[Commlist] CfP GIG-ARTS 2026

10th GIG-ARTS Conference | 14-15th May 2026, Dublin
Digital Futures, Sustainable Freedoms: Rights, Responsibilities and 
Governance

Call for Papers Deadline: 19th January 2026*

The European Multidisciplinary Conference on Global Internet Governance 
Actors, Regulations, Transactions and Strategies (GIG-ARTS) gathers 
scholars and practitioners in an annual conference to debate the latest 
research on governing the global internet. Each conference highlights a 
main theme while also welcoming contributions on other aspects of global 
internet governance.

Earlier GIG-ARTS meetings have addressed themes such as “Global Internet 
Governance as a Diplomacy Issue” (Paris, 2017), “Overcoming Inequalities 
in Internet Governance” (Cardiff, 2018), “Europe as a Global Player in 
Internet Governance” (Salerno, 2019), “Online Information Governance” 
(Vienna, 2021), “Global Internet Governance and International Human 
Rights” (Nicosia, 2022), and “The Governance of Cybersecurity: 
Resilience, Human Rights and Democracy” (Padua, 2023), “Thirty Years of 
Multistakeholderism in Internet Governance: Assessments and Prospects” 
(The Hague 2024), “The Rise of Digital Sovereignty: Ambiguities and 
Challenges” (Salerno, 2025).

*GIG-ARTS 2026
*
The Tenth GIG-ARTS Conference, to be held at the Dublin City University 
on 14th-15th May 2026, takes as its main theme “Digital Futures, 
Sustainable Freedoms: Rights, Responsibilities and Governance.”
 From artificial intelligence and cloud infrastructures to social media 
platforms and blockchain technologies, digital technologies are commonly 
presented as drivers of green strategies, economic growth and societal 
well-being. However, these systems also pose essential challenges to 
society and the environment. Indeed, the complex, resource-intensive 
supply chain of digital technologies has been underrepresented in 
dominant political narratives. Digital infrastructures demand high 
amounts of energy. The extraction of essential raw materials involved in 
the development of digital devices and the powering of data centres 
imposes further ecological burdens and creates geopolitical 
dependencies. Finally, the accelerated turnover of devices generates a 
concerning amount of e-waste on a global scale. These factors require us 
to consider whether the envisioned digital futures align with the 
pressing demands for ecological sustainability, democratic development, 
and the needs of future generations.
Amid an unprecedented AI boom, regulatory and policy frameworks have 
thus far focused on privacy, ethics and broad human rights compliance. 
However, limited attention has been given to the environmental impact of 
AI systems. More recently, the Declaration on Digital Rights and 
Principles for the Digital Decade of the European Union introduced a 
chapter discussing aspects of digital sustainability. Still, the jury is 
out on the true effectiveness of these soft law instruments. More 
importantly, the European AI Act has been criticised by scholars and 
civil society: while it establishes reporting obligations on AI systems, 
it falls short of fully integrating sustainability concerns into the 
regulatory framework of AI and digital technologies more broadly. This 
suggests that the digital and green transition have been approached as 
siloed, rather than truly interconnected processes.
The conference theme highlights the Janus-faced nature of digital 
innovation, equally generating opportunities and risks. On one hand, 
digital technologies have the potential to strengthen freedoms by 
enabling democratic participation, enhancing transparency, promoting and 
advancing sustainable development goals. On the other hand, pursuing 
digital progress without sufficient attention to its environmental and 
social implications risks compromising the very freedoms it aims to 
promote. Infrastructures created without sustainability considerations 
can exacerbate inequalities, exhaust natural resources, contribute to 
climate instability and enable a renewed wave of colonial and 
extractivist regimes of power.
These tensions underscore issues of responsibility and governance. Who 
must ensure that the enhancement and operation of digital technologies 
follow key principles of sustainability? How should governments regulate 
tech corporations whose activities have high environmental costs? What 
commitments should organizations undertake concerning the supply chain 
of technologies? How might individuals, communities, and civil society 
play a role in shaping digital ecosystems that both respect planetary 
boundaries and uphold human rights? How to reconcile technological 
progress with the rights of current and future generations?
Understanding digital rights requires a holistic approach that 
incorporates aspects of energy consumption, waste reduction, labour 
rights and the overall sustainability of our digital environments. 
Therefore, there is a need to balance the benefits and impact of 
technological development with ecological constraints and responsibilities.
The Tenth GIG-ARTS Conference seeks to foster a multi-disciplinary 
discussion regarding the intersections of digital development, 
environmental concerns, and transnational governance. We encourage 
contributions that resonate with both theoretical and practical 
perspectives, gathering insights from fields including law, political 
science, communication, policy studies, economics, technology studies, 
environmental research, and beyond. Participants are invited to examine 
the inconsistencies and synergies that arise between technological 
innovation, human rights, and environmental responsibility, and to 
develop governance approaches that can integrate digital rights with 
sustainable futures.
By gathering scholars and practitioners, the conference aims to enhance 
understanding of how digital futures can be created and governed in ways 
that conform with universal rights and values while addressing burning 
environmental challenges. It represents an appeal to revisit the 
equilibrium of rights and duties in our current digital society, and to 
devise governance approaches that can guarantee freedoms and wellbeing 
for future generations.

Therefore, the Tenth GIG-ARTS Conference especially welcomes papers that 
address the themes and questions listed below:

  * Conceptualizing “digital sustainability” and “sustainable freedoms”
    in theory and practice
  * Rights in a digital age: freedom of expression, privacy, and
    environmental responsibilities
  * Measuring the ecological footprint of digital infrastructures (AI,
    data centers, cloud services, 5G/6G)
  * Critical raw materials, supply chains, and the environmental costs
    of digital transformation
  * The influence of digital innovation on international trade and
    investment dynamics
  * Corporate responsibility for sustainable innovation in the tech sector
  * Governance models for aligning digital policy with climate and
    environmental objectives
  * Global inequalities in the digital–ecological nexus: extraction,
    waste, and digital colonialism
  * Trade-offs between green innovation and the rebound effects of
    digital expansion
  * Security, resilience, and sustainability in digital infrastructures
  * The politics of “green” digital transitions: ambitions,
    contradictions, and global competition
  * Sustainable standard-setting: interoperability, eco-design, and
    lifecycle management of technologies
  * The circular economy of ICT: repair, recycling, and regulation of
    e-waste
  * Climate accountability of digital giants: transparency, reporting,
    and regulatory oversight
  * Community-driven and indigenous approaches to sustainable digital
    futures
  * Feminist digital justice and sustainability: (Black, cis, trans,
    queer, Indigenous and minority) feminist perspectives on the
    ecological and social dimensions of digital transformation
  * Synergies and tensions between climate law, digital law, and human
    rights law
  * Youth and intergenerational perspectives: digital futures for a
    livable planet
  * Fragmentation or cooperation in global sustainable digital governance

As always, alongside the main theme, the GIG-ARTS conference also 
welcomes papers on other aspects of internet governance. We aim to 
publish a selection of contributions in a journal special issue and/or 
an edited volume.

*Submission information*
Authors are invited to submit their extended abstracts (no longer than 
500 words), describing their research question(s), theoretical 
framework, approach and methodology, expected findings or empirical 
outcome. Submitted abstracts will be evaluated through a peer-review 
process. Abstracts and authors’ information should be submitted through 
https://conftool2026.gig-arts.eu <https://conftool2026.gig-arts.eu>

*Key dates*
Deadline for abstract submissions: 19th January 2026
Notification to authors: 27th February 2026
Deadline for author registration (at least one author must register for 
a selected presentation to appear on the programme): 13th March 2026
Programme publication: 10th April 2026
Registration deadline: 17th April 2026
Conference dates: 14-15th May 2026

*Co-Sponsors*
DCU Law and Tech Research Cluster https://lawandtech.ie/ 
<https://lawandtech.ie/>
European Master in Law, Data and Artificial Intelligence 
https://emildai.eu/ <https://emildai.eu/>
DCU Institute for Future Media, Democracy and Society 
https://fujomedia.eu/ <https://fujomedia.eu/>
ADAPT Centre for AI-Driven Digital Content Technology, 
https://www.adaptcentre.ie <https://www.adaptcentre.ie>
Digital Constitutionalism Network (DCN) 
https://digitalconstitutionalism.org <https://digitalconstitutionalism.org>
Internet & Communication Policy Center 
https://www.internetpolicyresearch.eu 
<https://www.internetpolicyresearch.eu>

*Programme Committee*
Carolina Aguerre, Berna Akcali Gur, Francesco Amoretti, Stanislav 
Budnitsky, Mauro Calise, Olga Cavalli, Edoardo Celeste, Jean-Marie 
Chenou, Laura DeNardis, Goran Dominioni, Dmitry Epstein, Tamara Favaro, 
Marianne Franklin, Orsolya Gulyas, Blayne Haggart, Victor Henriquez 
Diaz, Sophie Hoogenboom, Min Jiang, Hortense Jongen, Matthias C. 
Kettemann, Thomas Le Goff, Joanna Kulesza, Nanette Levinson, Tetyana 
Lokot, Robin Mansell, Meryem Marzouki, Francesca Musiani, Ricardo Nanni, 
Fortunato Musella, Nicola Palladino, Claudia Padovani, Clément 
Perarnaud, Julia Pohle, Dennis Redeker, Michele Rioux, Karolin Rippich, 
Mauro Santaniello, Yves Schemeil, Jan Aart Scholte, Jamal Shahin, Niels 
ten Oever, Nadia Tjahja, Natasha Tusikov, Christopher Tyler West.

*Organizing Committee*
Chairs: Edoardo Celeste, Tetyana Lokot, Mauro Santaniello
Local Team: Karolin Rippich, Victor Henriquez Diaz
GIG-ARTS Team: Carlos Fonseca Diaz

*Venue*
GIG-ARTS 2026 will be held at Dublin City University, Ireland.

*Conference Registration and Fees*
Registration fees for the Tenth GIG-ARTS Conference are 150€ for regular 
participants and 75€ for students showing proof of status. Conference 
fees (non-refundable) cover a participant kit as well as coffee breaks, 
lunches, and reception. Registration deadline is 30th April 2026.

*Communication Channels*
Website: www.gig-arts.eu <http://www.gig-arts.eu>
Email for information: (events /at/ gig-arts.eu) <mailto:(events /at/ gig-arts.eu)>
Submissions: https://conftool2026.gig-arts.eu 
<https://conftool2026.gig-arts.eu>
X/Twitter: @GigArtsEU - Hashtag: #GIGARTS26
- Mailing list for updates: 
https://gig-arts.eu/mailman/listinfo/mailinglist_gig-arts.eu 
<https://gig-arts.eu/mailman/listinfo/mailinglist_gig-arts.eu>
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