Jun 5, 2025: Keynote Speech by Philipp Budka at the IDSF 2025 Social-Science Track

InfraNorth researcher Philipp Budka was the keynote speaker for the Social Science Track at the International Digital Security Forum (IDSF) 2025, held under the theme “Sovereignty and Solidarity in the Digital Age – a critical view.” The forum, hosted by the Vienna Centre for Societal Security (VICESSE) and the AIT Austrian Institute of Technology, convened at MuseumsQuartier (MQ) in Vienna.

Budka’s keynote, titled “Community-Led Digital Sovereignty: Insights and Lessons from an Indigenous Initiative in Remote Canada,” took place on June 5, 2025, from 10:00 to 10:45 CEST. He reflected on previous and current research, focusing on how KO-KNET, a community-led digital initiative by the Keewaytinook Okimakanak Tribal Council, secured government support and leveraged strategic partnerships to advance digital sovereignty and self-determined development in remote Indigenous communities in Northwestern Ontario. In doing so, his presentation linked to InfraNorth research and questions of infrastructural sovereignty by showing how infrastructure and governance shape each other through community control. The session was chaired by Roger von Laufenberg, managing director of VICESSE. A video recording of the keynote is available here:

This year’s IDSF, held under the motto “Balancing Sovereignty and Solidarity in the Digital Age,” brought together international and national stakeholders from industry, government, research, and civil society, along with key European political and policy actors, to advance secure digitalisation for the benefit of a networked society. The lead topic explored the challenges of digital transformation, examining how states strive to preserve open strategic autonomy and sovereignty while fostering global solidarity to harness opportunities and address risks and cyber threats.

For more information, please visit the IDSF website.