15 September 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.

Ahead of his confirmation as the EUs latest Commissioner, Sir Julian King has told the European Parliament that the EUs security is being weakened by back door encryption. Sir Julian is set to become the EUs Commissioner for the Security Union and will likely be the UKs last EU Commissioner, following the EU referendum result in June.

New rules from the EU will place greater pressure on American company transactions in Europe, with repercussions for Google, Facebook and WhatsApp as a result of new rules to regulate the digital market place, from encryption monitoring to net neutrality.

Elsewhere, privacy advocate Max Schrems class action lawsuit against Facebook will be heard in the EUs Court of Justice. The case has been transferred to the EUs highest court in order to provide a ruling on whether the case can be classed as a class action after the other plaintiffs transferred their rights to Schrems as part of an Austrian law.

The battle over the USAs transition of internet governance has continued this week with Senate Republicans, led by Senator Ted Cruz attempting to stall the move by holding up budget agreements. The Government Accountability Office has however stated in a report that control of the internet is not American property.

The Obama Administration has this week named the countrys first Chief Information Security Officer. Gregory Touhill, a deputy assistant secretary specialising in cybersecurity and communications at the Department of Homeland Security will now be responsible for improving US cyber practices.

In a new development for the FCCs net neutrality rules, Netflix, the popular entertainment streaming company has asked the FCCto consider penalising Internet Service Providers for selling capped broadband packages.

In India this week a Microsoft supported study has found that 68% of businesses belive they have a digital strategy in place that would allow them to succeed in a digital world. The report find India ahead of the average, with only 57% of Asian businesses stating a similar confidence in their digital strategies.

The Malaysian Government has this week launched its first cyber range for technology development and cyber warfare training. The facility will seek to produce 10,000 cyber security professionals a year and is based at UIAM (Universiti Islam Antarabangsa Malaysia).

Elsewhere in the world this week, the EUs data sharing deal with Canada is under review, as it may potentially contravene EU laws. The head of the Israeli National Cyber Directorate, Eviatar Matania, has this week criticized the cyber norms propulgated by the USA as being too broad to be effectively implemented by the international community.

In Global Institutional news this week, the ITU has identified the key ICT skills needed to succeed in modern life as part of its global symposium on ICT capacity building. Elsewhere ICANN has launched its latest application process for its fellowship program, with applications open until the 21st October.