A black-and-white photo of a lamppost covered in worn stickers, one of which reads “BIG DATA IS WATCHING YOU.” The blurred city lights in the background create a dystopian feel, underscoring the urgent need to reclaim digital sovereignty.
Emerging Technologies and Geopolitical Power Shifts Emerging Technologies and Geopolitical Power Shifts

Why We Need to Talk About Data Again.

Data is the defining resource of the 21st century, but the question of who owns, controls, and benefits from it has become strangely opaque. This article revisits the idea of digital sovereignty in light of three technological frontiers: the Internet of Things, Brain-Computer Interfaces, AI and its acceleration through quantum computing. It traces how regulatory retreat and public disengagement have opened the door to unprecedented forms of data extraction, including from the human brain itself. The fight for data rights may well be the defining democratic struggle of our digital future. This article calls for a renewed public conversation about data as the foundation of democratic self-determination.

By Alissa Chmiel
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A high-resolution aerial photograph of a modern city at dusk, featuring illuminated highways with streaks of traffic lights and a subtle digital network of softly glowing lines and nodes, visually representing IoT connectivity across buildings and infrastructure beneath a fading sunset sky.
Emerging Technologies and Geopolitical Power Shifts Emerging Technologies and Geopolitical Power Shifts

How IoT Security Risks Enable Modern Cyberwarfare

The Internet of Things (IoT) is becoming the invisible infrastructure of modern life: deeply integrated but wildly insecure, and increasingly inescapable. This article explores the escalating security risks of a connected world, where everyday devices like baby monitors and smart meters can be weaponised. It asks what happens when digital participation becomes mandatory, and argues for a Digital Peace approach that puts rights, resilience, and democratic oversight above profit and convenience.

By Alissa Chmiel
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Close up of a quantum computer
Emerging Technologies and Geopolitical Power Shifts Geopolitical Impact of New Technology

How Quantum Computing will affect Global Security

Quantum computing is no longer science fiction. As new processors reach milestones in error reduction and qubit counts, they raise urgent questions about digital sovereignty, cybersecurity, and global inequality. This article explores how quantum technologies might reshape international security frameworks and asks whether their development will serve the public interest or reinforce existing power asymmetries.

By Alissa Chmiel
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Digital illustration of a Brain-Computer Interface, showing a glowing human brain connected to data networks, symbolizing neural data transfer and cognitive technology.
Uncategorized

Would you trust Elon Musk with your brain data?

As Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs) move rapidly from sci-fi promise to clinical reality, they challenge our assumptions about autonomy, privacy, and what it means to be human. This article explores how BCIs turn thoughts into data, inviting the same extractive models that already dominate our digital lives into the mind itself. With tech giants leading the race and regulation lagging behind, it asks what ethical frameworks and democratic safeguards are needed to protect cognitive agency.

By Alissa Chmiel
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Magnifying glass highlighting a digital stock chart, symbolising the scrutiny of AI investment trends in 2025. The image reflects the tension between economic optimisation and the promises of AI for Good, set against a backdrop of glowing data and financial analytics.
Ethical AI

#AIForGood — or just Good For the Economy?

From healthcare to peacebuilding, AI holds real promise for the public good. But in 2025, the data paints a different picture: while economic applications are rapidly scaled and funded, socially driven AI remains limited in scope, often sidelined or under-resourced. This article takes a closer look at where AI is actually being deployed, and what that reveals about our collective priorities, power structures, and the kind of future we’re building.

By Alissa Chmiel
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Young woman sitting in the dark, illuminated by her smartphone screen, staring thoughtfully — symbolizing emotional connection with technology.
Ethical AI

When AI becomes a friend

As AI becomes more integrated into daily life, its most common use in 2025 isn’t productivity, it’s emotional support. What began as a tool for task management now listens, comforts, and simulates care. This article explores how artificial intelligence is subtly reshaping human connection. Beyond convenience lies a deeper dilemma: when machines mediate our most vulnerable moments, what happens to the ways we trust, connect, and care in an increasingly digital world?

By Alissa Chmiel
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Digital Sustainability

Why Digital Activism Needs the Heart of Nonviolence

Digital activism has transformed how we mobilize, resist, and demand change. But beyond tactics lies the challenge of not replicating the harm we seek to change. This article explores the difference between strategic and principled nonviolence in online spaces, drawing on insights from Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., and Nonviolent Communication. It offers a powerful call to rehumanize our digital interactions and reclaim empathy as a radical force for transformation.

By Alissa Chmiel
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Digital Sustainability

Is AI the Solution or Problem for Climate Change?

Artificial intelligence is often praised as a powerful ally in the fight against climate change. But as AI systems become more complex and widespread, so do their environmental costs. This article explores the double-edged relationship between AI and climate change — from energy consumption and e-waste to questions of power, accountability, and digital sustainability.

By Alissa Chmiel
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Digital Peacebuilding PeaceTech and Digital Peacebuilding

Beyond Cybersecurity towards Digital Peace

Driven by the growing complexity of digital threats, cybersecurity remains at the forefront of global discussions. Achieving sustainable digital peace, however, requires strategies that go beyond securing systems to address the root causes of online conflict. This article explores a more comprehensive approach towards digital peace by acknowledging the multifaceted nature of conflict, both online and offline.

By Alissa Chmiel
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Digital Peacebuilding PeaceTech and Digital Peacebuilding

The Pervasive Impact of Digital Violence

Digital violence—ranging from personal attacks to large-scale manipulation—affects individuals, societies, and broader geopolitical dynamics. As digital violence becomes more entrenched, it risks fundamentally altering social norms and behaviors, potentially leading to long-term societal damage. This article delves into these widespread impacts and underscores the urgent need for strategies towards sustainable digital peace.

By Alissa Chmiel
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Digital Peace is an initiative by Alissa Chmiel to raise awareness around digitalization's impact on global peace.

Digital Peace is an initiative by Alissa Chmiel to raise awareness around digitalization’s impact on global peace.

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© 2024 Digital Peace by Alissa Chmiel. All rights reserved. 

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