13 July 2016

The following is summary of the most recent IEEE Global Internet Governance Monitor report. To access the full reports containing additional details and other news items, please join the Internet Technology Policy Community on IEEE Collabratec.

An outline of this weeks ICT news is included below, with guidance for further action by IEEE at the end of this synopsis.

This week the EU has again dominated Cyber news in Europe, with the announcement that the Privacy shield between the EU and USA has been agreed to by represenetatives of each member state. However there were four absentions from the vote and there is growing thought that the agreement will face several legal challenges. 

Elsewhere the EUs net neutrality rules have been criticized by 20 European Telecoms bodies as a detriment to the use of 5G technology. The document put forward by these organisations the 5G Manifesto for timely deployment of 5G in Europe argues against restrictive internet rules as they will create a barrier to the financial incentive to implement and run 5G systems.

In the United States, the Federal Government has announced its intention to introduce 3,500 new cyber security professionals to form a specialised unit of hackers to work on behalf of the US government and its cyber security. The White House hopes that they will be able to encourage all cyber professionals to spend time in the Federal Government as part of their careers.

Amercian civil privacy received a boost this week as a Federal Judge ruled the FBI must obtain a warrant before turning a suspects phone into a tracking device or stingray. Similar decisions have previously been made in the State and local courts but this is believed to be the first time that a decision against warrantless stingrays has been made at the Federal level.

The Department of Health and Human Services has announced their intention to explore how the blockchain system used to transmit bitcoins could be used to securely exchange health records. The move would theoretically allow the DHHS to successively and securely share digital records.

In Asia news this week, Singapore and the Netherlands have reached an agreement on cyber security cooperation, following the signing of a two year memorandum of understanding. The bilateral agreement will allow both countries to cooperate on issues such as best practise, security training and strategies to protect information infrastructure.

This week the World Economic Forum produced their most recent networked readiness index in which India slipped two positions to 91 among 139 countries. The WEFs reasoning for the decision was based upon the countrys low levels of literacy and digital skills, along with the limited spread of digital infrastructure.

This week saw three major announcements from significant global institutions regarding the digital sector. Of greatest interest is perhaps the UNs resolution to recognize that human rights extend to the internet. It should be noted however that Russia, China and North Korea all opposed the motion based upon sovereignty issues. Elsewhere the members of NATO have signed an agreement recognising the importance of cybersecurity and setting out how each member will seek to ensure the full defence of their cyber responsibilities.

Finally it should be noted that ICANN has issued a call for comments on its proposal to release all two-letter second-level domains in gTLDs. The document is available for public comment through 17 August 2016.