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Fadi Chehadé and Bryn Freedman: What everyday citizens can do to claim power on the internet
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Technology architect Fadi Chehadé helped set up the infrastructure that makes the internet work -- essential things like the domain name system and IP address standards. Today he's focused on finding ways for society to benefit from technology. In a crisp conversation with Bryn Freedman, curator of the TED Institute, Chehadé discusses the ongoing war between the West and China over artificial intelligence, how tech companies can become stewards of the power they have to shape lives and economies and what everyday citizens can do to claim power on the internet.
Fadi Chehadé - Technologist, entrepreneur
Fadi Chehadé is focused on finding ways for society to benefit from technology and strengthening international cooperation in the digital space. Full bioBryn Freedman - Editorial director and curator, TED Institute
Bryn Freedman helps those who want to give the "talk of their lives" in a clear, passionate and authentic way. Full bio
Fadi Chehadé is focused on finding ways for society to benefit from technology and strengthening international cooperation in the digital space. Full bioBryn Freedman - Editorial director and curator, TED Institute
Bryn Freedman helps those who want to give the "talk of their lives" in a clear, passionate and authentic way. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:12
Bryn Freedman: So you said
that in the 20th century,
that in the 20th century,
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global power was in the hands
of government.
of government.
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At the beginning of this digital century,
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it really moved to corporations
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and that in the future,
it would move to individuals.
it would move to individuals.
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And I've interviewed a lot of people,
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and they say you're wrong,
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and they are betting on the companies.
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So why are you right,
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and why are individuals going to win out?
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Fadi Chehadé: Because companies
cater to individuals,
cater to individuals,
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and we as the citizenry
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need to start understanding
that we have a big role
that we have a big role
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in shaping how the world
will be governed, moving forward.
will be governed, moving forward.
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Yes, indeed, the tug of war right now
is between governments,
is between governments,
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who lost much of their power to companies
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because the internet is not built
around the nation-state system
around the nation-state system
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around which governments have power.
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The internet is transnational.
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It's not international,
and it's not national,
and it's not national,
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and therefore the companies
became very powerful.
became very powerful.
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They shape our economy.
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They shape our society.
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Governments don't know what to do.
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Right now, they're reacting.
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And I fear that if we do not,
as the citizenry --
as the citizenry --
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which are, in my opinion,
the most important leg of that stool --
the most important leg of that stool --
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don't take our role,
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then you are right.
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The detractors, or the people telling you
that businesses will prevail, are right.
that businesses will prevail, are right.
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It will happen.
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BF: So are you saying that individuals
will force businesses
will force businesses
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or business will be forced
to be responsive,
to be responsive,
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or is there a fear that they won't be?
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FC: I think they will be.
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Look at two weeks ago,
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a small company called Skip
winning over Uber and Lyft and everyone
winning over Uber and Lyft and everyone
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to actually get the license
for the San Francisco scooter business.
for the San Francisco scooter business.
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And if you read why did Skip win,
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because Skip listened
to the people of San Francisco,
to the people of San Francisco,
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who were tired of scooters
being thrown everywhere,
being thrown everywhere,
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and actually went to the city and said,
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"We will deploy the service,
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but we will respond
to the people's requirements
to the people's requirements
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that we organize ourselves
around a set of rules."
around a set of rules."
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They self-governed their behavior,
and they won the contract
and they won the contract
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over some very powerful companies.
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BF: So speaking of guidelines
and self-governance,
and self-governance,
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you've spent an entire lifetime
creating guidelines and norms
creating guidelines and norms
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for the internet.
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Do you think those days are over?
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Who is going to guide,
who is going to control,
who is going to control,
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and who is going to create those norms?
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FC: The rules that govern
the technology layers of the internet
the technology layers of the internet
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are now well put in place,
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and I was very busy for a few years
setting those rules
setting those rules
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around the part of the internet
that makes the internet one network.
that makes the internet one network.
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The domain-name system, the IP numbers,
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all of that is in place.
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However, as we get now
into the upper layers of the internet,
into the upper layers of the internet,
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the issues that affect
me and you every day --
me and you every day --
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privacy, security, etc. --
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the system to create norms for those
unfortunately is not in place.
unfortunately is not in place.
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So we do have an issue.
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We have a system
of cooperation and governance
of cooperation and governance
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that really needs to be created right now
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so that companies, governments
and the citizenry can agree
and the citizenry can agree
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how this new digital world
is going to advance.
is going to advance.
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BF: So what gives
a digital company any incentive?
a digital company any incentive?
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Let's say -- Facebook comes to mind --
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they would say they have
their users' best interests at heart,
their users' best interests at heart,
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but I think a lot of people
would disagree with that.
would disagree with that.
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FC: It's been very difficult to watch
how tech companies have reacted
how tech companies have reacted
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to the citizenry's response
to their technologies.
to their technologies.
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And some of them, two or three years ago,
basically dismissed it.
basically dismissed it.
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The word that I heard in many board rooms
is, "We're just a technology platform.
is, "We're just a technology platform.
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It's not my issue
if my technology platform
if my technology platform
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causes families
to go kill their girls in Pakistan.
to go kill their girls in Pakistan.
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It's not my issue. It's their problem.
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I just have a technology platform."
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Now, I think we are now entering a stage
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where companies are starting to realize
this is no longer sustainable,
this is no longer sustainable,
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and they're starting to see the pushback
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that's coming
from people, users, citizens,
from people, users, citizens,
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but also governments
that are starting to say,
that are starting to say,
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"This cannot be."
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So I think there is a maturity
that is starting to set,
that is starting to set,
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especially in that Silicon Valley area,
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where people are beginning to say,
"We have a role."
"We have a role."
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So when I speak to these leaders, I say,
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"Look, you could be the CEO,
a very successful CEO of a company,
a very successful CEO of a company,
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but you could also be a steward."
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And that's the key word.
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"You could be a steward
of the power you have
of the power you have
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to shape the lives and the economies
of billions of people.
of billions of people.
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Which one do you want to be?"
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And the answer is,
it's not one or the other.
it's not one or the other.
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This is what we are missing right now.
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So when an adult like Brad Smith,
the president of Microsoft,
the president of Microsoft,
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said a few months ago,
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"We need a new set of Geneva Conventions
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to manage the security
of the digital space,"
of the digital space,"
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many of the senior leaders
in Silicon Valley
in Silicon Valley
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actually spoke against his words.
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"What do you mean, Geneva Convention?
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We don't need any Geneva Conventions.
We self-regulate."
We self-regulate."
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But that mood is changing,
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and I'm starting to see many leaders say,
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"Help us out."
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But here lies the conundrum.
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Who is going to help those leaders
do the right thing?
do the right thing?
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BF: So who is going to help them?
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Because I'd love
to interview you for an hour,
to interview you for an hour,
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but give me your biggest fear
and your best hope
and your best hope
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for how this is going to work out.
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FC: My biggest hope
is that we will become each stewards
is that we will become each stewards
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of this new digital world.
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That's my biggest hope,
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because I do think, often,
we want to put the blame on others.
we want to put the blame on others.
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"Oh, it's these CEOs.
They're behaving this way."
They're behaving this way."
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"These governments are not doing enough."
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But how about us?
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How is each of us actually taking
the responsibility to be a steward
the responsibility to be a steward
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of the digital space we live in?
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And one of the things I've been pushing
on university presidents
on university presidents
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is we need every engineering and science
and computer science student
and computer science student
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who is about to write
the next line of code
the next line of code
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or design the next IoT device
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to actually have in them
a sense of responsibility and stewardship
a sense of responsibility and stewardship
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towards what they're building.
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So I suggested we create a new oath,
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like the Hippocratic Oath,
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so that every student
entering an engineering program
entering an engineering program
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takes a technocratic oath or a wisdom oath
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or some oath of commitment
to the rest of us.
to the rest of us.
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That's my best hope, that we all rise.
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Because governments and businesses
will fight over this power game,
will fight over this power game,
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but where are we?
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And unless we play into that power table,
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I think we'll end up in a bad place.
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My biggest fear?
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My biggest fear,
to be very tactical today,
to be very tactical today,
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what is keeping me up at night
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is the current war between
the West, the liberal world,
the West, the liberal world,
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and China,
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in the area of artificial intelligence.
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There is a real war going on,
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and for those of us who have lived
through the nuclear nonproliferation age
through the nuclear nonproliferation age
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and saw how people agreed
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to take some very dangerous
things off the table,
things off the table,
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well, the Carnegie Endowment
just finished a study.
just finished a study.
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They talked to every country
that made nuclear weapons
that made nuclear weapons
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and asked them,
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"Which digital 'weapon'
would you take off the table
would you take off the table
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against somebody else's
schools or hospitals?"
schools or hospitals?"
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And the answer --
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from every nuclear power --
to this question was,
to this question was,
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nothing.
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That's what I'm worried about ...
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The weaponization of the digital space,
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and the race to get there.
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BF: Well, it sounds like
you've got a lot of work to do,
you've got a lot of work to do,
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and so do the rest of us.
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Fadi, thank you so much.
I really appreciate it.
I really appreciate it.
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FC: Thank you.
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(Applause)
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ABOUT THE SPEAKERS
Fadi Chehadé - Technologist, entrepreneurFadi Chehadé is focused on finding ways for society to benefit from technology and strengthening international cooperation in the digital space.
Why you should listen
Fadi Chehadé is a serial entrepreneur who has founded and led several companies in the digital space including Vocado LLC (acquired by Oracle in 2018) and Viacore (purchased by IBM in 2006). He is an advisory board member with the World Economic Forum's Center for the Fourth Industrial Revolution that focuses on maximizing the benefits of science and technology for society. Chehadé is also a member of the UN Secretary-General’s High-Level Panel on Digital Cooperation that will advance proposals to strengthen international cooperation in the digital space.
Chehadé serves on the corporate boards of Sentry Data Systems and Interactions LLC and the advisory board of the University of Southern California’s Center on Public Diplomacy. For two years, he was a Senior Advisor to Prof. Klaus Schwab, Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum, where he focused on public-private cooperation to address issues affecting the digital economy. As former President and CEO of ICANN, the global authority managing the Internet's logical infrastructure and ensuring "one" internet for the world, Chehadé guided its historic transition to an independent transnational institution governed jointly by private, public and civic stakeholders.
Fadi Chehadé | Speaker | TED.com
Bryn Freedman - Editorial director and curator, TED Institute
Bryn Freedman helps those who want to give the "talk of their lives" in a clear, passionate and authentic way.
Why you should listen
Award-winning TV producer, investigative journalist and author, Bryn Freedman joined TED in 2014 as the editorial director and curator for the TED Institute. In her work with TED, Freedman creates and executes TED conference events for Fortune 500 companies, overseeing all editorial content as well as managing speaker coaches and determining both the topics for each talk and the overall conference theme. In addition to curating these events, she works as an executive speaker coach for professionals who want to give the "talk of their lives" in a clear, passionate and authentic way.
Freedman is also co-founder of Voices4Freedom, an international organization aimed at eradicating slavery through education and media.
Bryn Freedman | Speaker | TED.com