The Cities for Digital Rights Conference 2025 is organised by the Cities Coalition for Digital Rights and takes place from 18 to 19 June 2025 in Amsterdam, a founding member of the coalition. The conference brings together city leaders, digital rights advocates, technologists, and civil society organisations to explore how smart city technologies can be deployed ethically and inclusively, without compromising fundamental rights.
The Cities Coalition for Digital Rights was co-founded in 2018 by Barcelona, Amsterdam, and New York City, and has since grown to include over 50 cities worldwide committed to protecting digital rights in the urban context. The coalition operates on the principle that the same rights that people have offline must also be protected online and in the digital urban environment.
Key topics include data privacy and the challenges of urban surveillance, from CCTV networks and facial recognition to the data trails generated by smart city sensors. Sessions address algorithmic accountability and the need for transparency when automated systems make decisions that affect citizens' lives, digital inclusion strategies that ensure all residents can participate in and benefit from digital city services, and the responsible use of AI in urban governance, including procurement frameworks that embed ethical considerations from the outset.
The programme features case studies from coalition member cities, interactive workshops on developing digital rights frameworks at the municipal level, and debates on emerging challenges such as the use of generative AI in public services and the governance of urban data ecosystems. For city leaders, technology officers, digital rights organisations, and anyone concerned with ensuring that smart city development respects and strengthens democratic values, this conference provides an essential platform for sharing knowledge and building alliances.