Summer School: Challenges of regulating the digital environment

The third Digital Rights Summer School was held from 25 to 31 August in Perast, Montenegro, gathering more than 40 journalists, activists and experts in the fields of AI, media, human rights, surveillance, and digital policy.

During five days of talks and workshops, numerous issues regarding the regulation of the digital environment were discussed and analysed. New EU regulations, i.e. the Digital Services Act, the Digital Markets Act and the Artificial Intelligence Act, and their implications for the Western Balkans were given particular attention. In addition, topics such as collective redress of digital rights, links between social justice and technology, counter-surveillance techniques and non-consensual intimate image abuse were also discussed.

Many thanks to all participants, lecturers, and guests for the exciting week we spent together! The program was organised by SHARE Foundation, European Digital Rights (EDRi) and Digital Freedom Fund.

We owe our gratitude for the support of the Summer School to the Gieskes-Strijbis Fonds, the Open Society Foundations Western Balkans and the Balkan Trust for Democracy. The Summer School was also supported by a core grant from the regional project SMART Balkans – Civil Society for a Connected Western Balkans, implemented by the Center for Civil Society Promotion (CPCD) in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Center for Research and Policy Making (CRPM) in North Macedonia, and the Institute for Democracy and Mediation (IDM) in Albania, financially supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Norway.