The Freedom Online Coalition (FOC) is a group of 32 countries (including Austria) deeply committed to the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms both offline and online. It was established in 2011 at the inaugural Freedom Online Conference in The Hague, the Netherlands. As Members of civil society and the tech industry are – among governments – also represented through the FOC Advisory Network, the FOC also highlights how new technologies and digital tools can be used by authoritarian states to suppress fundamental rights.
The FOC arranges its activities in a variety of formats, including issue-specific task forces to work on joint statements on each of the priority issues. On Thursday, Jan 28, the Task Force on Artificial Intelligence and Human Rights was held focusing on contributions by Austria, represented by Martin Boyer, AIT expert for public security solutions and project manager of the Austrian KIRAS project defalsif-AI and Open Austria, a joint initiative by the Federal Ministry for Europe, Integration and Foreign Affairs and the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber in its role as the official Austrian presence in Silicon Valley. In his statement Boyer emphasized, that disinformation is just one facet of a bigger problem which is the manipulation of public opinion to affect the real world.
defalsif-AI, coordinated within the Center for Digital Safety & Security of AIT Austrian Institute of Technology, is focusing on the development of intelligent (AI) tools to assist in the detection of disinformation. A legal and social science analysis and assessment as well as an exploitation plan for governmental and media practitioners are completing the undertaking. The aim of the developed solutions is to enable as much transparency as possible to support the end-users in their decision-making processes.
As a result of this discussion on Artificial Intelligence and Human Rights, the partners agreed on a further exchange on future cooperation and synergies.