Events

Going Digital: A Discussion on Tech Company Support to Legislatures Around the World

Given the ongoing challenges legislatures face in this increasingly digital world, what support can technology companies provide to help legislatures more transparently and efficiently operate online?

Virtual Event November 18, 2021 9:30am – 10:30am

Overview.

Democracies are facing a myriad of challenges around the world. Autocrats are consolidating power, censorship and surveillance are increasing, and malign foreign authoritarian influence is undermining open societies in both on and offline spaces. Meanwhile, legislatures – key pillars for pushing back against those trends – are struggling to respond and adjust to the changing expectations of elected officials brought about by the Internet and social media. Core to addressing those issues is ensuring that legislatures can securely and effectively embrace digital technology to advance their work and democratic principles. Given the ongoing challenges legislatures face in this increasingly digital world, what support can technology companies provide to help legislatures more transparently and efficiently operate online? What resources and support are available to legislatures? How have legislatures capitalized upon digital tools to improve their operations? And how are legislatures and technology providers addressing the risks that going digital can create?

Please join the D4D Coalition on Thursday, November 18 at 9:30 a.m. ET for a conversation about how Facebook and Microsoft seek to support legislatures around the world, what digital tools are available to help legislatures adapt to new challenges and the best practices to use those tools. The International Republican Institute’s Going Digital: A Playbook for Legislatures will also be shared, a guide designed to help legislatures, elected representatives, and their staff securely use technology to increase their capacity to respond to citizens and hold governments accountable – particularly in instances where they are unable to operate in person.