SPS23: SCIENCE · PEACE · SECURITY ’23
PROGRAM

Days: Wednesday, September 20th Thursday, September 21st Friday, September 22nd

Wednesday, September 20th

View this program: with abstractssession overviewtalk overview

18:45-19:45 Session 2: Keynote: The politics of emerging and destructive technologies: How to prepare the ground for arms control and disarmament, by Dr. Oliver Meier (European Leadership Network)

Many governments are using and misusing emerging technologies to gain military and strategic advantages. A critical analysis of the structures, actors and motivations driving such qualitative arms dynamics is important. It helps to identify political opportunities to reduce risks for peace and security resulting from the integration of emerging technologies into warfare. Focusing on the role of Germany, the talk will use some current examples of military innovations in nuclear weapons-related areas to highlight opportunities for scientists and others to shape political decision-making and prepare the ground for arms control and disarmament.

Chair:
Thursday, September 21st

View this program: with abstractssession overviewtalk overview

09:30-10:30 Session 4: Keynote: From Bytes to Action: the Promise and Perils of Digital Technologies in Combating Corruption Worldwide, by Prof. Dr. Alice Mattoni (University of Bologna, Political Sciences, Social Movement)

Through compelling real-world case studies and stories of anti-corruption activism from around the world, the talk sheds light on how grassroots movements are using digital technologies to promote integrity in their societies and pave the way for a more accountable world. It explores the transformative potential of digital technologies in the grassroots fight against corruption. It presents a typology of anti-corruption technologies, discusses their opportunities and examines the challenges they pose to civil society organisations. It also analyses their impact on democracy and civic engagement, highlighting the democratic ideals embedded in these technologies and their role in redefining citizenship and promoting active participation in society.

11:00-12:00 Session 5A: Presentation Session I (Nuclear Arms Control)
11:00
A deep learning approach for safeguards-relevant change detection by combining Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 images (abstract)
11:20
Irreversibility of Nuclear Disarmament: long-term, latency-based approaches for monitoring and risk management (abstract)
11:40
Reconstructing nuclear histories – a field study (abstract)
11:00-12:00 Session 5B: Presentation Session II (Geopolitics of Infrastructures)
11:00
Critical Energy Infrastructures: geopolitical vulnerabilities and strategies of securitization (abstract)
11:20
Solar geopolitics - the shining rise of India (abstract)
11:40
What drives state-led Internet shutdowns? Utilizing a machine learning approach for prediction and factor exploration (abstract)
13:30-14:30 Session 6A: Presentation Session III (Autonomous Systems and Human-Machine Interaction)
Chair:
13:30
Human augmentation or augmented machines? Military paradigms and the problem of the unmanned/manned dichotomy in AI-assisted technologies (abstract)
13:50
Unveiling the Hidden Bias: Examining Intersectional Discrimination in Lethal Autonomous Weapon Systems and its Consideration during Arms Control Talks (abstract)
14:00
Stopping "killer robots": Cross-national experimental evidence on the relative strength of pro-regulation arguments (abstract)
13:30-14:30 Session 6B: Presentation Session IV (Civilian Infrastructure and Protest)
13:30
Civil Protection in a State-Centric Risk Culture - The Role of Warning Apps in Germany (abstract)
13:50
Protest and technology in the national strike of 2021 in Cali, Colombia through an intersectional perspective (abstract)
14:00
Inside China‘s Cyber System – Ambitions, Actors, Instruments (abstract)
14:30-16:00 Session 7: Coffee Break and Poster Session
Unmasking Digital Threats in the Pursuit of Human Rights and Environmental Defense in La Guajira and Cesar, North Colombia (abstract)
PRESENTER: Laura Guntrum
NewSpace and proliferation risks – mapping the regulation of commercial space activities (abstract)
Global Critical Infrastructures (abstract)
Information Warfare on Twitter: Disinformation in the Russo-Ukrainian War (abstract)
Supporting Victims of Hate Speech: The Role of German Reporting Centers as Intermediaries with Counseling Centers, Authorities and Digital Platforms (abstract)
Political Violence, Populism and Social Media in Brazil (abstract)
Chemical Weapons Investigation Mechanisms in Syria: Scientific Methods and Standard of Proof (abstract)
Briar: Secure Messaging for Citizens and Activists during Internet Shutdowns (abstract)
The 70:20:10 framework for regulatory compliance trainings.An opportunity for CBRN-WMD awareness trainings? (abstract)
Critical infrastructure and outer space: geopolitics, vulnerability, risk reduction and arms control (abstract)
Oculta: Hidden Secure Communication via WhatsApp and Co. (abstract)
On the Origin of Gender Bias in Face Recognition (abstract)
Technology Assessment of Dual-use ICTs – How to Assess Diffusion, Governance and Design (abstract)
16:00-17:45 Session 8A: Workshop: Thinking about the future: Nuclear verification in a complex world

Dear SPS-participant, With the SPS’23 just around the corner, we are pleased to draw your attention to a special format in this year’s conference program: a workshop to engage in a multi-perspective discussion on potential future challenges to global security: nuclear non-proliferation and safeguards in crisis situations.  Our workshop, "Thinking about the future: Nuclear verification in a complex world," is dedicated to offering an opportunity to actively exercise interdisciplinary collaboration in peace and conflict research.

  • Workshop Details- Title: Thinking about the future: Nuclear verification in a complex world  - Date: Thursday 21.09.2023- Time: 16:00 – 17:45- Location: Kleiner Saal
  • Workshop Highlights and Goals- Learn interactively about nuclear safeguards and potential future challenges.- Explore a hypothetical nuclear safeguards scenario in an interactive “world café” session and approach solutions through interdisciplinary conversations.- Contribute to a multi-perspective dialogue with your specific disciplinary background.
  • Preparing for the Workshop No special prior knowledge or preparation is required to participate in the workshop. Nonetheless, we encourage those who would like to delve deeper into the workshop topic beforehand to check out our booklet with background information, which can be downloaded here.
  • Secure Your Spot:While there is no need to officially register, we do have limited space available. To ensure you get a spot, we recommend arriving on time. We look forward to your participation in the “Thinking about the future” workshop, as your input and insights will contribute to the depth of discussion we aspire to achieve. Thank you for considering this opportunity, and we look forward to the inspiring discussions that lie ahead. See you at SPS’23!  Best regards,

The VeSPoTec consortium 

16:00
[Workshop] Thinking about the future: Nuclear verification in a complex world (abstract)
16:00-18:00 Session 8B: Dialog Panel: ICT4Peace - The Role of Information and Communication Technology in (Digital) Peacebuilding

What are the possibilities and risks of promoting peacebuilding through Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs)? What are the needs and challenges of practitioners? And how can they benefit from scientific findings? Experts who work in research and practice of peacebuilding are brought together to discuss these questions as part of “Science. Peace. Security 2023”, this year co-organized by TraCe.

16:00
Digital Peacebuilding – Potentials and Challenges of ICTs in Peacebuilding Efforts (abstract)
16:20
Digitalization and e-government in the lives of urban migrants: Evidence from Bogotá (abstract)
16:40
The Ethics of PeaceTech: Ownership and Outsourcing of Risk in Distributed Systems (abstract)
17:00
An intersectional feminist lens on digital peacebuilding (abstract)
18:00-19:30 Guided tour Mathildenhöhe UNESCO World Heritage Site "A city we must build, a whole city"

The Darmstadt ensemble is architecturally and artistically groundbreaking and marks a turning point in architecture and art on the threshold of the 20th century. The tour of the UNESCO World Heritage Site "Mathildenhöhe Darmstadt" tells the story of the entire ensemble. The tour includes the studio building, the exhibition building, the artists' houses and the park. The tour starts at the Infopoint Mathildenhöhe. It is possible to reach the tour by bus. Remember to purchase a bus ticket.

  • Meeting point for the tour: Infopoint Mathildenhöhe, Olbrichweg 10, 64287 Darmstadt.
  • Departure from Lichtenberghaus: Bus stop Darmstadt Fasanerie, bus FU, departure 17:55 or 18:10, arrival 18:00 or 18:15 at bus stop Darmstadt Lucasweg/Mathildenhöhe.
  • Return to Lichtenberghaus: Bus stop Darmstadt Lucasweg/Mathildenhöhe, bus F, departure 19:30 or 19:45, arrival at bus stop Darmstadt Fasanerie at 19:34 or 19:49.
21:15-21:30 IANUS-Award Ceremony

The IANUS Prize is intended to recognize outstanding qualification work with IANUS relevance from all disciplines of the TU Darmstadt.

Students as well as scientists should be motivated to deal with questions in the field of scientific-technical peace and security research in a differentiated way.

Qualification work (especially studies/projects, bachelor's or master's theses, publications or dissertations) that were completed in the last 24 months before the nomination deadline and deal with IANUS-relevant issues can be submitted.

Details: https://peasec.de/2023/ausschreibung-ianus-preis-2023/

Friday, September 22nd

View this program: with abstractssession overviewtalk overview

09:15-10:15 Session 10A: Presentation Session V (Dual-use and Technology Assessment)
09:15
The Impact Of Quantum Technologies On Deterrence, Arms Control, Nonproliferation, and Verification (abstract)
09:35
Missile Defenses for Europe: Computer Modeling and Analysis (abstract)
09:55
Adjusting the Wheel: Ethical Deliberation as a Method for Dual-Use Assessment in the ICT Development Process (abstract)
09:15-10:15 Session 10B: Presentation Session VI (Cyber Operations)
09:15
On the Intersection of Computer Science with Peace and Security Research: Experiences from Interdisciplinary Teaching in Peace Informatics (abstract)
PRESENTER: Christian Reuter
09:25
The Normative Power of the Factual: How State Practice Shapes Understandings About Direct Public Political Attribution of Cyber Operations (abstract)
09:45
The Role of Cyber Ranges within European Cybersecurity Strategy: A Primer (abstract)
10:45-12:00 Session 11A: Presentation Session VII (Biological, Chemical and Conventional Weapons)
10:45
Biological Weapons: A Harm Potential Assessment (abstract)
11:05
Taking biological security education forward and building up an international biological security education network (abstract)
11:15
Access to Information about Chemical Weapon Attacks: Increasing Resilience in Kurdistan (abstract)
11:35
Small space launch vehicle technology in the NewSpace era: A new challenge for missile non-proliferation? (abstract)
10:45-12:00 Session 11B: Presentation Session VIII (Technology Politics and Strategies)
10:45
Narratives of "Tech Wars": Technological Competition, Power Shifts and Conflict Dynamics Between the US, China and the EU (abstract)
10:55
The Promise of Track-Two Diplomacy Amidst US-China Tech War (abstract)
11:15
Trust in AI: Producing Ontological Security through Governmental Visions (abstract)
PRESENTER: Stefka Schmid
11:35
Maritime Critical Infrastructures Protection: Technical and Political Approaches Beyond the Military (abstract)