This house believes that open technology and standards have widened social injustice.
Doors open at 7pm, debate starts at 8pm.
Buy Tickets or £20 / £10 (concessions) on the door.
Open technology and standards have driven a revolution in the way that information is created, consumed, shared and commented upon. From medical advice to fake news, almost anything can be found, at any time, by anyone, wherever they may be.
Many might assume that the free-flow of information has reinforced the three tenets of social justice: liberty, equality and fraternity. The Internet age has freed voices that weren’t previously heard, spread education and wealth, brought communities together.
But is there a darker side to the information revolution that has, in fact, widened social injustice? Has it created a divide between those who control information and those who consume it; between the young who understand the new technology and the old who don’t; between the rich who have access to the latest electronic gadgets and the poor who can’t afford to get connected online?
Leading information scientists and social justice campaigners come together to debate whether the open digital world has increased liberty, equality and fraternity or has widened social injustice across the globe.