Global Digital Compact

Thematic Deep-Dive: Digital trust and security

Guiding questions:

  1. Digital spaces and online platforms can be exploited by actors for financial,
    criminal, social, political, or malicious goals – to spread falsehood, violent and
    extreme content, perpetrate scams and other crimes, and manipulate online
    behaviors. Which collaborative measures undertaken by Governments, the
    private sector and civil society have proved effective in tackling such misuse
    so far? How can global digital cooperation strengthen their implementation?
  1. Different jurisdictions apply different norms to online behaviors. Different
    online platforms apply different policies to similar online behaviors. How can
    Member States, the private sector and relevant stakeholders engage to define
    common frameworks to address the challenges to online safety?
  2. Regarding mis/disinformation and online harm, what policies, frameworks
    and measures can be adopted by governments and companies to protect the
    integrity of public information and preserve civic spaces for public debate?
  3. What digital cooperation measures, for example trust labels, audits, and
    certification schemes, can stakeholders consider promoting trust and safety for
    consumer products and services, including AI models? How can we enhance
    digital literacy skills and training so that people are empowered to protect
    themselves?

Thematic Deep-Dive: Human rights online

Guiding questions:

  1. Digital technologies can greatly contribute to the protection of human rights. However, digital surveillance, censorship, algorithmic bias, online harassment, and other forms of abuse can suppress or violate human rights. How can women and girls, children, and persons in vulnerable situations such as persons with disabilities or persons belonging to linguistic minorities be supported in exercising their human rights online?
  2. What are the gaps in terms of existing mechanisms for protection and promotion of human rights in the digital domain? How can accountability of digital platforms – public and private – be strengthened?
  3. How can international organizations, Member States and other stakeholders work together to ensure human rights offline are protected online?

G7 digital and tech ministers discuss AI, data flows, digital infrastructure, standards, and more

On 29-30 April 2023, G7 digital and tech ministers met in Takasaki, Japan, to discuss a wide range of digital policy topics, from data governance and artificial intelligence (AI), to digital infrastructure and competition. The outcomes of the meeting – which was also attended by representatives of India, Indonesia, Ukraine, the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia, the International Telecommunication Union, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, UN, and the World Bank Group – include a ministerial declaration and several action plans and commitments to be endorsed at the upcoming G7 Hiroshima Summit.

During the meeting, G7 digital and tech ministers committed to strengthening cooperation on cross-border data flows, and operationalising Data Free Flow with Trust (DFFT) through an Institutional Arrangement for Partnership (IAP). IAP, expected to be launched in the coming months, is dedicated to ‘bringing governments and stakeholders together to operationalise DFFT through principles-based, solutions-oriented, evidence-based, multistakeholder, and cross-sectoral cooperation’. According to the ministers, focus areas for IAP should include data location, regulatory cooperation, trusted government access to data, and data sharing.

The ministers further noted the importance of enhancing the security and resilience of digital infrastructures. In this regard, they have committed to strengthening cooperation – within G7 and with like-minded partners – to support and enhance network resilience through measures such as ensuring and extending secure and resilient routes of submarine cables. Moreover, the group endorsed the G7 Vision of the future network in the Beyond 5G/6G era, and is committed to enhancing cooperation on research, development, and international standards setting towards building digital infrastructure for the 2030s and beyond. These commitments are also reflected in a G7 Action Plan for building a secure and resilient digital infrastructure. 

In addition to expressing a commitment to promoting an open, free, global, interoperable, reliable, and secure internet, G7 ministers condemned government-imposed internet shutdowns and network restrictions. When it comes to global digital governance processes, the ministers expressed support for the UN Internet Governance Forum (IGF) as the ‘leading multistakeholder forum for Internet policy discussions’ and have proposed that the upcoming Global Digital Compact reinforce, build on, and contribute to the success of the IGF and World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) process. Also included in the internet governance section is a commitment to protecting democratic institutions and values from foreign threats, including foreign information manipulation and interference, disinformation and other forms of foreign malign activity. These issues are further detailed in an accompanying G7 Action Plan for open, free, global, interoperable, reliable, and secure internet. 

On matters related to emerging and disruptive technologies, the ministers acknowledged the need for ‘agile, more distributed, and multistakeholder governance and legal frameworks, designed for operationalising the principles of the rule of law, due process, democracy, and respect for human rights, while harnessing the opportunities for innovation’. They also called for the development of sustainable supply chains and agreed to continue discussions on developing collective approaches to immersive technologies such as the metaverse. 

With AI high on the meeting agenda, the ministers have stressed the importance of international discussions on AI governance and interoperability between AI governance frameworks, and expressed support for the development of tools for trustworthy AI (e.g. (non)regulatory frameworks, technical standards, assurance techniques) through multistakeholder international organisations. The role of technical standards in building trustworthy AI and in fostering interoperability across AI governance frameworks was highlighted both in the ministerial declaration and in the G7 Action Plan for promoting global interoperability between tools for trustworthy AI. 

When it comes to AI policies and regulations, the ministers noted that these should be human-centric, based on democratic values, risk-based, and forward-looking. The opportunities and challenges of generative AI technologies were also tackled, as ministers announced plans to convene future discussions on issues such as governance, safeguarding intellectual property rights, promoting transparency, and addressing disinformation. 

On matters of digital competition, the declaration highlights the importance of both using existing competition enforcement tools and developing and implementing new or updated competition policy or regulatory frameworks ‘to address issues caused by entrenched market power, promote competition, and stimulate innovation’. A summit related to digital competition for competition authorities and policymakers is planned for the fall of 2023.

Thematic Deep-Dive: Data protection

Guiding questions:

  1. Art. 17 ICCPR recognizes the individual right to privacy. How can governments, data protection authorities’ private companies, the scientific community and civil society work together to ensure personal data is processed, stored, secured and protected against misuse?
  2. What principles would support quality and interoperable data so that governments, international organizations, the private sector, civil society and individuals can contribute to and benefit from digital trade and economy and leave no one behind?
  3. Data is a key enabler of innovation and research. How can stakeholders leverage tools such as (pseudo)anonymization,1 encryption, portability, etc. to drive innovation and interoperability while protecting personal data?

Thematic Deep-Dive: Internet governance

Guiding questions:

  • Over the last twenty years the share of world’s population connected to the internet has more than quadrupled. New internet-based tools – from the smartphone to social media – have emerged and we are moving into an Internet of Things. How can we continue to ensure the unfragmented safe, global, secure, and inclusive internet?
  • The 2005 Tunis Agenda endorsed a multi-stakeholder approach to the governance of the internet. How have we succeeded in realizing vision? How do the roles and functions of various multi-stakeholder forums such as ICANN, IETF and the IGF come together to support internet governance? And how can they be strengthened?
  • How can governments, technical standard bodies, civil society, industry and all stakeholders work together for an open, indivisible, free, interoperable, global, secure, inclusive Internet?

Thematic Deep-Dive: Digital inclusion and connectivity

Guiding questions:

  1. How can governments, international organizations, private companies, and civil society work together to close the digital divide and improve access, skills, and meaningful connectivity for all?
  2. What actions should be taken to enable digital inclusion for all?
  3. What policies, frameworks and programs have proven to be most successful and should be scaled up and adapted to other contexts to foster digital inclusion?