He explored how, as ownership of major platforms becomes ever-more concentrated in the hands of several tech oligarchs, those owners’ political and economic interests now play a decisive role in shaping content moderation decisions. Robyn Caplan (Duke) served as the discussant.
February 2026: Udbhav Tiwari on The Encryption Equation: Trust, Technology, and the Public Good
Udbhav Tiwari (Signal) opened this session by offering his thoughts on how we should design and govern digital platforms to stabilize and promote democratic practice. Drawing on his work at Signal, he discussed the thinking behind Signal’s encryption protocol, the real costs of maintaining platform security, and why digital privacy must remain central to the future of technology innovation and governance. Susan McGregor (Columbia University) served as the discussant.
January 2026: Tamar Mitts on Disinformation and National Defense
Tamar Mitts (Columbia School of International and Public Affairs) opened this session by offering her thoughts on how we should design and govern digital platforms to stabilize and promote democratic practice, with reference to her book, Safe Havens for Hate. Alex Engler (University of Pennsylvania) served as the discussant.- November 2025: Nathan Schneider on the Primacy of Attention
Nathan Schneider (University of Colorado Boulder) opened this session by offering his thoughts on how we should design and govern digital platforms to stabilize and promote democratic practice, with reference to his article, “Online Governance Surfaces and Attention Economies”. Matthew Connelly (Columbia University) served as the discussant.
- April 2025: Jennifer Forestal on Rethinking Democratic Design
Jennifer Forestal (Loyola University Chicago) opened this session by offering her thoughts on how we should design and govern digital platforms to stabilize and promote democratic practice, with reference to her book, Designing for Democracy: How to Build Community in Digital Environments. Jon Nash (Demos; Early Studies) served as the discussant.
- March 2025: danah boyd on Interventions - Not Solutions - In an Era of AI Policymaking
danah boyd (Microsoft Research) opened this session by offering her thoughts on how we should design and govern digital platforms to stabilize and promote democratic practice, with reference to her essay, "We Need an Interventionist Mindset". B Cavello (they/them) (Aspen Digital) served as the discussant.
- January 2025: Anu Bradford on Tech Policy Trade-Offs
Anu Bradford (Columbia Law School) opened this session by offering her thoughts on how we should design and govern digital platforms to stabilize and promote democratic practice, with reference to her latest work on the "false choice" between regulation and innovation. Max von Thun (Open Markets Institute) served as the discussant.
- December 2024: Helena Malikova on Surveillance Premia
Helena Malikova (DG COMP; Hertie School Centre for Digital Governance) opened the session by offering her thoughts on how we should design and govern digital platforms to stabilize and promote democratic practice, with reference to her research at the Harvard Kennedy School that assesses whether companies that monetize personal data receive a "surveillance" premium in their evaluations. Andrea Prat (Columbia University) served as the discussant.