“Our ambition is to increase knowledge both in the public domain as well as with policymakers about the functioning, control, and resilience of digital infrastructures”, says Signe Ravn-Højgaard, a co-founder of the Think Tank for Digital Infrastructure.
Much like electricity supply and road networks, the Internet serves as a critical infrastructure shaping our daily lives. However, as our reliance on digital solutions deepens, we lose insight into and control over essential components of our shared infrastructure. Questions persist about the intricacies of data transport and processing, as well as the influential role tech giants play in defining the parameters of our digital existence.
– The physical Internet infrastructure is to many people an “invisible thing”, and many decisions about digital infrastructures undergirding society are seen as technical in nature and the responsibility of IT departments, not regulators. Still, the Internet is, more and more, becoming a meta-infrastructure – an infrastructure that is either foundational for or built into other critical infrastructure systems like water supply, electricity, traffic management, and so forth. Therefore, our ambition is to increase knowledge both in the public domain as well as with policymakers about the functioning, control, and resilience of digital infrastructures, says Signe Ravn-Højgaard from the University of Greenland.
Ravn-Højgaard, Sofie Flensburg, and Signe Sophus Lai are the driving forces behind the creation of the Think Tank for Digital Infrastructure.
– We believe that there is a critical need for research in digital infrastructures and not least a need for increased knowledge about and monitoring of these infrastructures. Therefore, we started the think tank as a platform for bringing research out of the universities and making it relevant to ongoing political debates, the public, and society at large, elaborates Flensburg.
The funders bring a wealth of expertise, primarily centred on Denmark and the Arctic region, with a particular emphasis on Greenland. Despite this regional focus, the researchers hope that the think tank will extend its influence and relevance to other global regions. Signe Sophus Lai highlights ongoing efforts, stating, “We are currently employing methods that we developed as part of our research in a study of digital infrastructures in Somalia and Afghanistan with the NGO International Media Support”.
Curious to learn more? Visit the Think Tank’s website and stay connected through its social media channels.