Libraries in Response Webinars

Libraries in Response is a webinar series that began in March 2020 to address how libraries are responding to a wide range of crises: health, social, economic, political and especially climate. Sessions are hosted by IFLA.org. Gigabit Libraries Network strives to support libraries in expanding digital access equity and to increase community resilience against crises and disasters.

Session 116: "Internet 2025 with Vint Cerf"

GliaNet Alliance President Richard Whitt joined Internet pioneer Vint Cerf for a forward-looking conversation on reshaping the digital ecosystem to better serve people, not platforms. Hosted by IFLA's Libraries in Response series, the session explored how communities can take a more active role in shaping resilient digital infrastructure guided by local priorities. Richard expanded on his framework for an Ecosystem of Trust, a model for embedding human rights and fiduciary responsibilities into the development of AI and internet technologies. Drawing from his recent work on aligning two dimensions of AI agency, he emphasized the urgent need for digital environments that uphold the same rights individuals expect offline. This conversation reinforced GliaNet's commitment to placing human dignity and accountability at the center of internet governance in 2025 and beyond.

Session 110: Reweaving the Web, "What's wrong with the World Wide Web?"

As part of IFLA's ongoing Libraries in Response webinar series, designed to explore how libraries are meeting today's social, environmental, and digital crises, GliaNet Alliance President Richard Whitt offered a bold rethinking of libraries' roles in the online world. In his fourth appearance in the series, Richard addressed the structural failures of the modern web, shaped by surveillance-driven platforms and eroding public trust. He shared insights from his recent work on Net Fiduciaries™ a proposed class of trustworthy digital intermediaries, and explored how libraries could help steward this emerging model by offering unbiased, human-centered digital services. Richard's participation spotlighted GliaNet's thought leadership in ethical tech governance and advanced the conversation on how trusted institutions can play a larger role in building a more accountable digital ecosystem.