In 2021, the Nordic Council of Ministers for Culture decided to establish a temporary think tank for addressing the influence of Big Tech on democratic debate in the Nordic countries.

The purpose of the Nordic Think Tank for Tech and Democracy has been to discuss the increasing influence of social media and Big Tech on democratic debate in the Nordic countries and recommend possible political actions to protect and strengthen Nordic digital democracy.

The Think Tank was appointed in May 2022 and consists of 13 members from all over the Nordic Region: Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, Greenland, Faroe Islands and Åland.

The work of the Think Tank has been organised around three physical meetings in Copenhagen between September 2022 and February 2023. The Ministry of Culture, Denmark, has served as Secretariat to the Think Tank.

Tobias Bornakke (chairman), Denmark, is a researcher and co-founder of Analyse & Tal. Tobias holds a PhD in digital methods and has led several studies on the democratic debate on social media across the Nordic countries.

Anja Bechmann, Denmark, is a professor at Media Studies and director of DATALAB at Aarhus University. Anja is also the Principal Investigator of the Nordic Observatory for Digital Media and Information Disorder (NORDIS).

Bente Kalsnes, Norway, is a professor at the School of Communication, Leadership and Marketing at Kristiania University College. Bente has served as a member of the Freedom of Speech Commission appointed by the Norwegian government.

Carl Heath, Sweden, is a senior researcher at the Research Institute of Sweden (RISE). Carl has previously been commissioned by the Swedish Government as Special Counsel for the protection of democratic dialogue.

Elfa Ýr Gylfadóttir, Iceland, is the director of the Icelandic Media Commission. Elfa has been Head of Division of Media at the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture and has been lecturing at the University of Iceland for 25 years.

Fredrik Granlund, Åland, is a journalist and program manager at Ålands Radio and TV (public service). Fredrik has worked as a journalist for 25 years and is interested in the relations between humans and new technology.

Hanna Haaslahti, Finland, is a media artist and director working with image and interaction. Hanna is interested in computer vision and its social implication on human relations and has participated in many international exhibitions.

Jákup Brúsá, Faroe Islands, is a digital marketing consultant and has worked with 100+ companies. Jákup’s research on political communication was published in the International Journal of Information Technology and Politics.

Martin Holmberg, Sweden, is a programme manager at Medier & Demokrati, Lindholmen Science Park. Martin has previously worked in media organisations as a journalist, editorial leader and in leadership roles on digitalisation.

Minna Aslama Horowitz, Finland, is a docent and senior researcher at the University of Helsinki. Minna is a member of the Nordic Observatory for Digital Media and Information Disorder (NORDIS) and a fellow at St. John’s University.

Signe Ravn-Højgaard, Greenland, is an assistant professor pursuing a PhD at the University of Greenland. Signe’s research is on how digitalisation and the use of social media affect small democracies.

Sumaya Jirde Ali, Norway, is a poet and former editor of the feminist culture magazine Fett. Sumaya has written three poetry collections and received the Zola award for civil courage for her work and participation in the public debate.

Thorgeir Ólafsson, Iceland, is a senior advisor at the Icelandic National Broadcasting Service (RÚV). Thorgeir has worked as a press officer and has been responsible for mass media in the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture.

From the Ministry of Culture, Denmark, Marie Funch Adamsen and Janus Emil Mariager have served as Secretariat to the Think Tank. 

Ahead of the work, all 13 members of the Think Tank handed in their individual disclosures of potential financial ties to Big Tech companies in order to secure transparency within the group on any relations to the industry in question.