Technology

The focus of DGAP’s research and consulting on this core theme is the interdependency of technology and foreign policy. Technological innovation — as well as the diffusion and impact of emerging technologies — is always influenced by the social, economic, and (security) policy contexts in which it occurs. At the same time, technologies affect international actors by changing their areas of influence, options for action, and goals. Today, technology not only continues to play a role in determining foreign and security policy in the classical sense, but it also almost always includes an international dimension, for example in its consequences for regulation or global chains of supply and production.

Recent publications

Photo of two people at the stall of VKontakte at the Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum

The Key Player in Russia’s Cybersphere

What the West Needs to Know about VK Company

This paper analyzes the rise of VK Company and the creation of its super app to increase state surveillance and the dissemination of propaganda in Russia. The app is on its way to combining social networking and services related to healthcare, education, and e-government under one roof. Western policymakers need to be aware of why and how the Russian state is pushing its citizens to use such domestic services. Only then can they counter the use of data generated by such services in facilitating the state supervision and control of society.

Philipp Dietrich