Elevate: Open Everything?

Our lives have never been so open. Computers and the Internet have facilitated an unprecedented flow of information, knowledge and communication throughout our increasingly networked global village. But there is a dark side to this openness: governments today place their entire populations under surveillance, while monopolistic corporations sell intimate details of our lives to advertisers for profit. Elevate 2013, with the theme “Open Everything?”, sought answers to the overwhelming question of the Internet age: Can we harness the power of openness for democracy, without slipping into an Orwellian nightmare?