Apple vs USA, Facebook vs India, Google vs China – in the digital age there is a real question about who governs: is it the large technology companies? Can governments exert real control? Ultimately, who does own the data? And in a heightened sense of global insecurity, how can governments address questions surrounding freedom of information and the right to privacy?

• Fadi Chehadé, Founder and CEO, Chehadé & Company
• Colin MacDonald, Government Chief Information Officer, New Zealand
• Sarah Wilkinson, Chief Technology Officer, Home Office, UK
• Dr Anthony House, Director of Policy Strategy for EMEA, Google
• Chaired by Dr Thomas Simpson, Associate Professor of Philosophy and Public Policy, Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford

This is event was part of The Challenges of Government Conference, held on 19-20 May 2016 at the Blavatnik School of Government.

The Challenges of Government Conference is the Blavatnik School of Government’s annual high-level conference. Since 2011, the Challenges of Government Conference has been bringing together a global, multidisciplinary and cross-sector audience to Oxford. From rapid urbanisation to citizens activism, the Conference brings together the brightest minds in government, the private sector, and academia to discuss policies, strategies, and ultimately real-world solutions to some of the world’s toughest challenges.