Tom Barbereau
I am a scientist specialist at TNO (Dutch Organisation for Applied Scientific Research), where my work focuses on the governance of digital technologies and their broader impact on organisations, the economy, and society. My current research centres on cryptographic and privacy-enhancing technologies, exploring how these tools are means to foster or obsfucate trust.
In addition, I am a research fellow at the Institute for Information Law (IViR) at the University of Amsterdam. There, I contribute to academic teaching — primarily in the areas of blockchain, cryptocurrencies, and decentralised systems — from an interdiciplinary perspective.
Sessie
As governments across Europe, including in the Netherlands, advance stronger online identity and age verification systems, the space for anonymity and pseudonymity is rapidly narrowing. From data retention proposals and chat control initiatives to deregulation efforts and the expansion of European Data Spaces, an increasingly dense web of digital infrastructures is being justified in the name of safety, accountability, and innovation. Yet these same measures may erode some of the internet’s foundational freedoms: the right to exist, speak, and organize without being tracked.
This interactive workshop will explore the growing tension between mandatory identification online and the fundamental rights to privacy, anonymity, and pseudonymity. Are identity-based systems necessary tools for trust and digital security? Or do they function as Trojan horses for unprecedented forms of surveillance and control?
The interactive workshop will use a combination of World Café methods of collaborative thinking, followed by an Oxford-style debate. Through these participatory exercises, participants will critically examine the role of EU and NL regulation: can it genuinely safeguard anonymity while promoting digital security, or is it becoming complicit in its erosion? Beyond diagnosing the problem, the session will explore practical pathways forward — including regulatory safeguards, technical tools, and policy design options that could reconcile accountability with the protection of fundamental rights.
The workshop is designed for policymakers, civil society actors, researchers, technologists, and anyone concerned with the future of digital rights in Europe. Participants should expect a dynamic, structured discussion with clear takeaways and actionable recommendations.