IEEE Global Internet Policy Monitor

Global Internet Policy Monitor

28 November 2018 — The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India said that fiber-based wireline connectivity could do a lot to improve Trai’s service quality.

Internet giant Google is seeking to create a censored search engine for Chinese Users, however more than 200 employees at Google have demanded the company stop developing this.

India and Russia have announced plans to increase cooperation on issues such as Artificial Intelligence and Blockchain after the first India-Russia Strategic Economic Dialogue in St Petersburg…


14 November 2018 — Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, TRAI have said that they are willing to ‘step in’ if there is any anti-competitive behaviour between the mobile phone companies. In a statement they said, ‘a four-player market is fairly healthy and offers a competitive environment. But if it is anti-competitive or predatory, we'll step in.” 

The fifth World Internet Conference forum was held on November 7-9th in the Wuzhen, Zhejiang province. Several topics were discussed including, FinTech and Construction of a Social Credit System, the Future of Internet, The Internet of Things: Towards a Connected World, AI and bridging the digital divide…


31 October 2018Facebook have launched their developer community programme – ‘Developer Circles’ in Singapore. In a press release the internet giant said the programme would help developers “connect, collaborate and encourage community learning and coding through local meet-ups and online groups”. Mr Konstantinos Papamiltiadis, Director of Developer Platforms and Programs at Facebook explained that ARVR and artificial intelligence would be the most likely focus when teaching tech skills


17 October 2018 — According to an industry body, data privacy rules in Asia are hindering the growth and spread of financial technology. They have urged the regulators to avoid an ‘exhaustive and prescriptive’ list of rules and allow companies to operate ‘confidently across borders and enter new markets’…


3 October 2018 — The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India are preparing for the implementation of a National Digital Communications Policy 2018, a new telecom policy, by meeting with key stakeholders to discuss the policy aspects of this new initiative.

China is set to host the 5th World Internet Conference with the theme of ‘creating a digital world for mutual trust and collective governance – towards a community with a shared future in cyberspace.’ Several guests from international organizations, the Government, technology companies and non-governmental organisations will be attending the conference on November 7-9…


19 September 2018India has announced their plans to ban Chinese technology company, Huawei, ZTE from implementing their 5G mobile technology across India. Australia and the United States have already done this, and it seems India is following in their footsteps.

The Singapore Government have launched a new ‘bug bounty programme’ to make it easier for authorities to ‘identify cyber blind spots’ and ‘benchmark its defences against skilled hackers.’…


5 September 2018 — The Chinese President Xi Jinping has said the internet must be ‘clean and righteous’ and free of ‘vulgar’ content at a time when the country is significantly tightening its control over the web.

Singapore launched two new initiatives, ‘AI for Everyone Programme’ and the ‘national artificial intelligence (AI) initiative’ which seek to help adults and school students as young as 13 years old become more familiar with AI and gain necessary skills for the job market…


23 August 2018 — Amidst a clamp down on online content on livestreams, blogs and mobile gaming, Chinese President Xi Jinping declared that the internet must be ‘clean and righteous’. China shut as many as 128,000 websites that contained ‘obscene and other harmful’ information in 2017 as it seeks to maintain its grip over the internet which is popular with China’s youth.

The European Commission consider that social media companies have not done enough to remove illegal and terrorist content from their platforms in a three-month reporting period and will seek to levy harsh fines if content is not removed within an hour…


8 August 2018 — Internet giant Google have announced plans to launch a new version of its search engine that will block certain websites and search terms in China.

According to a report by Deloitte, China is winning the race against the United States to build fifth generation mobile networks, 5G. Compared to the US, China currently has ten more sites that support 5G communication...


25 July 2018 — According to Le Thi Thu Hang, a spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry of Vietnam said the country’s new cybersecurity law will create a ‘safe and healthy cyberspace’ and protect rights online. However, critics argue it grants the government more power to ‘crackdown on dissent.’

The Singaporean Government have announced that the biggest ever cyber-attack has seen the personal information of 1.5 million people stolen and the Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong was also targeted. The data stolen includes names, NRIC numbers, addressees, gender, race and date of birth…


11 July 2018 — Nepal is consulting with the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India to assess whether they should introduce a regulatory framework to make the delivery of the internet and data services fairer. They are considering a ‘net neutrality’ policy which will regulate the way internet service providers deliver services in terms of speed-based discrimination and the pricing of internet traffic.

The United States Treasury Department is drafting legislation to limit the amount of Chinese investment into U.S. technology firms. If put in place, this would block firms with 25% of Chinese Ownership from buying U.S. companies…


27 June 2018Nepal is consulting with the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India to assess whether they should introduce a regulatory framework to make the delivery of the internet and data services fairer. They are considering a ‘net neutrality’ policy which will regulate the way internet service providers deliver services in terms of speed-based discrimination and the pricing of internet traffic.

The United States Treasury Department is drafting legislation to limit the amount of Chinese investment into U.S. technology firms. If put in place, this would block firms with 25% of Chinese Ownership from buying U.S. companies…


20 June 2018 — The Indian Telecommunications Regulation Authority said net neutrality was a vital principle for an open internet. The Chairman of TRAI said, “it is important that the internet is kept as an open and non-discriminatory platform” and continues to be “an enabler of growth and innovation for countries like India.”

According to a new report, China has moved its target for launching 5G mobile technology connections to 2019 which means it could become the first 5g-ready country in the world. The report was commissioned by multinational professional services company EY who stated that ‘China is poised to win the 5G race’ in Beijing on June 13…


13 June 2018 — A large amount of sensitive US military data was stolen by the Chinese Ministry of State Security. The data taken included information on a missile programme. An investigation into the cyberattack is now being undertaken by the FBI.

A new cybersecurity law has been introduced by Vietnam that will give the Government greater control over online content. The law also means that larger tech companies, such as Facebook, will have to store personal data on Vietnamese people within the country...