At Summit for Democracy, US targets tech tools used by repressive governments
- The Biden administration hosts a session on combating the misuse of commercial spyware and shaping emerging tech that features lawmakers, CEOs and others
- US$690 million is pledged for initiative to aid independent media, combat corruption, support democratic reformers and defend free and fair elections
The United States wrapped up its second Summit for Democracy on Thursday by hosting a session on “advancing democracy through technology” – a key theme at an event broadly aimed at countering authoritarianism and promoting human rights.
The two-day summit yielded about a dozen new or expanded commitments from Washington that were focused on fighting the digital tactics that autocratic governments use as tools of repression at home and abroad.
“We are pushing back vigorously on authoritarian governments’ increasing use of technology to abuse human rights and undermine democracy,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday.
Blinken spoke at a five-hour hybrid session on combating the misuse of technologies and shaping emerging tech – one of five regional events held by each of the summit hosts – which saw the participation of civil society, the US Congress and private sector leaders like the CEOs of YouTube and artificial intelligence start-up Anthropic.
The summit was part of a commitment US President Joe Biden made during the 2020 campaign to champion democracy at home and around the world. It also was part of his administration’s efforts to change the environment in which countries like China operate instead of confronting them directly.