What Could We Expect from President Donald Trump, 2.0?

The former reality star’s first term, along with recent statements, suggests what’s ahead should he reclaim the White House. We asked CIGI experts, “What do you think could be the greatest implications of another Trump presidency?”

Michael Den Tandt, Burcu Kilic, Arif Z. Lalani and Patrick Leblond look at possible impacts on trade, security, commerce and more.

Feb. 22 – 4:00 p.m. EST (UTC–05:00) – Waterloo, Canada: This Thursday join us in person or online for a discussion featuring speakers Shoshana Zuboff and Jim Balsillie on the urgent topic of “surveillance capitalism.” Balsillie School of International Affairs Director Ann Fitz-Gerald and CIGI President Paul Samson will moderate.

Don’t miss it! Tickets are free: register here.

As part of CIGI’s project Legitimate Influence or Unlawful Manipulation?, experts in internet governance and human rights have written a series of policy briefs to provide insight into the far-reaching impacts evolving technologies present to our freedom of thought, as well as ways to counter them. Explore the full series here, and check out the introductory video and latest policy brief below.

In this video, Mai Mavinkurve and Maroussia Lévesque introduce the range of issues they and other experts are exploring in the series.

Digital media tools have become essential to acting on and communicating about civic issues, and networked platforms have become the primary fora for political discussion and action. Their choice architectures make some actions easier, more obvious and more automatic than others, which can lead to a violation of our right not to have our thoughts and opinions manipulated.

But as Kara Brisson-Boivin and Matthew Johnson argue, to say that these tools and technologies are opaque does not mean we can't engage critically with them. Even a very basic understanding of algorithms can make a significant difference to their impact. Being able to critically, effectively and responsibly access, use, understand and engage with media of all kinds is an essential part of civic engagement.

In this op-ed first published by SpaceNews, Aaron Shull discusses the successful bypass by SpaceX of traditional infrastructure to send and receive text messages using Starlink’s direct-to-cell satellites, and the considerable implications of this development.

“It’s a monumental moment for communication technology and geopolitics alike. In effect, it means the satellite phone, once the exclusive domain of government officials, diplomats, journalists and fictional secret agents, may soon be much more widely available, worldwide.…As a new front of geopolitics opens right above our heads, it is time we all started paying attention.”