[Air-L] Call for Papers - GIG-ARTS 2026 | Digital Futures, Sustainable Freedoms | 14-15 May 2026, Dublin

[Tetyana Lokot]

*10th GIG-ARTS Conference | 14-15th May 2026, DublinDigital Futures,
Sustainable Freedoms: Rights, Responsibilities and GovernanceCall 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

*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/
European Master in Law, Data and Artificial Intelligence https://emildai.eu/
DCU Institute for Future Media, Democracy and Society https://fujomedia.eu/
ADAPT Centre for AI-Driven Digital Content Technology,
https://www.adaptcentre.ie
Digital Constitutionalism Network (DCN) https://digitalconstitutionalism.org
Internet & Communication Policy Center 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
Email for information: events at gig-arts.eu
Submissions: https://conftool2026.gig-arts.eu
X/Twitter: @GigArtsEU Hashtag: #GIGARTS26
Mailing list for updates: https://gig-arts.eu/mailman/listinfo/mailinglist_
gig-arts.eu


-- 
*Dr Tetyana Lokot*

Ollamh Comhlach sna Meáin Dhigiteacha & an tSochaí | Scoil Chumarsáide
Ollscoil Chathair Bhaile Átha Cliath

Associate Professor in Digital Media & Society | School of Communications
Dublin City University