4 January 2017

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.

In the UK, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport has completed its review of cyber risk management and found that there is no need to expand cyber security regulation further than the existing, General data protection regulation.

In other European cyber security news, the Czech National Cyber-Security Centre is to build a new headquarters and increase staff numbers by a factor of 10.

Looking forward, the EU Commission will shortly be publishing its long-awaited communication on data localisation. An economic study on the issue will be published alongside the communication.

The Swedish telecom regulator is taking action against the mobile operator Telia for offering free access to Facebook and Spotify for customers who have used up their data limits. Telia’s actions are viewed to by a violation of EU regulations on net neutrality.

Shortly before Christmas the European Union’s highest court ruled that the retention ofbulk emails and other data by member states (such as that under new British legislation) is illegal.

In the US, attempts by the Obama administration to renegotiate the 2013 Wassenaar agreement on the exportation of cyber security tools with 41 countries, have been unsuccessful. The renegotiation will now be up to the incoming Trump administration.

There has been much discussion in the media about the CIA’s accusation that Russian cyber attacks interfered with last year’s Presidential election. The US has responded by ejecting 35 Russian diplomats. Meanwhile some have questioned the credibility of the CIA’s claim that Russia are responsible for the cyber attacks, or that their intention was to encourage a Trump victory.

As previously reported, China is to introduce a new cyber security law this June, which will be imposed on consumers, businesses and financial institutions. The law will involve a more stringent use of personal data.

Meanwhile data from the Singapore Computer Emergency Response team demonstrates that the number of ransomware attacks increased in significantly in 2016.

In global institutional news, ICANN has announced that it will host its 2018 meetings in Puerto Rico and Barcelona.