Hello, I'm Katja. I'm a writer, researcher and frequent commentator on topics at the nexus of geopolitics, geoeconomics and emerging technologies, with a particular focus on how new innovation might rewire our democracies, economies and global order.
This is my personal website and blog where I collect some of my own writing and ideas.
About me
Katja Bego is a writer and policy expert on the geopolitics and geoeconomics of emerging technology. She is currently writing a book on the weaponisation of undersea communications cables, which will be published by Polity in 2025. She is joining Chatham House as a Senior Research Fellow in cyber and emerging technology in the summer of 2024.
Previously, she led the emerging technology and foresight team at the ICO, the UK’s data protection regulator. She was also formerly a principal researcher and head of the future internet programme in Nesta’s technology futures team, where she led the organisation’s work on the future of the internet and the (geo)politics of innovation. She was also the principal investigator of the European Commission-funded NGI Forward project, which supported the Commission in setting the strategy and policy agenda of the Next Generation Internet initiative, the EU’s ambitious flagship programme which seeks to build a more democratic, inclusive and resilient future internet by 2030.
She regularly comments on topics relating to emerging technology, geopolitics and European strategic autonomy in outlets such as Wired, BBC, the Financial Times and the Guardian. Before joining Nesta, Katja worked as a data scientist in the private sector and as a researcher at the MIT Media Lab. She holds a degree in economics and political science from Wellesley College in the US, and a Master’s degree in the History of War from King’s College London.
Deep Connections: out September 25
My book "Deep Connections:
"Deep beneath the world's oceans lurks a threat with the potential to cause major disruption and conflict: a network of cables through which almost all global internet traffic runs. These invisible but vital assets, spanning almost 1.4 million kilometres, are increasingly under siege by tech giants fuelling an AI bubble and state actors vying for control and seeking to undermine their geopolitical adversaries.
We are currently witnessing a dramatic uptick in mysterious cable cuts, from the Arctic to the South China Sea. NATO ships patrol the seas to protect chokepoints. Intelligence agencies are raising the alarm about backdoors and wiretapping. While the United States and China are racing to muscle each other out of the cable network, others like Europe are rushing to reduce their dependencies and achieve tech sovereignty.
Yet this battle over cables is not new. Britain's dominance over global communications helped it win the First World War. American submarines engaged in daring operations to tap Soviet cables during the Cold War. In Deep Connections, Katja Bego traces the past, present and future of this complex sub-sea infrastructure to show how its weaponization risks fragmenting the network, the open Internet – and with it, the global order."
Other writing
Media + public speaking
I regularly comment on topics related to the (geo)political and social impact of emerging technologies. I’ve appeared on the BBC Today Programme and the BBC News, and my work has been featured in publications such as the Financial Times, the Guardian, Wired, NRC, the New Statesman and Politico.
I also frequently speak at conferences and take part in panel discussions and roundtables, also in a personal capacity.
I am available to be contacted about providing commentary, speaking at events, or other opportunities.
Contact me
I am always interested in contributing written pieces, providing comment and speaking at events. If you would like to explore how we could work together, get in touch via, read my blog, or follow me on Bluesky, LinkedIn or X.