Digital Society Institute (DSI)

Our mission

About us

Who we are

The Digital Society Institute (DSI) at ESMT was founded in 2016 with a mission to bridge technology and society through research, education and capacity building activities that place digital trust, privacy and human rights at the center of digital development. The DSI has built a strong reputation for conducting applied research at the intersection of technology, society and the economy, becoming a trusted source for expert advice on different aspects of digitalisation, such as secure digital identities, digital diplomacy, internet governance, EU digital and tech policies and German IT law. Expanding the scope of its work, the DSI is working towards becoming a leading knowledge hub on digital technology, regulation and cybersecurity issues, with a special focus on European technology policies and regulation.

What we do

The DSI offers interdisciplinary solutions to some of the most urgent problems of our time: this ranges from insights into the digitalisation of public services and the rapid automation of industry in Europe, to developing policy recommendations in response to the rising influence of emerging technologies on countries’ internal and external policies. DSI researchers are featured in academic journals and leading press, contributing on the latest technological issues, including eGovernance, digital platforms, international law, internet governance and cybersecurity. The DSI conducts numerous research projects, working with companies and public institutions, and regularly hosts workshops and conferences, featuring leading international speakers, public officials and hundreds of attendees from diverse backgrounds.

[ITSR.sys] Workshop: Was folgt aus NIS 2? Neue Pflichten für die IT-Sicherheit von KRITIS-Betreibern und dem Mittelstand

Paving the Way into the Future of Cyberspace

Recent Event

[ITSR.sys] Workshop: Was folgt aus NIS 2? Neue Pflichten für die IT-Sicherheit von KRITIS-Betreibern und dem Mittelstand

3. Mai 2023 | ESMT Berlin | Auditorium II

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Past Event

The UN Project of a Global Digital Compact

ESMT Berlin | February 24, 2023

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Press release

Tenth Sino-European Cyber Dialogue

Geneva, Switzerland | December 22, 2022

Press release

Past Event

Advancing Cyber Stability - Developments and Challenges

Palais des Nations, Geneva, Switzerland | December 12, 2022

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Past Event

NATO CCDCOE Cybersecurity of 5G Networks Report Launch

ESMT Berlin | October 31, 2022

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"App and cyber security: The risks are real | DW Business"

April 7, 2023 | Deutsche Welle

Isabel Skierka, the program lead for technology politics and a researcher with the Digital Society Institute at ESMT Berlin, talks with Deutsche Welle about efforts different state and non-state actors undertake to collect data, surveil the Internet and launch cyber attacks.

"Cyberangriffe auf Behörden-Webseiten und ÖPNV"

April 6, 2023 | NDR Info

Nils Brinker, a researcher at Digital Society Institute at ESMT Berlin, comments on cyber attacks on government websites and public transport.

"Being a Cyberpower – China’s Ambitions in Cyberspace"

March 30, 2023 | Tech Policy Press

Europe and the US must find strategic answers to the questions that emerging technologies raise for security and international relations, argues Helene Pleil from ESMT Berlin.

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