Speaking at the debate, Puccioni, a renowned practitioner of imagery intelligence, said the increasing use of technology has helped democratise information that will eventually “help create a more equitable world”. “Today, we can access from our smartphones all kinds of information, that a few decades ago, were held only in the clandestine hands of elite intelligence agencies,” she told the audience. While it would be “impossible” to argue that challenges created by technology do not exist, Puccioni told Al Jazeera the availability of information to a larger audience is a good thing in the long run.

Vincent, director for the Media and Technology Ethics programme from Santa Clara University, in the US, preferred

to take the “middle road”. He said that “There’s always been grounds for optimism. But it’s been hyped up so much that people have forgotten that technology is designed without a moral sense.” Vincent added that while technology has been used as a force for good, helping to mobilise people, it has also been used “to spread lies, disinformation and hate speech, amplify conspiracy theories, sow discord and divide people. In the hands of good actors, it can be used for good. In the hands of bad actors, it will be used for bad.”

The third participant in the debate, Conn, believes technology may have created an “existential crisis” for humans. Conn, a former director of Media and Outreach for the Future of Life Institute, pointed out the connection between technology and warfare and how, throughout recent modern history, it has been used to bring about immense destruction. “Technology is primarily developed for military purposes, for profit or both. And unfortunately, war is far more profitable than peace,” she said in her opening remarks.

Dalia Shurrab, a social media coordinator in the occupied Gaza Strip, agrees with Puccioni. “As a person who is trapped under an unjust siege on the Gaza Strip, I used the internet and technology to be connected to the outer world, and I have so many chances to speak out, to represent my people and to express my opinion,” Shurrab said.

Jillian York, a free speech advocate based in the German capital of Berlin, highlighted the role of technology, particularly the internet, in amplifying the voices of marginalised communities. “We have to look at the ways in which technology, and specifically the internet, is facilitating global movements,” she noted.

The panel which took place in Doha, December 2019, discussed a point of great relevance today, namely,