Barbara Wanner Archives

Broadening the Oversight of a Free and Open Internet

Published on April 20, 2016

Via the Wall Street Journal

USCIB and the International Chamber of Commerce were cited in a Wall Street Op-Ed about the transition of the stewardship of the Internet from the United States to the broader multistakeholder community. Author Stephen Crocker, chairman of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) Board notes that business has a keen understanding of the importance of the Internet in strengthening the global economy and creating jobs and economic growth.

On March 17, representatives from the Intel Corporation, the Internet Society and others told Congress they supported the transition. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the U.S. Council for International Business, the Information Technology Industry Council, the Software & Information Industry Association and others also approve of the plan.

Business leaders from companies like Google, Verizon, AT&T, Cisco and Yahoo participated in the development of the proposal. Academics from Harvard, George Mason University and other institutions also weighed in. From the International Chamber of Commerce to the Center for Democracy and Technology, diverse organizations have voiced support.

Read the full Wall Street Journal article (Subscription required)

Obama Appoints USCIB Members to National Cybersecurity Commission

Published on April 14, 2016

White_HouseGiven society’s increasing reliance on computer systems and information and communication technologies (ICTs), cybersecurity must lie at the heart of any national security strategy. To that end, President Obama announced today his appointees to the Commission on Enhancing National Cybersecurity, a new office established within the Department of Commerce to raise awareness about digital security in the United States.

“I have charged the Commission on Enhancing National Cybersecurity with the critically-important task of identifying the steps that our nation must take to ensure our cybersecurity in an increasingly digital world,” President Obama said in a White House press release. “These dedicated individuals bring a wealth of experience and talent to this important role, and I look forward to receiving the Commission’s recommendations.”

Two USCIB members were appointed to the 12-member commission: Ajay Banga, CEO of Mastercard, and Peter Lee, corporate vice president of Microsoft Research. USCIB’s ICT Policy Committee has actively shaped the development of a model cybersecurity framework in the OECD, as well as an International Chamber of Commerce practical business guide to implement the OECD security guidelines. USCIB also contributes regularly to the U.S. government’s calls for public comments on cybsercurity challenges.

Business Welcomes Revised OECD e-Commerce Recommendation

Published on March 31, 2016

Smartphone_mobile_globeThe revision of the 1999 OECD Guidelines for Consumer Protection in the Context of Electronic Commerce (1999), which was initiated in 2014, came to a conclusion with the adoption by the OECD Council on March 24 of a revised Recommendation.

The Business and Industry Advisory Committee (BIAC) to the OECD welcomes the update which takes account of significant evolutions in the technical landscape as well as in consumer habits. From the onset, the BIAC Consumer Policy Task Force contributed actively to the works of the OECD Committee on Consumer Policy, pointing to the benefits of e-commerce and recommending a flexible approach rather than focusing on challenges.

The revised Recommendation will be discussed by ministers and high level experts during the consumer trust panel at the OECD Ministerial on the Digital Economy on June 22 in Cancun, Mexico.

Internet’s Future to be Discussed at OECD Digital Economy Ministerial

Published on March 7, 2016

Digital GlobeThe rapid increase of information and communications technologies (ICT) and online participation compels us to consider the potentially transformative effects of technology on a broad range of socially beneficial, data driven applications. The upcoming 2016 OECD Digital Economy Ministerial in Cancún is an opportunity to think about the path forward and continue to promote these transformative opportunities in an open, transparent, responsible and inclusive manner, respecting both individual rights and freedoms and the rule of law.

Contributing actively to the development of the next OECD Committee on Digital Economy Policy (CDEP) Ministerial Declaration, a delegation from the Business and Industry Advisory Committee (BIAC) to the OECD led by USCIB ICT Committee Chair Joe Alhadeff is raising business concerns about the future of the digital economy. The drafting session for the Ministerial Declaration, a multi-stakeholder consultation process also including advisory members of the technical community, has progressed substantially from the first draft in September. The next version of the consensus-built OECD CDEP Ministerial Statement will be available during the next CDEP meetings from March 29 to April 1.

Please read “Enabling a Vibrant Digital Economy” by USCIB President and CEO Peter Robinson for more information on USCIB’s involvement in the Digital Economy Ministerial.

WSIS+10: Advance SDGs for Secure and Vibrant Digital Economy in Africa

Published on December 16, 2015
L-R: Moctar Yedaly (African Union), John Danilovich (ICC) and Joseph Alhadeff (Oracle)
L-R: Moctar Yedaly (African Union), John Danilovich (ICC) and Joseph Alhadeff (Oracle)

The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) Business Action to Support the Information Society (BASIS) initiative, the Africa ICT Alliance (AfICTA) and the African Union (AU) joined forces to provide an integrated view of the lessons learned from the implementation of the United Nations (UN) millennium development goals (MDGs) and the good practices imperative for enabling the sustainable development goals (SDGs).

The review took place at a side event hosted during the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) +10 high level review meeting at UN Headquarters in New York. Under the theme “Digital economy and sustainable development”, the luncheon event highlighted the value of information communication technologies (ICTs) and the Internet in the underpinning infrastructure for economic and social progress and providing tools for programmes in sectors such as health, finance and education. Panelists from business and the governments of Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa shared perspectives on how to ensure the Internet continues to be a platform for growth and a critical enabler of sustainable development.

Co-moderators of the session Joseph Alhadeff (Oracle) chair of the ICC’s Commission on the Digital Economy and of USCIB’s ICT Committee, and Moctar Yedaly of the African Union, invited participants to discuss how progress towards the SDGs could be made, reflecting on the myriad ways in which ICTs have already helped to advance several MDGs in Africa.

Hlengiwe Buhle Mkhize, deputy minister of telecommunications and postal service, South Africa, who took part in the event, said: “If we really want to bring a new agenda of how the use of ICTs helps us to step up our efforts, to equalize and create a sustainable society, we have to deepen our conversations as partners and as to what responsibilities we bear, and how we measure the commitments.”

wsiis1_sourceChaired by ICC Secretary General John Danilovich, the event also featured Adebayo Shittu, minister of communications, Nigeria, Nermine El Saadany, under secretary for international relations division, Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, Egypt and ICC BASIS members Jimson Olufuye, chairman, Africa ICT Alliance (AfICTA).

The interactive discussion focused on the development of a secure and vibrant digital economy in Africa that would help the region better integrate into the global digital economy. Egyptian small business owner and ICC BASIS Officer Hossam El-Gamal said: “We need competitiveness, transparency, security and openness to encourage investment and bring the next billion online.”

For more information about the side event ‘Digital economy and sustainable development’ please click here

 

ICC Launches Principles to Support Innovation

Published on December 2, 2015

inno_sourceThe International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) has launched a new set of principles to support the development of policy frameworks that enable innovation, especially in high-technology industries.

The principles – which  promote policies that support innovation as a key driver of economic growth, job creation and broad-based opportunity – were released at a roundtable in Geneva co-hosted at the Permanent Mission to Canada and attended by senior business executives and ambassadors representing a range of countries. They respond, in part, to the challenge of the United Nations’ new Sustainable Development Goals which emphasize the role of innovation in tackling global challenges such as extreme poverty and climate change.

The paper expands upon four central principles, necessary for the creation of a supportive policy environment for innovation. In doing so, it urges policymakers to:

– Build investor confidence by encouraging dialogue between stakeholders, providing stability and good governance, investing in infrastructure and ensuring that regulatory frameworks are predictable, transparent, robust and up to date.

– Train skilled workers in a climate that promotes knowledge exchange  To achieve this, the principles highlight the need for collaboration across sectors, along with investment in educational infrastructure and public-private research programs.

– Open markets to trade and investment, noting that innovation is a global endeavor that transcends borders. The principles state that national trade and competition laws should not discriminate between domestic and foreign companies, and that national systems aimed at attracting investment should conform to international norms and take into account global competition to attract investment capital.

– Ensure adequate intellectual property (IP) systems to incentivize investment in innovation . The paper explains that effective and predictable intellectual property systems assist businesses to obtain financing for innovation, provide certainty that businesses can recoup their investments in R&D, and enable innovative ideas to be commercialized and scaled. They also help to provide security for sharing know-how between businesses and other entities in the context of collaborative innovation.

“The social, environmental, and economic challenges that we face today require innovative responses,” said ICC Secretary General John Danilovich, “Business has a key role to play in helping society meet these challenges but can only do so in an environment that supports innovation. The ICC Innovation Principles have been created with this in mind, and we hope that they will provide the foundation for a wider discussion on technological innovation between business and policymakers.”

To download the ICC Principles on Creating and Nurturing Innovation Ecosystems for High-Tech Industries, click here .

5 Business Messages from the Internet Governance Forum

Published on November 30, 2015

IGF logo(1)_sourceThe Internet Governance Forum (IGF) concluded in Brazil recently bringing together more than 2,400 participants from over 116 countries to discuss Internet governance issues relating to cybersecurity, the Internet economy, inclusiveness, diversity, human rights, critical Internet resources and others. We take a look back at some key business messages that emerged during the four-day event.

Future of the IGF: A crucial time

Addressing government representatives at a high level meeting prior to the Internet Governance Forum, Ilham Habibie, chair of the ICC initiative Business Action to Support the Information Society (BASIS) said that extending the IGF mandate for at least 10 years would assure that Internet governance goals aligned with the United Nation’s recently agreed sustainable development goals which, in varying degrees, all rely on ICTs connected over the Internet and in back end-systems. A United Nations General Assembly high-level meeting marking the conclusion of the 10-year review of the World Summit on the Information Society will bring the future governance of the Internet to a critical juncture next month.

ICTs and Internet for sustainable development

Under the theme of empowering sustainable development, the IGF highlighted how private-sector investment in technology, innovation and entrepreneurship had transformed the Internet from an information exchange network to a powerful platform for sustainable social and economic development.

From e-health services or water distribution projects, to providing solutions for reducing carbon footprints, IGF workshops and main sessions provided wide-ranging examples of how the private sector was leveraging the Internet every day to improve the living conditions of people, bridge gaps that create inequalities, and protect and renew the planet’s resources.

An ICC BASIS co-hosted workshop on multistakeholder practices enabling sustainable development looked at the ways in which cooperation across stakeholders can drive sustainable development and underscored how attainment of all 17 UN sustainable development goals would rely in varying degrees on ICTs and the Internet.

Bringing the next billion online

“We must encourage efforts to bring Internet access to all global citizens,” said Hossan El-Gamal, a board member of the Africa Information & Communication Technologies Alliance (AfICTA), BASIS member and member of the IGF Multistakeholder Advisory Group.

Speaking as a representative of the SME community, El-Gamal said: “Bringing the next billion online to benefit from the information society requires, among other things: policy support for swifter access; reducing ICT investment risks; enhancing capacity building; facilitating local business innovation; encouraging local content creation; and strengthening institutional capacities

Importance of new links to local activities

Stakeholders participate in the IGF to share ideas and experiences and leave with insights and new perspectives to apply back home.

Because stakeholders do not meet at the IGF to negotiate or finalize official or binding texts, they can speak frankly and openly, in discussions that have ultimately lead to more informed policy and decision-making within their respective communities and organizations.

“The engagements of regional and national IGFs, in countries including Zimbabwe, Nigeria Paraguay, Mexico and Costa Rica and the subnational IGF in Nigeria are tangible success stories from this annual meeting, which should be sustained,” said Jimson Olufuye, BASIS member and chair of the AfICTA in his closing ceremony speech on behalf of ICC BASIS.

Multistakeholder strength

During the week, business and other stakeholders highlighted how multistakeholder cooperation and approach to Internet governance discussions served a shared interest in a stable and sustainable Internet.

In her opening session speech, BASIS and USCIB member Ellen Blackler of The Walt Disney Company said: “Progress towards our joint goals will be most successful when business, the technical community, government and civil society each have an active role in the development and assessment of policy issues and solutions. This inclusion lowers the risk of unintended consequences, increases legitimacy and facilitates implementation.”

Digital Economy’s Driving Role in Meeting the 2030 Development Agenda

Published on October 30, 2015
L-R: Raul Echeberra (Internet Society), Jacqueline Ruff (Verizon), Robert Pepper (Cisco), Ellen Blackler (Disney) and Elizabeth Thomas-Raynaud (ICC)
L-R: Raul Echeberra (Internet Society), Jacqueline Ruff (Verizon), Robert Pepper (Cisco), Ellen Blackler (Disney) and Elizabeth Thomas-Raynaud (ICC)

On October 21 in New York, the International Chamber of Commerce, jointly with the South Korean Mission to the United Nations, and the UN Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL), held a forum for some 100 UN delegates, legal experts and business executives to examine e-commerce in the context of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The event, which featured a number of USCIB members, aimed to enhance awareness of the significance of the digital economy and dispute resolution, especially in the context of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda.

Featuring opening remarks by Oh Joon, South Korea’s permanent representative to the UN, and Miguel de Serpa Soares, UN under secretary general and legal counsel, panel sessions focused on how to maximize the potential of the digital economy to advance the SDGs, as well as emerging legal and economic issues affecting e-commerce.

While in New York, representatives of ICC’s BASIS (Business Action to Support the Information Society) initiative spoke at an October 19-22 UN stakeholder consultation in New York on the review of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS). They shared the priorities for global business in ensuring that the Internet and ICT innovation can deliver on their potential to drive sustainable economic and social development.

December 2015 marks the 10th anniversary of the WSIS, which aimed to bridge the global digital divide by improving access to the Internet and its benefits in the developing world. ICC BASIS and its cross-sector membership of businesses and associations from around the world were active contributors both during the WSIS Summits which took place in Geneva (2003) and Tunis (2005) and in post-WSIS processes and forums.

Read more on ICC’s website.

Progress Made on Enhancing Accountability at ICANN Meeting

Published on October 26, 2015

Digital GlobeAs the Internet community prepares for the transition of the Internet’s stewardship from the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) of the U.S. Commerce Department to the global multi-stakeholder community, stakeholders made progress on enhancing accountability at the latest annual meeting of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN).

At the week-long meeting, which wrapped on October 22 in Dublin, some 1,800 participants from government, business, civil society and the technical community rallied around a proposal to develop an ICANN accountability mechanism to replace the “backstop” function currently provided by ICANN’s contract with U.S. Commerce Department’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). Barbara Wanner, USCIB’s vice president for ICT policy, represented USCIB member interests at the meeting.

Since NTIA announced in March 2014 that it would transition key Internet functions and domain names to the global multistakeholder community, USCIB and other stakeholders have underscored that any new model of domain name system (DNS) management must include mechanisms that ensure it is accountable to the global stakeholder community. USCIB further has emphasized that the transition process must be thoughtfully conceived so as to not in any way compromise principles set forth by NTIA for the IANAN transition. These include supporting and enhancing the multistakeholder model, maintaining the security, stability, and resilience of the Internet DNS, meeting the needs and expectations of the global customers and partners of the IANA services, and maintaining the openness of the Internet.

“The proposal developed at the Dublin meeting marked an important step in developing a mechanism that will effectively empower business and other stakeholders to hold ICANN accountable. We have repeatedly said that accountability mechanisms must be in place before the IANA transition takes place,” said Wanner.

Mathieu Weill, co-chair of the Cross-Community Working Group on Enhancing ICANN Accountability (CCWG-Accountability), concurred. “What I think we can take away from this week is the wonderful and amazing way in which we have brought together in the same room people from different [stakeholder] groups to work in a collaborative manner – and that makes a difference and brings progress,” he said, noting that stakeholder collaboration is being embedded in ICANN’s accountability framework.

According to Wanner, ICANN’s work on accountability is helping to build the case for a multistakeholder Internet governance model, which is preferable to a government-controlled alternative. “Participants proposed that the CCWG-Accountability’s work demonstrates to critics who advocate inter-governmental organization jurisdiction over Internet governance issues that a multistakeholder model, although occasionally ‘messy,’ is effective and produces important results,” she said.

In addition to discussions about the enhanced accountability mechanism, the Dublin gathering featured some over 300 separate sessions on topics as diverse as “Women in ICANN, Internet and ICTs,” “Universal Acceptance of TLDs [top-level domains like .com and .org],” and “The Role of Voluntary Practices in Combating Abuse and Illegal Activity,” which reflected the substantive breadth of the policy and technical issues considered by ICANN.

USCIB is a member of the Business Constituency, a stakeholder group representing the private sector in discussions with ICANN on Internet governance.

USCIB Cites Concerns Over End of “Safe Harbor”

Published on October 13, 2015

Digital GlobeUSCIB joined 22 other associations in signing a letter to European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker explaining how the wholesale invalidation of the U.S.-EU Safe Harbor program will negatively impact the business operations of thousands of companies that rely on transatlantic commercial data transfers.

Established in 2000, the U.S.-EU Safe Harbor framework makes it easier for American companies to certify that they meet an “adequacy” standard for digital privacy protection, which under EU law is necessary to allow businesses to transfer data from EU countries. On October 6, the EU Court of Justice ruled that the 2000 U.S.-EU Safe Harbor Decision is invalid.

“This invalidation constitutes a serious disruption for the thousands of companies that have relied on the framework for commercial data transfers between the EU and the United States,” wrote USCIB and 22 other U.S. and EU tech-based associations in a joint letter to the European Commission. “These commercial data flows are central to facilitating transatlantic trade and the continued development of Europe’s data driven economy.”

The letter explained that “companies take their legal commitments very seriously when transferring data to the United States in compliance with European law,” and that the EU court’s judgement has created legal uncertainty. The letter urged the European Commission to come up with a harmonized implementation of the court’s judgement, so as to avoid “fragmenting the EU’s common approach to international data transfers.”

The joint letter also called on the European Commission to provide guidance for companies operating under the safe harbor framework, and for both the U.S. government and the Commission to urgently conclude their negotiations aimed at strengthening the Safe Harbor framework.

Read the full letter here.