Combat Mistrust of Technology

In an increasingly connected world, the risks to democracy and freedom of expression are also greater. The Internet forever changed the dynamics in which society consumes information, breaking paradigms, and creating others. It is a revolution that is still going on today and will hardly be stopped.

Many of us use the internet every day. We share a lot of information online, sometimes delicate. We use search engines and social networking platforms, which feed on algorithms we know little or nothing about it. The decisions we make every day are increasingly influenced by things we don't fully understand.

And if in the past it was thought that the Internet was going to be a tool to unite humanity, today things have changed a little. Disinformation and the misuse of our data are challenges that overnight affect the entire planet. Fake news, barriers against freedom of expression and the manipulation of our personal data on the net are 21st century problems that have caused a deep mistrust of technology in recent years.

New Rules

Understanding these new rules of the game is by no means easy. And it is precisely this mistrust of technology that haunts the Frenchman Patrick Penninckx, head of the Information Society Department of the Council of Europe, one of the panelists invited to participate in the Great Media Forum 2019, promoted by Caracol Televisión in Bogota. The expert arrives with the objective of exposing solutions so that people can trust the Internet again.

With more than 25 years of experience in the Council of Europe, Penninckx today coordinates the establishment of standards and cooperation activities in the fields of media, internet governance, data protection, and cybercrime in this organization.

It has also warned against the threats that the digital age can bring to private and family life, freedom of expression, and democracy.

However, for some years now, in the hope of renewing confidence in technological tools, indispensable in today's world, the French expert has advocated the idea of promoting human rights in technologies.

According to Penninckx, this will bring great benefits to freedom of expression, to journalists, and, in general, to all Internet users.

For Penninckx, a public speaker with a degree in Political Science and Education from the University of Louvain, the solution to technological mistrust could combine transparency, education and awareness of the use of technologies and, where necessary, regulatory frameworks. Therefore, at a time when democracy and institutions are threatened by the misuse of the Internet, it is imperative that, as Penninckx proposes, alternatives be sought in order to regain trust ,and thus contribute to the construction of better societies throughout the planet.

Media: myths, challenges, and truths for the future

As part of its 50th anniversary, Caracol Televisión organizes the forum "Media: myths, challenges and truths for the future", on August 30th. In the event, which will be broadcast by www.elespectador.com, www.noticiascaracol.com, and www.bluradio, will participate, in addition to the American writer Michael Wolff, the Brazilian Roberto Schmidt, director of Globo Television Marketing, one of the most recognized experts in media innovation.

John Frelinghuysen, consultant and digital EXVP for Disney and ABC will talk about the future of media.

In the Panel, "Global Scenario in Content and Advertising Industry Regulation" will be international experts such as Patrick Penninks, and for Colombia, Jorge Martinez, Secretary General of Caracol Television. They and Dago García, Caracol's VP of Production, will debate the responsibility of the media in the development of the country.