Internet of Things Gent

Webinar: From Regulatory Compliance to Digital Sovereignty – new tradeoffs for Data Protection, Privacy and Security?

April 6, 2026 @ 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm

Speakers:

o Vinton Cerf, one of the “fathers of the Internet”, Vice President and Chief Internet Evangelist for Google, Disability Rights activist
o Geneviève Fieux-Castagnet, Head of AI Ethics, SNCF Group
o Gwendal Le Grand - Deputy Head of the EDPB Secretariat
o Gérald Santucci — President, European Education New Society Association (ENSA); former Head of Unit “Knowledge Sharing” (2012–2016) and “Networked Enterprise & RFID” (2006–2012), DG CONNECT
o Andrea Servida — Retired from the European Commission; former Head of Unit “Knowledge Management & Innovative Systems”, DG CONNECT

Moderated by Gaelle Le Gars and Rob van Kranenburg
This Webinar will cover the broad aspects of the above dynamic – what are the next steps in governance now, can there be a new global governance, what are the lessons learned from the web and IoT – as well as some of its specific aspects – what will privacy and security look like in ten years, will identity be worked in on the level of the chip, or OS, how can we operationalize an ethical guideline?

Africa has the youngest population in the world, with a median age of approximately 19 to 19.7 years old. This means roughly half the population is under 20, with over 60% of the population under 25 years old.
And this means it has a huge Gen Z population.

Gen Z includes individuals born between 1997 and 2012. As of 2026, this cohort is roughly 14 to 29 years old. They are known as "digital natives" who grew up with internet access and mobile technology from a young age.

In this webinar we want to introduce the work of Abdur Rahim Biswas, Managing Director at WAZIUP and David Li, Director at Shenzhen Open Innovation Lab in various African locations, their lessons learned and the motto to look very carefully at what has worked so far, before starting projects with assumptions not based in local realities.
At the heart of the discussion is the work of Joy Tang, Internet of Things Whole System & Innovation Strategist, who for the past decades has been working in different African contexts.
With the evolution of the Internet, she has been focusing on the design, development and deployment of oneVillage Initiative (OVI) for whole system thinking and collaboration:

• Highlights the role of ICT in building an interdisciplinary, bottom up approach

• Focuses on critical issues that threaten the viability and stability of global villages;

• Provides capacity building services to unleash human potential and motivation to do good.

She is currently in Zinder, Niger, attempting to create a Tech Hub for local production. Through the seminar we want to find ideas, projects and sponsors.

Voor beleidsmakers, app bouwers, mensen geïnteresseerd in digital sovereignty en strategic autonomy, open source oplossingen en de laatste inzichten over cloud-edge en AI.

Boek:
https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-80645-2

Offering an analysis of the digital transformation process in various industries and institutions, the book highlights the severe repercussions and impacts on democratic decision-making. Readers will learn how the convergence of cloud systems, data platforms, and connected objects is facilitating this transformation process, one characterized by a virtual representation of every person, object, and machine – a digital twin.

The book makes the case for a (6G) phone/hardware wallet built on European chip requirements and platforms and running on its own OS to promote technical European integration on infrastructure, applications, and services. Given its scope, the book will appeal to policymakers and practitioners interested in European digital governance and autonomy, as well as scholars of public administration, public policy, and political science.