Podcast 🎧 & blog: Cyber diplomacy and the fight for values-based technology
By Federico Plantera
At the Tallinn Cyber Diplomacy Summer School this year, an idea resonated across sessions: our digital world is entwined into the fabric of society, influencing our security, values, and future prosperity.
In this podcast episode, we sat down for a conversation on technology, diplomacy and values with Johanna Weaver, Executive Director of the Tech Policy Design Institute, Australia. She offers a perspective that breaks away from technicism and focuses on what matters down the line – how can we embed fairness, trust, and resilience into the technologies we create?
“Diplomacy in the digital age is no longer optional,” Weaver says, making clear that our choices today will define the digital world of the future. The introduction of values into digital systems starts at the design stage and must be reinforced through policy, education, and diplomacy. What we decide today will shape the face and substance of technology tomorrow.
Two Sides of the Same Coin
Digitalisation and cybersecurity cannot be treated as separate policy tracks. “If you have digitalisation without cybersecurity, you’re exposing your society to enormous risk,” Weaver says. Conversely, cybersecurity without meaningful digital transformation fails to deliver the benefits that technology can offer. “Security has to be baked in from the start,” she insists, urging governments to treat cybersecurity as a core enabler of digital transformation.
Weaver expanded on this point, noting that “secure-by-design systems not only protect against external threats but also foster confidence among citizens and users.” Through integrated design processes, privacy, accessibility, and safety can be prioritised effectively along the way as well. “It’s about building systems that reflect our values from day one,” she said, describing cases where public trust increased because of thoughtful system design.
Failure to integrate security early on often leads to costly retrofitting and missed opportunities to strengthen resilience, she adds. “It’s so much harder and more expensive to try to patch things up later.”
We are talking about values because technology is not neutral. “Technology reflects the values of the society that creates it,” Weaver notes. And design choices, she explains, may shape everything from trust to democratic participation. “Once those decisions are embedded, they are very hard to undo.” She urged participants to see design decisions as ethical choices that have a lasting impact.
Cybersecurity for Societal Wellbeing
Against this backdrop, and far from being a defensive or purely technical measure, cybersecurity becomes an essential enabler of modern life. “It’s not just about stopping the hackers, so to speak, but designing technology that supports fairness, inclusion, and privacy.” Security, when embedded from the outset, saves resources and protects societies from harm. Something that challenges policymakers to see cybersecurity as part of their broader duty to shape technology for the public good.
Weaver elaborated that “strong cybersecurity frameworks contribute directly to economic stability and national resilience,” linking digital safety to wider societal wellbeing. “When systems fail, it’s not just about data. It’s about people’s lives and livelihoods.”
“We all have a role – governments, businesses, civil society – in making sure digital systems are safe and fair.“ And this collective responsibility, Weaver suggests, should also inform national strategies and budgets. She encouraged greater cross-sector cooperation, saying that “real impact happens when we break down silos between technical experts, policymakers, and community leaders.”
In focus also comes the importance of education and capacity-building. “Cybersecurity isn’t just for the techies. Again, everyone has a role to play in keeping our digital world safe,“ she says, urging leaders to invest in digital literacy and ensure that security is treated as a shared priority across sectors.
Diplomacy and Collective Action in a Complex World
Weaver describes today’s global environment as one of growing tension and rapid technological change. “As that old saying goes, ‘When diplomats fail, soldiers go to war,‘” she reminds the audience, highlighting the stakes of international cooperation. And that’s where investing in diplomacy can come to help, to preserve the rules-based order. “If we don’t fill the vacuum, others will, and we might not like the values they bring,“ she warns.
She added that “digital diplomacy needs to be proactive, not just reactive,“ emphasising that states should lead by shaping norms rather than responding to crises. All the praise to ongoing efforts at the UN, but progress – she notes – is slow and should be kept in check. “We can’t wait for perfect consensus. Instead, we need coalitions that act with purpose.”
Alignment between domestic policies and international strategies is one key area to advocate for. “What we say at home and what we say abroad must be consistent, otherwise we undermine our credibility.“ Weaver also called for more inclusive diplomacy, encouraging greater participation from smaller nations and underrepresented voices. “We can’t leave parts of the world out of these conversations – the rules we build must work for everyone.”
But despite the challenges, Weaver’s message stays hopeful. “Look at what we’ve achieved before – Y2K showed that coordinated action works.“ And while at the Summer School, “It was inspiring to see the passion and commitment of all the experts and practitioners,“ attendees who came together from all over the world to strengthen this path and approach. “We all have agency. We all have responsibility in the making of our digital future,“ she concludes.
“We need a sense of urgency. We need courage. And we need to act together.“
The opportunity, she points out, is ours to seize.
The Tallinn Cyber Diplomacy Summer School is part of the EU-funded Tallinn Cyber Diplomacy Programme, which promotes global cyber resilience capacity-building and aligns with the EU’s core values of democracy, human rights, and the rule of law. It supports the EU’s strategic commitment to inclusive multilateralism and a secure, open digital future.
The Summer School is co-organised by the e-Governance Academy (Estonia), European Commission (DG INTPA), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia, and ESTDEV.
