Clouded and concentrated: Examining the digital foundations of Freedom of Expression

  • Panel
  • Maritime
  • Wednesday 20.05 — 14:15 - 15:30

Organising Institution

Article 19

Europe

  • Academic 2
  • Business 1
  • Policy 3
Freedom of expression is increasingly shaped at the infrastructure layer. Cloud providers control the digital foundation that enables communication platforms and democratic systems, yet their influence on human rights remains under-examined. Recent years have highlighted how infrastructure power can constrain expression. Major cloud outages have cascaded across dependent services, temporarily silencing entire sectors. In parallel, providers have deliberately terminated access to services, illustrating how infrastructure control enables censorship without meaningful oversight. Generative AI intensifies this scenario through dependency on hyperscale compute and extractive data practices. Government responses vary between promoting “sovereign” technologies and attracting foreign investment, but both often fall short of addressing governance gaps. This panel examines how cloud and AI infrastructure shapes freedom of expression, and explores regulatory approaches - from competition to HumanRights frameworks - needed to govern this critical layer of digital power.

Questions to be answered

  1. How do cloud infrastructure dependencies create new vulnerabilities for freedom of expression and access to information in democratic societies?
  2. How can existing regulatory frameworks apply to vertical integration across cloud and AI systems?
  3. What governance models could ensure that infrastructure providers remain accountable to human rights standards?

Moderator

Bárbara Simão

Article 19 - International

Bárbara Simão is a Programme Officer in the Global Team Digital at ARTICLE 19, where she works on the governance and regulation of data-intensive technologies, with a focus on artificial intelligence and digital infrastructures in the public sector. A lawyer by training, she specialises in public policy and digital rights. Before joining ARTICLE 19, she worked with organisations including the Brazilian Institute for Consumer Defence (Idec) and InternetLab, a law and technology think tank, leading projects on data protection and digital markets. She holds a Master’s degree in Law and Development from Fundação Getulio Vargas Law School (FGV Direito SP) and a Bachelor’s degree in Law from the University of São Paulo Law School (FDUSP).

Speaker

Agustin Ferrari Braun

University of Amsterdam - Netherlands

Agustin Ferrari Braun is a PhD researcher at the AlgoSoc Consortium, affiliated with the Media Studies Department at the University of Amsterdam. His doctoral research focuses on the politics of digital infrastructures in the European news media ecosystem. Agustin's research interests include political economy of media, media theory, and the cultural logics of (digital) capitalism. Agustin is part of different research groups, including the AI, Media, and Democracy Lab, the Critical Infrastructures Lab, and the Public Tech Media Lab.

Speaker

Corinne Cath

Article 19 - Netherlands

Dr. Corinne Cath-Speth is an anthropologist of technology, with a background in cloud computing, artificial intelligence (AI), and internet governance. In the past, she worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Delft and as the VP of research at the Open Tech Fund, an organization that supports open source technologies. Corinne is the head of Global team Digital at ARTICLE19, the team responsible for leading the organisation’s work on technical infrastructure and standards. Corinne holds a PhD and a masters degree from the University of Oxford, Oxford Internet Institute (OII).

Speaker

Willem Vermost

European Broadcasting Union (EBU). - Switzerland

Willem Vermost leads the EBU’s work on the transition to IP-based studio infrastructures. With more than 25 years of experience in the broadcast industry, he contributes as an expert and project manager to international strategic initiatives, expert groups, and industry events. He has been involved in various proof-of-concept projects and the JT-NM Tested Program and previously initiated the EBU LIST project. He currently works on the EBU Dynamic Media Facilities and the MXL project, where he chairs the Requirements Council.

Speaker

Sandrine Elmi Hersi

ARCEP - France

Sandrine Elmi Hersi is the Head of the Open Internet Unit at the French National Regulatory Authority for Electronic Communications (Arcep), where she leads initiatives on open internet regulation, data interconnection, and ecodesign requirements for digital players. She coordinated the recent work of Arcep on Generative AIs' impact on open internet. From 2021 to 2024, she served as a Co-Chair of the BEREC Sustainability Working Group. Prior to this, she worked as a European Affairs Officer at Arcep and at the French National Assembly, focusing primarily on digital and sustainability regulations. She holds a Master’s degree in Public Policy from Sciences Po Paris.