https://video.edu.nl/videos/watch/dd925cb5-3082-4b91-9075-83ade6fd829b When Big Tech rules universities: reclaiming academic freedom through digital sovereignty Digital infrastructures are essential resources enabling research and education. Now, however, universities that have long made themselves dependent on cloud services provided by BigTech are additionally incorporating a variety of AI-tools that it offers. This does not only come with risks to privacy, data protection, and security, but also threatens the very core of universities: academic freedom. Firstly, such freedom – next to scientific advancements and institutional autonomy – may fall victim to changes in transatlantic relations. Secondly, though less manifestly, academia may become shaped by economic rather than public values, such as research integrity. This panel will consider whether the use of alternative research infrastructures by universities – opposing Big Tech’s dominance – is feasible and can preserve universities’ independence by enhancing digital sovereignty, which is a prerequisite for academic freedom in the age of AI and cloud computing. Questions to be answered: How deeply does infrastructural dependency affect academic freedom?, What are the obstacles to digital sovereignty for universities and research institutions and why it is so difficult to to choose alternatives?, What could make a change? What tools do we have and are they actually helpful?, Which is the one thing that policy makers and/or regulators must do?, Organised by AlgoSoc with Maria Luisa Stasi (moderator), Cecilia Rikap, Natali Helberger, Wladimir Mufty, Frank Karlitschek More information: https://cpdp.be/123803 Sun, 14 Jun 2026 17:30:59 GMT https://validator.w3.org/feed/docs/rss2.html PeerTube - https://video.edu.nl https://video.edu.nl/lazy-static/avatars/41ca21ea-ec0e-425f-b408-b8aafec11537.png https://video.edu.nl/videos/watch/dd925cb5-3082-4b91-9075-83ade6fd829b All rights reserved, unless otherwise specified in the terms specified at https://video.edu.nl/about and potential licenses granted by each content's rightholder.