From a panel at the Elevate 2014 festival in Graz, Austria, in which I participated as well:

“New technologies offer tremendous emancipatory opportunities if they are designed to be open and free (free software / open source hardware). However, they also entail new problems. Proprietary software prevents quick detection of programming errors and allows the surveillance of users. Devices are short-lived, the raw materials for their production are limited, and the working conditions in their production and recycling are often catastrophic. If new technologies are to meet our high expectations, the following questions must first be answered: Can these devices be fairly produced, traded and recycled? Is it possible to produce and use them autonomously? How can programming errors that represent security risks be avoided? And how can all these aspects be taken into account in the design process?

Discussion between Regina Joschika (at) ; Susanne Jordan (de) ; Tsvetan Usunov (bg) ; Markus Sabadello (at) ;Jan Suhr (de) ; Michel Bauwens (be)
Moderation by Brigitte Kratzwald (commons.at, Elevate).

Watch the video here: