Digital Beyond Harm: For People & Planet

May 20-22 | Vienna, Austria

After some years of globe-trotting from Chile to India, the WSA Global Congress is coming home again - to Vienna! From May 20–22, 2026, Vienna’s UNESCO-charmed streets will buzz with creative minds, digital dreamers, and innovators who make real impact. Expect to make valuable connections, learn new perspectives, and to plug in to a community that believes tech can bring about positive change.

Five tech giants shouldn’t define our digital lives, own our data and choices. It’s time to pause, reflect and reset.

The WSA Global Congress 2026 is where these conversations happen: a global gathering of innovators, founders, activists, and changemakers sharing best practices of what technology can be: human centered, ethical, inclusive, and fair. In a world driven by profit, scale, and data, the Congress invites you to focus on digital beyond harm.

From impact entrepreneurship to equity by design, digital governance, and feminist perspectives, let’s meet in Vienna to explore what it means to create with purpose and diverse perspectives. Grassroots projects tackling climate change, digital tools amplifying democracy, and youth-led initiatives all come together — sparking dialogue, connection, and new action.

Connecting all of that with the agenda 2030 and an ongoing cooperation with the UN, the WSA Global Congress connects digital innovation directly to the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, turning mindful ideas into measurable global impact.

We don't know who will be there yet, but we know you're not going to want to miss it!

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Topics

Feminist Internet | Beyond the Broliarchy

After two decades of unchecked growth, a few tech firms now shape how we learn, connect, and make our choices. Digital solutions are built through a narrow, often male dominated lens. Let’s discuss what could change, when we design with equity and ethics in mind and with diverse perspectives involved. A feminist internet isn’t about ideology, it’s about diversity as digital common sense.

Digital Power & Democracy | Local Innovation at Risk

Billions are spent each year on global marketing, platforms, and algorithms while at the same time local innovators struggle to get noticed or funded. Let’s explore how the unequal flows of capital and visibility shape not just markets, but also democracy itself: whose ideas reach the public, whose voices are amplified, and whose solutions influence society. It’s about understanding the system and finding ways for startups and communities to thrive, innovate, and strengthen democratic participation globally.

Impact Innovation | Building for Needs

Impact startups are building the solutions we urgently need - tackling climate, inclusion, education, and health - but often struggle to gain funding and support in systems copying Silicon Valley standards. Let’s share best practices how to level the playing field and support founders and their ventures to create lasting social impact, by backing innovation that creates value for communities, not just shareholders, and ensure the digital economy serves everyone.

Why Vienna?

From May 20–22, 2026, Vienna will prove that Digital without Harm is possible, welcoming 500+ changemakers from 90+ countries.

Renowned for its commitment to digital humanism, the city offers the perfect backdrop to explore how technology can be ethical, inclusive, and human-centered. Set within ViennaUP, Central Europe’s largest startup and innovation festival, participants will have access to a wide range of events, gatherings, and networking opportunities, connecting with innovators, policymakers, and impact-driven founders from around the world.

Vienna is consistently ranked one of the most livable cities in the world, with excellent public transport, vibrant culture, historic architecture, and world-class food and coffee — the congress is the perfect occasion to finally (re)visit this city.

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