Israeli scientist joins UN panel tasked to secure a safe digital future

Israeli scientist Dr. Kira Radinsky has been named as a member of a high-level panel established by the United Nations to make recommendations on ensuring “a safe and inclusive digital future,” it was announced Friday.

The panel, made up of 20 members, will be co-chaired by Chinese e-commerce billionaire Jack Ma and Melinda Gates, co-chair of the Gates foundation.

In a statement, Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon hailed the appointment.

“We welcome the selection of Dr. Radinsky to join the panel and are proud that a groundbreaking and pioneering scientist will represent Israel at this important forum,” said Danon in a statement.

“Radinsky is at the forefront of global technology and has made exceptional achievements, and we are confident that she will contribute greatly to the panel’s activities and to the promotion of international cooperation in technology,” he said.

Congratulations to Dr. Kira Radinsky, eBay’s Director of Data Science, for her selection to the @UN’s High-Level Panel on #DigitalCooperation! We will continue to promote the inclusion of Israelis at the UN. pic.twitter.com/aa4xWtJaEO

— Danny Danon ???????? דני דנון (@dannydanon) July 13, 2018

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said at a news conference Thursday that he sees the United Nations “as a unique platform for dialogue in our digital age” and the panel as an expert group to make proposals to strengthen international cooperation.

In Guterres’s words: “As a global community, we face questions about security, equity, ethics, and human rights in a digital age. We need to seize the potential of technology while safeguarding against risks and unintended consequences.”

Radinsky is eBay’s director of data science and chief scientist in Israel.

The 32-year-old was born in Ukraine and immigrated to Israel at the age of four. She began studying at the Technion at age 15, and completed three degrees at the Faculty of Computer Science.