Digital Surveillance and Censorship in Eurasia in the Age of COVID-19

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Digital Surveillance and Censorship in Eurasia in the Age of COVID-19

May 28, 2020

Join the U.S. Agency for Global Media and IREX for an online panel discussion on digital surveillance, censorship, and COVID-19.

As governments have begun to enact emergency measures to counteract the spread of COVID-19, many have turned to digital surveillance and censorship of media as a response to the pandemic. New government actions have caused growing concern over privacy and digital rights. Civil society organizations such as Amnesty International and Digital Rights Watch are warning of the potential threat of adopting invasive digital surveillance in a time of crisis as well as the longevity of invasive measures. At the same time, global health experts are lauding the use of technology in contact tracing and in monitoring those who fall ill.

During this panel discussion, Peter Roudik (director of the legal library at the Library of Congress), Jamie Fly (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty president and CEO), Konstantin Eggert (columnist at Deutshe Welle and former editor-in-chief of BBC Russian Service, and Franak Viachorka (digital media strategist at USAGM) will discuss the impact of a global increase in digital surveillance and media censorship, and the boundary between public health benefits and privacy risks in Eurasia. Joan Mower (director of development and training at the U.S. Agency for Global Media) will moderate the discussion.

We hope you can join this important discussion.

Event Information

May 28, 2020, 9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.

USAGM Headquarters
Washington, D.C.

Speakers

Jamie Fly resumed his leadership of RFE/RL as President and Chief Executive Officer on February 16, 2021, following his reappointment by the RFE/RL Board of Directors. Fly was first named RFE/RL President and Chief Executive Officer on July 10, 2019, effective August 1, 2019. Prior to his appointment, Fly served as a senior fellow, co-director of the Alliance for Security Democracy, and director of the Future of Geopolitics and Asia programs at The German Marshall Fund of the United States. He served as a counselor for Foreign and National Security Affairs to Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) from 2013-17, serving as his foreign policy advisor during his presidential campaign. Prior to joining Senator Rubio’s staff in February 2013, he served as the executive director of the Foreign Policy Initiative (FPI) from its founding in early 2009. Prior to joining FPI, Fly served in the Bush administration at the National Security Council (2008-09) and in the Office of the Secretary of Defense (2005-08). His articles and reviews have been published in a wide variety of outlets in the United States and Europe. For his work in the Department of Defense, he was awarded the Office of the Secretary of Defense Medal for Exceptional Public Service. Fly received a B.A. in international studies and political science from American University and an M.A. in German and European studies from Georgetown University.
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Peter L. Roudik is director of legal research at the Law Library of Congress, where he coordinates research on all issues of U.S., foreign, comparative, and international law for Congress and other branches of government. He also continues to provide research on the laws of Russia and other former Soviet republics. Before joining the Law Library, Roudik worked as a research scholar at the University of Chicago Law School, served as a legal advisor to the Russian Parliament, and taught law at the Moscow Institute of Technology. He holds an MA in strategic studies from the U.S. Naval War College, a JSD from the Institute of State and Law of the Russian Academy of Science, and a joint degree in history and law from the State University of Moscow. Roudik is a member of the DC Bar Association. He served at the U.S. Department of State ad hoc Committee on Religious Freedom and was a member of the U.S. Board on Geographic Names. He has also been a guest lecturer at Howard and Tufts Universities and participated in exchange programs at the University of Toronto and Capital University of Ohio. He has been featured at various professional conferences, and his articles on legal developments in the countries of his jurisdiction have been published in legal periodicals in the U.S. and abroad.
Konstantin Eggert is a Russian journalist and political commentator, currently a columnist at Deutsche Welle. He served as the former deputy editor, then editor-in-chief for Kommersant FM radio in Moscow and is now a consultant dealing with communications, reputation management, and political risks for major investors in Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States. He is the former vice president for public and government affairs for ExxonMobil Russia Inc., where he was in charge of relations with the Russian government, communications, political and economic analysis, and charity projects.
Franak Viačorka is a digital media strategist at the U.S. Agency for Global Media (contractor) focusing on digital markets of Russia and Eurasia. He has worked as a creative director for the Belarus service of Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty and Vice President for Digital Communication Network. Franak is a frequent speaker and an advocate for democracy and personal freedom. He graduated from American University in Washington D.C. (M.A.) and Warsaw University in Poland (B.A.)
Joan Mower is head of development and international media training at USAGM. She oversees special broadcasting and training projects around the world. In 2007-2008, she worked at the Department of State, handling public affairs on Sudan and Darfur. She has done extensive media training and public speaking in the United States and abroad. Previously, she was the acting director Public Relations at VOA and the Communications Coordinator at the United States Agency for Global Media (USAGM). She joined USAGM after serving as the director of international programs/Africa and Latin America at The Freedom Forum/Newseum. At the foundation, she promoted press freedom, working with journalists, governments and the private sector. She is also a former Foreign Service Officer. Mower began her career as a journalist with UPI. In Washington, she worked for the Associated Press, covering the State Department, Congress and the White House. She graduated from the University of California/Berkeley with a degree in political science, and she holds an M.A. in African Studies from Johns Hopkins SAIS.
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