Our society is already digital – but how fit is democracy for it? How do digital technologies influence our political decision -making processes? How do we protect our democracy in a digital time and how far are we ready to go for it? How digital is Europe? And last but not least: What plans does the Austrian federal government have? These questions discussed yesterday, Thursday, subject expert: inside from politics, civil society, journalism, business and science at the Internet Summit Austria 2025 under the title “Digital Democracy. Codes, control and design” with around 140 guests.
Forcing technical development and protecting fundamental rights
The Summit was organized by the ISPA, the umbrella organization of the Austrian Internet economy. “How we live together has always changed. With technological progress, we are increasingly living in a digital democracy today,” said Secretary General Stefan Ebenberger. “It is crucial to use the chances that this change is positive: We must not lose the connection to the technical development and thus go depending on the dependencies, but should work more closely together in Europe and strengthen the digital skills. We are in a global competition.
At the same time, we actually have to live our basic values: If we want freedom and fundamental rights, we also have to protect them in the digital space. And in the event of considerations between fundamental rights and security, the technical reality should always be observed.
“He emphasized:” The ISPA has spoken out for digital humanism for many years. Slowly there is an awareness, but implementation is often still half -hearted. “
“Digital transformation must be ethically framed and politically designed”
This also underlined Keynote speaker Julian Nida-Rümelin, the rector of the Humanistic University of Berlin and former German Minister of State: “Humanism is considered to be outdated. In fact, it is currently the only hope to stop the loss of humanity and democracy. The digital transformation must be ethically framed and politically designed to contribute to the benefit of humanity.
What I call “digital humanism ‘offers orientation.”
Debate about security gaps, surveillance and freedom on the Internet
The debate about security and freedom on the Internet was central about the recently decided messenger monitoring. DSN director Omar Haijawi-Pirchner found that no new gaps are created, but only existing ones are used and in doubt about the life and health of the population. Thomas Korntheuer (public prosecutor’s association) added that in the investigation you see again and again that perpetrators deliberately switch to encrypted software. Thomas Lohninger (Epicenter.Works) and René Mayrhofer (JKU) emphasized that these gaps used mean a massive uncertainty factor for the general population if they remain and can therefore also be used by criminals, which ISPA has repeatedly pointed out in the past. Security is not exclusively the defense against terrorism, but has several dimensions, such as the stability of the IT infrastructure, which is the basis of our modern society.
Live democracy, use technology
In addition, there were several discussions with the Fach Expert on the Internet Summit Austria: Inside in small groups on self-determined IT infrastructure, Europe’s technical dependency and the importance of the digital discourse as well as a panel discussion of the parliamentary parties. ISPA President Harald Kapper says: “Democracy is not only going to the ballot tour every few years, as we can observe in more and more countries today. It has to be lived and maintained. Technology can make a contribution, but also make us with new difficulties. If propaganda bots poison the digital discourse, we need new solutions-and yet must not release the child with the bathing and refer back to the supposedly healed world in which the public discourse was reserved for a few gatekeepers. For this, transparency and trust are necessary, and for these reasons, we basically reject measures that the citizens: in the digital space in their rights.
Technology is a tool – we use it for a more open, democratic, more human future! “
All information about the Internet Summit Austria and can be found here: https://www.ispa.at/news-events/internet-summit-austria/internet-summit-austria-detailansicht/internet-summit-austria-2025/
More pictures in the APATAH-FOTOGALERIE