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17th Internet Governance Forum in Addis Ababa
New technologies must remain a force for good
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A recurrent theme at IGF 2022 is harnessing advanced digital technologies, such as artificial intelligence, blockchain, biotechnology and robotics, for the greater social good. These frontier technologies have the immense potential for driving the successful implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals. However, their misuse can threaten human rights, generate unemployment, and foster the spread of inequalities, especially for developing countries who lag behind in the application of these technologies.
If harnessed effectively, advanced technologies can accelerate financial inclusion, prevent future pandemics, and help combat climate change. According to UNCTAD Technology and Innovation Report 2021, new technologies already represent a $350 billion market which could grow to $3.2 trillion by 2025. Advanced technologies can also allow for the reductions of 5% to 10% of greenhouse gas emissions.
Delegates called for more capacity-building, greater multi-stakeholder engagement and the coherent development of policies that effectively harness the use of advanced technologies. The private sector was cited as a crucial partner as they are at the forefront of innovative technological advances.
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Main Session: Enabling Safety, Security and Accountability
Participants acknowledged that cybersecurity is being approached in a more whole-of-society, human-centric manner. There is also more focus on how human rights is integrated into cybersecurity measures.
Some countries have made progress in developing national mechanisms for responding to threats. Examples include passing data protection laws that provide breach notification requirements; investing in research and development for digital transformation; and launching a national cybersecurity strategy.
Participants stressed the importance of meaningful participation of all stakeholders including civil society. Efforts to address cybersecurity must center around people and the impacts of these attacks on their lives and livelihoods. Participants also stressed the need for governments to be transparent in how they use surveillance tools.
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Best Practice Forum on Cybersecurity
The Best Practice Forum on Cybersecurity updated IGF2022 participants on cybersecurity norms and agreements that currently exist globally. Two new agreements have been introduced since 2021, namely the Copenhagen Pledge on Tech for Democracy and A Declaration for the Future of the Internet. These new additions bring the total to 38 international agreements between or among stakeholders, including voluntary, nonbinding cybersecurity norms. Aside from general cooperation norms, the most common elements in these agreements include protecting human rights and democracy and countering disinformation and influence operations.
An emerging priority issue is combatting ransomware, considered to be one of the most dangerous national security threats by Governments worldwide. John Hering, Senior Government Affairs Manager for Digital Diplomacy at Microsoft, emphasized that improving “cyber hygiene” is one of the most basic actions governments, corporations and other organizations can take to protect their systems from cyberattacks. For example, adopting multi-factor authentication across systems reduce the likelihood for attackers to intrude.
A key feature of the best practice forum held today was Storybanking, where the presenters investigated a specific cybersecurity event, in this case, Log4j, to gain insights about whether or not norms have had an effect in mitigating the attack or where norms development would have benefited from their input.
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Global AI Governance for Sustainable Development
Artificial intelligence (AI) possesses immense potential for fostering economic growth and environmental sustainability and accelerating the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Recent studies pointed out that AI has the potential to help achieve more than 70% of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, while promising prosperity, AI and other advanced digital technologies present risks of growing unemployment, underemployment and inequality, and raise new ethical and moral challenges such as replication of social biases and discriminatory algorithms.
Today’s Workshop on Global AI Governance for Sustainable Development presented participants with the linkages between AI and sustainable development, in particular, how advanced digital technologies impact SDG 8 on decent work, SDG 9 on industry, innovation and infrastructure, SDG 10 on reduced inequalities, SDG 12 on sustainable consumption and production and SDG 13 on climate.
The fundamental challenge on AI governance is the lack of data, especially from the Global South, that is needed to provide important inputs into the process of improving machine learning and AI. Where data is present, there is also a risk of data bias. Multi-stakeholder cooperation is needed to set governance standards and ethical boundaries that are inclusive, non-discriminatory, auditable and rooted in human rights.
Photo credit: UN Photo/Manuel Elías
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On 29 November, the UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) presented the outcome of the research on Cybersecurity for Development in the 4th Industrial Revolution.
Led by the ECA Digital Centre, the research indicated a positive relationship between cybersecurity and development. A 10% increase in cybersecurity maturity yields between 0.66% and 5.4% increase in per capita GDP. The research further showed that cybersecurity correlates with Internet Penetration in Africa at 93% such that a 10% increase in Internet Penetration yield between 1% and 8% increase in GDP per capita. The report also showed that the higher a nation’s cybersecurity maturity the lower the cyber financial loss per capita.
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UN Envoy on Technology Amandeep Singh Gill talks about the biggest challenges in leveraging data in today’s digital world and how we can overcome them.
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Friday 2 December
- Main Session: Addressing Advanced Technologies, Including AI (11:15 am EAT)
- Best Practices Forum: Gender and Digital Rights (1:45 pm EAT)
- Open Mic Taking Stock (4:15 pm EAT)
- Closing Ceremony (5:30 pm EAT)
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- Follow the Forum using hashtags #IGF2022 and #ResilientInternet
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