Organisers/Hosts: Vili Lehdonvirta, Kaarlo Liukkonen
Sessions: Tuesdays, 1–2pm (UK time), during Oxford term time, via Zoom
Participation: Open to researchers and students from any university or research institution. Please apply here if you would like to join the seminar sessions.
Michaelmas Term 2026
- Week 1: Tue 13 Oct 2026, 1–2pm UK / 3–4pm Finland / 8–9am Eastern
Susanna Mansikkamäki, Jyväskylä University School of Business and Economics
“Temporary technology and the maintenance of technological sovereignty” - Week 2: Tue 20 Oct 2026, 1–2pm UK / 3–4pm Finland / 8–9am Eastern
Stephen Weymouth, Georgetown University
“Digital Disintegration: Techno-Blocs and Strategic Sovereignty in the AI Era” - Week 3: Tue 27 Oct 2026, 1–2pm UK / 3–4pm Finland / 9–10am Eastern
Johan van der Meer, DIESL, Aalto University
“Polarity without Polarization? Network Structure in Global Data Centre Ownership” - Week 4: Tue 3 Nov 2026, 1–2pm UK / 3–4pm Finland / 8–9am Eastern
Lina Dencik, Goldsmiths, University of London
“From welfare to tenant state? State-tech relations in an age of AI ” - Week 5: Tue 10 Nov 2026, 1–2pm UK / 3–4pm Finland / 8–9am Eastern
Eero Lindbohm, DIESL, Aalto University
“Support your local cloud provider? European digital sovereignty in practice” - Week 6: Tue 17 Nov 2026, 1–2pm UK / 3–4pm Finland / 8–9am Eastern
Greg Taylor, Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford
“Fast Technologies, Slow Regulation” - Week 7: Tue 24 Nov 2026, 1–2pm UK / 3–4pm Finland / 8–9am Eastern
Seda Gürses, TU Delft
“Computational Infrastructures and the continuous engineering of economic production.” - Week 8: Tue 1 Dec 2026, 1–2pm UK / 3–4pm Finland / 8–9am Eastern
Stefan Kirchner, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg
“SpaceX and the private orbital stack”
About the Digital Economic Security Seminar
Today’s economies are critically dependent on transnational digital platforms and infrastructures. Platforms are shaped by economic forces but increasingly also by governments’ security interests, while large technology companies have themselves emerged as powerful actors in global politics. The Digital Economic Security Seminar brings together emerging research on the political economy and governance of transnational digital platforms and infrastructures, broadly understood. The virtual seminar is hosted by Professor Vili Lehdonvirta and doctoral researcher Kaarlo Liukkonen at Department of Computer Science, Aalto University. The seminar has been running continuously since 2016 and was originally titled the Oxford Platform Economy Seminar.