Convenings

Convenings

Meetings with stakeholders and other experts are underway

  • April 11, 2024: The National Defense Strategy Commission held a public conversation at the Miller Center on how the United States should engage all of society in implementing U.S. national security and national defense strategies.
  • February 14, 2024: The inaugural meeting of the Core Advisory Committee brought the committee together to introduce the general state of play for the project and objectives, present briefings on contemplated workplans for each of the three workstreams, report on research and past convenings, and engage in dialogue surrounding reactions and discussion on progress thus far. 
  • January-March, 2024: In conjunction with the UVA Office of the Vice Provost of Research, and with support from the Miller Center’s Yen and  Schlesinger Professorships, Ripples of Hope is hosting a series of one-hour conversations at the Miller Center to explore ways to gain the political architecture necessary for a safer and more secure digital landscape. These convenings bring together diverse stakeholders with deep expertise in the technology sector, corporate governance, financial and insurance markets, and varied regulatory approaches. We aim through these discussions to develop implementation pathways to mitigate the risks resulting from a U.S. tech sector designed around exploiting user data and the ways such pathways enable China, as well as other national and non-state actors, to exfiltrate user data. Borrowing heavily from recommendations in Trafficking Data: How China is Winning the Battle for Digital Sovereignty, (Oxford University Press, 2022), we will focus on how we might approach data stabilization to incorporate governance (corporate reporting, private sector standard setting), financial markets (financial reporting, investment indices, liability, digital property rights), and the role of governments. We will reassess where and how to proceed in Q2 2024 as these are underway.  
  • November 14, 2023: Community discussion that brought together selected students, faculty, staff, and community members to consider the implications of Virginia legislation that bans the use of TikTok and other Chinese apps for state employees. The convening included a panel discussion focused on the cybersecurity issues related to this technology; the purpose and goals of the legislation; and its implications for the university and state, national, and international policies. Virginia State Sen. Ryan T. McDougle and University of Virginia Vice Provost for Global Affairs Stephen D. Mull were panelists and Aynne Kokas, C.K. Yen Professor at the Miller Center and UVA associate professor of media studies, moderated.
  • October 19-20, 2023: The Ripples of Hope Project aspires to address questions raised during the Miller Center's Conference on the American presidency held in October, 2023