We will livestream the Godwin lecture that Cory Doctorow will give today, May 5th – Dutch national Liberation Day. During his lecture, Doctorow will draw comparisons between the NSA and the Stasi. From 8.30 PM CEST (Amsterdam time), you will find the stream here.

We organize this lecture in collaboration with De Correspondent and Artis. Maurits Martijn, a journalist with De Correspondent who is specialized in technology and surveillance, will moderate the evening. Besides Cory Doctorow, Hans de Zwart, director of Bits of Freedom, and Artis-professor Erik de Jong will say a few words.

Godwin
The title of the lecture refers to the ‘law’ of Mike Godwin, which states that every online discussion will eventually become a discussion about WWII. Whoever dares to draw a comparison with WWII, will quickly be accused of ‘a Godwin’ and the discussion thread will be closed. The negative connotation of Godwin’s law fosters a taboo around drawing historical comparisons. Bits of Freedom wants to break this taboo and believes that keeping an eye on the past will actually help further the discussion on state surveillance and privacy.