In search of trust and mistrust

Security authorities and civil society in search of action and sovereignty in the digitally expanded public space

In Western democracies, there are signs of a loss of trust in many respects: among citizens towards the state, towards the media and towards established institutions - and among themselves. In my presentation, I would like to inform about the search of security authorities and civil society for action and sovereignty in the digitally expanded public space.
First of all, I will conceptualize the central role of trust in the democratic constitutional state and illustrate the risks of anti-institutional extremism based on recent findings from the authorities in the Netherlands. Secondly, I will explain the importance of trust in international cooperation between security agencies. Thirdly, I examine from an ethical perspective the right level of mistrust that would be appropriate towards leading private actors in the digital space in the pursuit of state sovereignty. Finally, I highlight the urgent need for action to ensure freedom of expression and education in the run-up to elections. The key to trust in democracy is to recognize undesirable influence by state and private actors in good time before elections and to counter it effectively.