Dear Sir or Madam,

The Faculty of Political Science and Administration of Kazimierz Wielki University in Bydgoszcz and the Regional Centre for International Debate for the Wielkopolskie and Kujawsko-Pomorskie regions have the honour to cordially invite you to participate in the International Scientific Conference entitled: "The Individual and the State in Cyberspace – Between Freedom and Control", which will be held on 27–28 May 2026 in Bydgoszcz, Poland.

The dynamic development of information and communication technologies has significantly transformed the functioning of individuals, societies, and states, making cyberspace a key area of social, political, and economic activity. This space has become an arena of tension between the expansion of individual freedoms - including access to information, opportunities for civic participation and co-decision-making - and the growing scale of control, surveillance, and regulatory mechanisms applied by both states and private entities.

The increasing importance of electronic communication tools in governance and public management processes, as well as the development of e-governance, cyberdemocracy, and electronic civic participation, creates new opportunities for citizen engagement in public life. At the same time, it raises important questions about the limits of individual autonomy, the transparency of algorithmic decision-making processes, and the role of artificial intelligence, including in education and in shaping digital competences.

At the same time, the intensification of digitalisation processes reveals numerous threats related to information security, privacy protection, disinformation, cyberattacks, and the functioning of artificial intelligence-based systems. In this context, the digital resilience of individuals and states, the ability to use technologies consciously and critically, as well as the development of cross-border cooperation in cybersecurity, are becoming key challenges for contemporary democracies.

Taking into account the diverse aspects of the functioning of individuals and states in cyberspace, the conference organisers aim to bring together specialists - researchers and experts representing various fields and scientific disciplines interested in cyberspace from political science, legal, sociological, psychological, pedagogical, economic, technological, and military perspectives - as well as practitioners representing local, national, and international institutions and organisations. The conference is intended not only to facilitate knowledge exchange but also to create opportunities to initiate and develop cooperation in this field.

The organisers propose addressing the following topics:

• e-governance and the application of digital technologies in governance and public management processes;

• cyberdemocracy and electronic civic participation as new forms of individual engagement in public life;

• digital competences of citizens as a condition for conscious and responsible participation in cyberspace;

• the role of artificial intelligence in education, including its impact on learning processes, the development of digital competences, and the shaping of civic attitudes;

• digital resilience of states and individuals in response to threats resulting from the development of information and communication technologies;

• contemporary threats in cyberspace, including cyberattacks, disinformation, violations of privacy, and information security risks;

• cross-border and international cooperation in cybersecurity, technology regulation, and the protection of digital infrastructure.

All abstracts will be published together with a short biographical note in the Book of Abstracts, and post-conference papers may be submitted for publication in the form of a scientific monograph.