Video: Fighting Corona Digitally in China and Europe. Leibniz Media Lunch Talk on Zoom

In our first digital Lunch Talk we discussed the use of digital tracking technology in the fight against the corona virus in China and Europe. The event was recorded and is now available on YouTube. Please note that the Lunch Talk was held in German.

The panel included China experts Kai von Carnap and Katja Drinhausen (both MERICS) as well as Internet experts Tina Krell and Jörg Pohle (both HIIG). An introductory keynote speech was given by Deniz Erden (HIIG). It was moderated by Katharina Mosene (HBI).

 

Overview

China has successfully used digital technologies in the fight against corona, which have made it easier to identify and track infected persons. As a result, it was possible to isolate those affected relatively quickly. The handling of personal, sensitive health data faces considerably less restrictive barriers in China than in Europe. However, tracking apps and the use of digital technologies to slow down the pandemic are also increasingly being discussed in Germany.
What does a regulatory framework look like to ensure that such technologies can be used in a data-efficient and privacy-compliant manner? What are the most relevant digital applications and initiatives at the moment and how does their legal framework look like? What is possible in China that is not possible in Europe, and where can we learn from each other?

Participants

Kai von Carnap’s research focus revolves around technological trends and digital developments in China, with an expertise in cryptocurrencies and Blockchain technology. Von Carnap gained experience as a Personal Assistant to Hong-Kong based photographer and video artist Luke Casey. He holds a double MA in Chinese-European Economics and Business Studies from the Berlin School of Economics and Law and the Southwestern University of Finance and Economics Chengdu, as well as a BA in Sinology and Economics from the Heidelberg University.

Katja Drinhausen studied Sinology, International Law and Chinese Law in Germany and China. Since 2018 she is a research assistant at MERICS. In her research she focuses on CCP governance and the development of law and civil society in China, with particular emphasis on digital governance and the social credit system. Prior to this, she spent more than 11 years in Beijing, where she worked, among others, in the Beijing office of the Hanns-Seidel-Foundation.

Deniz Erden studied Information and Technology Law, Gender and Women Studies and International Law. As a Fellow at HIIG in Research Program II "Data, Actors, and Infrastructures", her current research combines gender theory, European data protection law, anti-discrimination law, and human rights law and focuses on chilling effects on online political behaviour of marginalized others that corporate surveillance, profiling, and automated decision making in interconnected application domains may cause.

Tina Krell is a researcher in “Innovation and Entrepreneurship” and is the coordinator for our research project “Task Force: European Platform Economy”. She studied Politics and Communication (MSc) at the London School of Economics. An introduction in International Political Economy got her focused on the cross-border flow of data, content, and trade in services. During her studies, she was honored with a stipend of the HBS foundation. She is also a proud alumna of the Young Titans Summer Academy 2018.

Jörg Pohle is a PostDoc at HIIG and heads the research programme “Data, Actors, Infrastructures: The Governance of Data-Driven Innovation and Cyber Security”. He also heads the project “Global Privacy Governance” that focuses on societal negotiations in the field of privacy, surveillance, IT security and data protection. His research interests include the intersection of Informatics and Law, the research field Informatics and Society, modellification and its societal consequences, and data protection by design.mit technologischen Trends und der digitalen Entwicklung Chinas am MERICS. Er verfügt über besondere Kenntnisse im Bereich Kryptowährung und Blockchain-Technologie. Kai von Carnap hat einen Doppelabschluss (MA) in Chinese-European Economics and Business Studies an der der Hochschule für Wirtschaft und Recht Berlin und der Southwestern University of Finance and Economics Chengdu. Seinen BA in Sinologie und Wirtschaft machte er an der Universität Heidelberg. Vor seinem Wechsel zu MERICS sammelte er Erfahrungen bei dem Fotografen und Videokünstler Luke Casey in Hongkong.

(29 April 2020)