WEBCAST MAY 20 – UA Day 2025 North America Regional Event: Breaking Barriers: Universal Acceptance and Multilingualism as Gateways to Digital Access
On Tuesday May 20 2025 at 09:00-13:00 EDT (13:00 – 17:00 UTC) the i2Coalition (i2C), Identity Digital, and the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), will host a half-day hybrid event ‘Breaking Barriers: Universal Acceptance and Multilingualism as Gateways to Digital Access‘ at ICANN’s Washington DC Engagement Center. Leading experts in language, Internet infrastructure and AI will discuss how digital access is the key to unlocking the Internet’s full potential for all users. The event also serves to launch the newly formed Coalition on Digital Impact (CODI).
PROGRAM
09:00 Welcome Remarks
Matt Larson – Vice President of Research, ICANN
Christian Dawson – Executive Director, i2Coalition / Co-Founder, Coalition on Digital Impact
09:10 Fireside Chat: The Importance of Language in Digital Access
Rebecca MacKinnon -Vice President of Global Advocacy, Wikimedia Foundation
Ram Mohan – CSO, Identity Digital / Chairman, Coalition on Digital Impact
09:30 Fireside Chat: Meaningful Connection in a Multilingual World
Steve Crocker – CEO /co-founder, Shinkuro, Inc.
Rachel Sterling – Chief Marketing Officer, Identity Digital
09:40 Panel 1: Universal Acceptance: The Cornerstone of Meaningful Connection
Jennifer Chung – Vice President, Policy, DotAsia
Steve Crocker – CEO / co-founder, Shinkuro, Inc.
George Sadowsky – Information Technology consultant / ex-ICANN Director (2009-2018)
Moderator: Christian Dawson – i2C
11:00 Fireside Chat: Bridging Digital Divides: The Evolution and Future of A Multilingual Internet
Vint Cerf – Chief Internet Evangelist, Google
John Perrino – Senior Policy and Advocacy Expert, Internet Society
11:10 Panel 2: Will AI Break or Build Barriers? Linguistic and Cultural Divides on the Internet
Chaula Gupta, Vice President / Chief Program Officer, Digital Promise
Vint Cerf – Chief Internet Evangelist, Google
AJ Bhadelia – North America Government Affairs and Public Policy, Cohere
Moderator: Aliya Bhatia – Senior Policy Analyst, CDT
12:15 Closing Keynote: One Internet, Many Languages. A Common Future
Theresa Swinehart – Senior Vice President, Global Domains & Strategy, ICANN
12:25 Wrap-up Remarks
Ram Mohan – CSO, Identity Digital / Chairman, Coalition on Digital Impact
Christian Dawson – Executive Director, i2Coalition / Co-Founder, Coalition on Digital Impact
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