Freedom in the digital world, a complicated equation

By being “at the service of every citizen“, digital technology must be inclusive, while guaranteeing respect for freedoms. In France, digital exclusion concerns nearly 30% of the population, a phenomenon whose extent has been fully revealed during the current health crisis. Faced with this reality, digital inclusion is a real challenge for society, with the key to reducing divides and inequalities, increasing the chances of success, increasing autonomy and, consequently, a means of preserving freedoms. However, is digital inclusion really a guarantee of freedom? How can freedom of expression be preserved while at the same time limiting it in the event of abuse? How can individual and collective freedoms be guaranteed even as digital technology transforms them? This session aims to answer these questions, which have been made particularly topical by the Coronavirus crisis, by looking at the complexity of the relationship between digital and freedom.