Theme: People & Platforms: Let’s Talk Accountability

📍 T-Hub, Hyderabad |  14–15 November 2025

About the Summit

Digital Citizen Summit (DCS) is a flagship annual event organized by the Digital Empowerment Foundation (DEF) in collaboration with the Centre for Development Policy and Practice and the Government of Telangana. The summit is a platform to discuss, deliberate, and co-create ideas around digital rights, internet governance, emerging technologies, and citizen participation in the digital age.

The 2025 edition under the theme “People & Platforms: Let’s Talk Accountability”  focuses on interrogating power structures within digital platforms and exploring the responsibilities and roles of different actors in shaping accountable, inclusive, and rights-based digital futures.

This year’s edition builds on the previous themes of Commoning the Internet for a Vibrant Democracy (2023) and AI, Algorithms, and Accountability (2024) and dives deeper into questions such as: Who bears the burden of shaping digital spaces, and who holds the power to transform them?

Informed by the ongoing work of the ARISE (Accountability and Responsibility in South’s Ecosystems) network, this summit highlights how digital governance, platform regulation, and ethical tech are critical to reimagining technology as a public good.

Sub-Themes

This year’s Summit will cover (but not be limited to) the following topics:

  • Social Media Accountability: Governance, Influence, and Regulation
  • AI & Climate Justice
  • Gender, Sexuality, and the Politics of Data
  • Algorithmic Bias, Labor Rights & Platformisation
  • Fair and Equitable Data Governance
  • Digital Public Infrastructure and Public Health
  • Intersectional Identities and Digital Citizenship
  • Accessibility Standards and Digital Inclusion
  • E-Waste and Environmental Justice
  • Open-Source and Community Reclamation of Tech
  • Disinformation, Misinformation, and Narrative Control

Session Formats

We invite individuals and organizations to submit session proposals in the following formats. Each session will only be limited to 45 minutes.

🔹 Round Table Discussions

Facilitated, small-group dialogues that enable deeper engagement on complex issues, ensuring equal participation and diverse perspectives.

🔹 Panel Discussions

Expert-led discussions on specific sub-themes. Each panel will include a moderator and 3–4 speakers sharing research, insights, or experiences.

🔹 Workshops

Hands-on, interactive sessions to ideate, experiment, or co-create around digital governance, technology design, and civic engagement.

🔹 Paper Presentations

Researchers, practitioners, and students are invited to present academic or practice-based papers on related themes.

🔹 Showcases

Dedicated space to exhibit digital tools, open-source projects, or tech-for-good innovations.

🔹 Interactive Formats

Games, fishbowls, or other creative interventions exploring digital life and platform accountability.

Who Can Apply?

We welcome proposals from:

  • Students & Researchers
  • Civil Society Practitioners
  • Technologists & Developers
  • Journalists & Artists
  • Public Policy Professionals
  • Designers & Community Organizers

Important Dates

Deadline for Session Proposals: August 31st 2025

Submit Your Proposal

Click here to submit your session proposal
(Please ensure to include your session title, format, short description, target audience, and any logistical or tech requirements.)

For queries, write to us at: suruchi@defindia.org

Follow updates: https://dsummit.defindia.org/