Information Communications and Technology Archives

ICC Sets Digital Economy Priorities

Published on July 10, 2013
Commission members gather in Paris to assess the current digital economy landscape and discuss strategic priorities.
Commission members gather in Paris to assess the current digital economy landscape and discuss strategic priorities.

Business and legal professionals representing over 20 organizations came together in Paris this week at a meeting of the International Chamber of Commerce Commission on the Digital Economy.

The meeting was led by incoming chair Joseph Alhadeff, chief privacy strategist and vice president for global public policy with Oracle, who began by paying tribute to his predecessor Herbert Heitmann, former executive vice president of external communications at Royal Dutch Shell, for his long and valuable service to the commission during his six-year long tenure as commission chair.

The biannual gathering presented a chance for members to assess the current digital economy landscape and discuss strategic priorities in light of developments relating to Internet governance, data protection and privacy.

Alhadeff underscored that privacy, along with the broader issue of Internet governance and cyber-security, were priority issues for the commission along with the development of a new Global Action Plan for the Digital Economy. A ready and practical compendium of business positions, the first edition of the action plan was originally submitted on behalf of business to a ministerial conference on electronic commerce, jointly organized by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and the Government of Canada in Ottawa in 1998, where it was well received as the consensus business input.

Concerning cyber-security, in particular, USCIB’s submission on the Draft EU Network and Information Security (NIS) Directive will be considered by the Commission in the coming weeks for possible advocacy.

Day two of the meeting commenced with an update by Christiaan van der Valk
and Jacques Beglinger, co-chairs of the ICC Task Force on Security and Authentication, on preparations for an ICC conference on paperless trade facilitation. Scheduled to take place in 2014, the conference aims to practically address concrete problems faced when trading digitally.

Van der Valk said: “The conference is an opportunity for ICC to be in the forefront on the paperless trade issue and to step up to represent both the business community and users. It is important that the conference is not about abstract policy but rather a chance to get business people to interact with people in government to talk about real issues that create real challenges.”

The vice chair of the commission, Gerard Hartsink, led a discussion on the possibility of developing an impactful and practical set of ICC guidelines to help executives understand and enhance company cyber-security. “As e-business grows so does cybercrime. A lot of companies, particularly small- and medium-sized enterprises are asking for help and ICC is very well placed to help them,” he said.

Eric Loeb, vice president of external affairs at AT&T and chair of the ICC Task Force on Internet and Telecommunications, wrapped up the meeting agenda by updating members of the commission on the work of the task force, as well as outcomes of meetings of the World Telecommunication Policy Forum and World Summit on the Information Society Action Lines Forum which took place in May. Loeb also looked ahead to meetings including an Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers meeting in South Africa in July, October’s Internet Governance Forum in Indonesia, and the International Telecommunication Union Plenipotentiary Conference in Busan, Republic of Korea from October 20 to November 7.

Download the third edition of the ICC Global Action Plan for the Digital Economy.

Staff contact: Barbara Wanner

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Business Playing a Big Role in Leadup to Key Internet Forums

Published on May 14, 2013

The International Chamber of Commerce, the global business body which USCIB represents in the United States, welcomed the renewed strong representation of business in a multi-stakeholder advisory group responsible for steering preparations for the 8th Internet Governance Forum (IGF) – an open forum for policy dialogue on issues of Internet governance that will take place this October in Bali, Indonesia.

Nine members of ICC’s Business Action to Support the Information Society (BASIS) initiative secured a place on the MAG, a special advisory group to the UN secretary general representing Internet interest groups from governments, business, civil society and the Internet technical community. These included, from USCIB’s membership, Jeff Brueggeman, vice president-public policy, deputy chief privacy officer , AT&T, Theresa Swinehart, executive director, global Internet policy, Verizon, and Patrick Ryan, policy counsel, open Internet, Google. The United Nations confirmed 56 MAG members overall.

Read more on the ICC website.

USCIB members also played important roles contributing to and shaping discussions at the World Telecommunications/ICT Policy Forum (WTPF) and WSIS Action Lines Forum, held May 13-17 in Geneva. The WTPF addressed issues as wide-ranging as the build-out of broadband capabilities and how that drives development, the transition from IPV4 to IPv6 and related capacity-building needs, and the importance of the multi-stakeholder model in Internet governance, to name a few.

The WSIS Action Lines Forum considered progress that has been made since 2002 in implementing goals set forth by the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) aimed at bridging the digital divide, and spreading the fruits that can be realized from a digital economy to emerging economies. Some of the themes addressed at the WTPF and the WSIS Action Lines Forum likely will be re-visited at the Internet Governance Forum in Bali, Indonesia, on October 21-25.

Ambassador David Gross, partner at Wiley Rein and chair of USCIB’s Information, Communications and Technology Committee, led the informal “USCIB delegation” at both the WTPF and WSIS meetings. Barbara Wanner, USCIB’s vice president for ICT policy, and member representatives from Amazon, AT&T, BT America, Cisco, Disney, Google, Intel, Juniper Networks, Microsoft, Telecommunications Management Group, Versign, and Verizon also participated.

Staff contact: Barbara Wanner

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Oracle’s Alhadeff Is New Chair of ICC Digital Economy Commission

Published on April 30, 2013
Joseph Alhadeff
Joseph Alhadeff

Paris and New York, April 30, 2013 – The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) has announced the appointment of Joseph Alhadeff as the new chair of the ICC Commission on the Digital Economy, according to the United States Council for International Business (USCIB), which serves as the world business organization’s American national committee.

Alhadeff, chief privacy strategist and vice president for global public policy at Oracle Corp., has served as vice chair of the ICC commission since 2002. He will take over from Herbert Heitmann, executive vice president of external communications at Royal Dutch Shell, who will step down from the post at the commission’s summer meeting in Paris.

“Economic growth and continued societal opportunities created by the Internet and other ICTs bring new responsibilities that require the global cooperation of all stakeholders,” said Alhadeff, who also serves as vice chair of USCIB’s Information, Communications and Technology (ICT) Committee. “We have a responsibility to bring the voice of business to the table, based not only on the experiences of the business community but also on what this community has heard and learned from other stakeholders in government, civil society and the Internet technical community.”

The ICC Commission on the Digital Economy develops policy positions for the Internet and ICTs on behalf of users, providers and operators of information technology. As chair, Alhadeff will help ensure that the commission provides a forum for members to share insights on timely developments in the ICT field and establish global consensus policy positions on behalf of the business community to help foster the sustainable growth of the ICT sector.

Alhadeff is responsible for coordinating and managing Oracle’s international electronic commerce, privacy and Internet-related policy issues. He plays an important leadership role in guiding USCIB’s work on privacy and cyber-security policy, drawing on his prominent roles in several influential international organizations dedicated to Internet policy, security and privacy. Among these, Alhadeff chairs the Information Communications and Computing Policy Committee at BIAC, the Business and Industry Advisory Committee to the OECD, which represents industry views to the 35-nation Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

More information on the International Chamber of Commerce is available at www.iccwbo.org.

About USCIB:
USCIB promotes open markets, competitiveness and innovation, sustainable development and corporate responsibility, supported by international engagement and regulatory coherence. Its members include U.S.-based global companies and professional services firms from every sector of our economy, with operations in every region of the world. With a unique global network encompassing leading international business organizations, including ICC and BIAC, USCIB provides business views to policy makers and regulatory authorities worldwide, and works to facilitate international trade and investment. More at www.uscib.org.

Contact:
Jonathan Huneke, USCIB
+1 212.703.5043, jhuneke@uscib.org

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USCIB Members Help Launch Inaugural Meeting of OECD Security Experts Group

Published on April 10, 2013

USCIB members made important contributions at the April 8 inaugural meeting in Paris of a special OECD Experts Group convened to consider possible revisions the OECD’s 2002 “Guidelines for the Security of Information Systems and Networks.” They said the principles set forth in the 2002 guidelines remain relevant, but should be updated and supplemented to reflect the complexity of today’s world, the broader range of actors involved, and increased need for coordination and cooperation.

The group, led by Joe Alhadeff, vice president and chief privacy officer with Oracle (who serves as vice chair of USCIB’s ICT Policy Committee as well as chair of BIAC’s Technology Committee), included representatives from AT&T, Centre for Information Policy Leadership,Cisco, DLA Piper, Intel, Juniper Networks, and Verizon, supported by Barbara Wanner, USCIB’s vice president for ICT policy.

In particular, USCIB members urged that a number of concepts be incorporated into any update of the OECD Guidelines. These include the following:

  • Information security policies should be developed on a global, voluntary, consensus basis.
  • Government policies should be “technology neutral,” focusing on the desired process or security-related outcome, and avoid dictating or mandating any specific technology solution or product
  • In order to enable continued innovation, policy makers should not unnecessarily restrict the cross-border flow of technologies.
  • In light of industry’s fundamental role in the digital economy, public-private partnerships should be a key feature of national policy as well as ongoing information security discussions at the international level.
  • Fostering a trusted, global, and interconnected digital economy requires participation by all countries in a global dialogue aimed at harmonizing policy approaches to security.

The meeting also addressed the importance of establishing a risk-based approach to security as a centerpiece of the OECD Guidelines. In addition, while the language should be “high-level” in scope, participants agreed that the guidelines also should include sufficient information enabling policy makers to inform those at the operational level how to implement the concepts.

The Experts Group will continue its work for the better part of 2013, using online capabilities to facilitate dialogue as well as meeting on the sidelines of other OECD or international gatherings. The group will present its final report of recommendations at the December 2013 meeting of the OECD’s Working Party on Information Security and Privacy.

USCIB’s CEO on Cybersecurity Podcast

Against the backdrop of rising concern over cyber-security, USCIB President and CEO Peter M. Robinson took part in a recent video chat looking at what policy makers and business executives need to know to address the threat.

Organized by Lumension, a leading provider of endpoint management and security, the chat addressed personal privacy, espionage, cyber-warfare, and existing or planned regulation in the U.S. and elsewhere. Robinson discussed some of the main international efforts to address cyber-security and related issues, and the broad principles at stake.

Other participants included Pat Clawson, Lumension’s chairman and CEO, Richard M. George, senior advisor for cyber-security at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, and Richard Stiennon, founder and analyst with IT Harvest.

You can access a podcast of the video chat by clicking here.

Staff contact: Barbara Wanner

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Business More Must Be Done to Protect the Internet as a World Resource

Published on February 25, 2013
Jean-Guy Carrier, secretary general of the International Chamber of Commerce, addressed the gathering, which marke4d the 10th anniversary of the UN’s World Summit on the Information Society.
Jean-Guy Carrier, secretary general of the International Chamber of Commerce, addressed the gathering, which marke4d the 10th anniversary of the UN’s World Summit on the Information Society.

At the opening of the first World Summit on the Information Society +10 Review meeting at UNESCO headquarters in Paris today, business representatives appealed to all stakeholder groups within the Internet governance community to do more to protect and strengthen the Internet as it is today.

The International Chamber of Commerce and its BASIS (Business Action to Support the Information Society) initiative used the event to highlight the importance of formulating policy that supports the free flow of information online. This encourages freedom of expression and creates the right conditions for open trade as well as investment in the Internet and the applications and services that run on it, as a path to future global economic growth and social progress, especially through education and learning.

Addressing the multiple stakeholder groups present at the event, including ministers and high-level governmental officials, heads of intergovernmental organizations, senior business executives, Internet technical community leaders and civil society, industry representatives urged that more be done to ensure the permanence of a free, fair and open Internet characterized by the free flow of information.

USCIB Vice President Barbara Wanner attended the meeting and served as the ICC-BASIS rapporteur on multi-stakeholder principles. USCIB member companies made important contributions in a number of topical sessions at the review event, including eLearning (Microsoft), promoting freedom of expression and privacy on the Internet (Google), cultural and linguistic diversity (Disney), and avoiding e-waste (HP).

Read more on ICC’s website.

Staff contact: Barbara Wanner

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At Congressional Hearings, Calls for a “Stable, Secure and Free” Internet

Published on February 11, 2013

4438_image001On February 5, USCIB members took part as the House Energy and Commerce Committee hosted a joint committee hearing on “Fighting for Internet Freedom: Dubai and Beyond.” The hearings focused on developments at last December’s World Conference on International Telecommunications (WCIT), which saw a split over a proposed treaty that some, including the United States and a number of other countries, saw as sanctioning greater government involvement in the management of the global Internet.

At the hearings, all House members present expressed support for the U.S. government’s decision not to sign the WCIT treaty because it included provisions that would subject the Internet to international regulation, according to Barbara Wanner, USCIB’s vice president for information, communications and technology (ICT) policy.

“There were bipartisan expressions of support for a draft bill that would affirm U.S. policy as supporting an Internet that is ‘stable, secure, and free of government control,’ and governed through a multi-stakeholder model involving dialogue on Internet policy among government, business, civil society, academia, and the technical community,” Wanner said. The bill has not yet been formally introduced, with Congressional staff seeking to secure as many principal sponsors and co-sponsors from both parties as possible.

All of the witnesses, which included Ambassador David Gross, chair of USCIB’s ICT Policy Committee and a partner at Wiley Rein LLP, said the proposed legislation would serve as a powerful statement of U.S. commitment to policies aimed at ensuring that the Internet does not come under the purview of international regulations. The witnesses, all of whom participated in the WCIT, said that last year’s bipartisan support in Congress for a non-binding resolution supporting an Internet unregulated by inter-governmental agencies had a substantial impact on treaty negotiations, according to Wanner. Countries understood the U.S. negotiating posture and ultimately why the U.S. could not sign the WCIT treaty, since it so clearly flew in the face of principles supported by the Congress.

Wanner said the witnesses underscored that those seeking to subject Internet governance to international regulations would use the upcoming World Telecommunications Policy Forum and World Summit on the Information Society forum, to be held this May in Geneva, to try to build momentum in favor of expanding the role of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) in Internet governance at November’s ITU Plenipotentiary Conference in Busan, South Korea. The so-called ITU Plenipot, held every four years, is the top policy-making body of the ITU.

In his testimony, which he delivered in his personal capacity as the former top U.S. official on global Internet policy, Ambassador Gross outlined funding problems faced by the Internet Governance Forum (IGF), which for the past seven years has served as the principal venue for multi-stakeholder dialogue on Internet policy and governance. He proposed that if the U.S. government’s goal is to ensure continued multi-stakeholder governance of the Internet, then the United States needs to join business and other governments in providing financial support to the IGF.

Sally Shipman Wentworth, senior manager with the Internet Society, concurred that the IGF warrants greater support because it plays an invaluable role in helping to build not only technical capacity but also “human capacity” in developing countries. The IGF needs more plentiful and stable funding to enable outreach and engagement to developing countries who may prove invaluable allies as the debate on Internet governance ratchets up in the events leading up to the 2014 ITU Plentipot, Wentworth suggested.

In addition to Gross and Wentworth, witnesses included FCC Commissioner Robert McDowell, Harold Feld, senior vice president with Public Knowledge, and Bitange Ndemo, permanent secretary in the Kenyan information and communications ministry, who, befitting the occasion, participated via the Internet.

All formal testimony presented at the hearing is available by clicking here.

 

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EU Data Law Must Be Improved, ICC Says

Published on January 21, 2013

In conjunction with Data Protection Day/Data Privacy Day, which is observed on January 28, the International Chamber of Commerce has issued comments on the European Union’s proposed General Data Protection Regulation. ICC warned that its lack of clarity on certain requirements, together with the excessive burdens it would place on companies, would chill innovation and weaken the EU’s ability to attract investment. ICC said it was particularly concerned about the proposal’s effect on small- and medium-sized companies.

Christopher Kuner, co-chair of the ICC Commission on the Digital Economy’s task force on privacy and personal data protection said: “The protection of fundamental rights and the promotion of innovation and economic progress, which have been the defining goals of European Union data protection and privacy efforts for the last two decades, are also the goals of the proposed regulation. However, ICC believes that changes need to be made to the proposed regulation to better promote these two goals.”

Read more on ICC’s website.

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Business Disappointed by WCIT Outcome, but Supports U.S. Stance

Published on December 17, 2012

4415_image001New York, N.Y., December 17, 2012 – The United States Council for International Business (USCIB) expressed disappointment at the outcome of the World Conference on International Telecommunications (WCIT). The UN gathering in Dubai split, with the United States and many other countries rejecting a proposed treaty on global telecom policy, which was viewed by many as seeking to extend government authority and management over the Internet.

“Like everyone else, I am disappointed with the outcome of the WCIT negotiations,” stated David Gross, partner with Wiley Rein and chair of USCIB’s Committee on Information, Communications and Technology, who attended WCIT as part of the U.S. delegation. “However, I am encouraged that the world recognizes the vital importance of international telecommunications and the Internet in providing social, cultural and economic benefits to everyone.”

The WCIT conference was organized by the UN’s International Telecommunications Union (ITU), which allocates global radio spectrum and develops technical standards in interconnection of telecom networks and technologies. The ITU last updated its major governing treaties in 1988, before widespread use of the Internet.

“No single organization or government should attempt to control the Internet or dictate its future development,” stated Ambassador Terry Kramer, the lead U.S. negotiator. “We are resolute on this.” He said there were disagreements among participants over government regulation of Internet companies, the regulation of content such as spam, and whether the ITU should set rules on cybersecurity, among other things.

“The entire U.S. delegation, including Ambassador Kramer and the team of government officials and representatives of civil society, academia, and industry, did a spectacularly good job,” said Gross.

USCIB has long championed policies to expand information flows and the global Internet, promote information security, and expand market access for telecommunications and other information services. It works with a range of international business groups with official standing in the UN and other international forums, and it advises the U.S. government on international information and telecommunications policies and treaty negotiations.

According to Barbara Wanner, USCIB’s vice president of information, communications and technology policy, the group and its business members will take stock of the outcome at WCIT and will evaluate appropriate recommendations on how best to move forward.

“This is indeed a disappointing outcome, but we are gratified that the United States and other countries recognized the paramount importance of maintaining a vibrant and open global Internet,” she said.

About USCIB:

USCIB promotes open markets, competitiveness and innovation, sustainable development and corporate responsibility, supported by international engagement and regulatory coherence.  Its members include U.S.-based global companies and professional services firms from every sector of our economy, with operations in every region of the world.  With a unique global network encompassing leading international business organizations, USCIB provides business views to policy makers and regulatory authorities worldwide, and works to facilitate international trade and investment. More at www.uscib.org.

More on USCIB’s Information, Communications and Technology Committee

U.S. Negotiator Lays Out Vision for Global Telecom Conference

Published on November 13, 2012
Ambassador Terry Kramer, the lead U.S. negotiator for the World Conference on International Telecommunications
Ambassador Terry Kramer, the lead U.S. negotiator for the World Conference on International Telecommunications

The open and free nature of the Internet has helped to fuel tremendous economic activity in developed and developing countries alike. The keys to ensuring its continued success as a driver of development and innovation lie in a multi-stakeholder approach to governance, and in liberalized telecommunications markets – not in government regulation.

This was the main message delivered by Ambassador Terry Kramer, the head of the U.S. delegation for the upcoming World Conference on International Telecommunications (WCIT), at a USCIB briefing today in Washington, D.C. Kramer discussed preparations for the WCIT, which will be held December 3-14 in Dubai, with USCIB members and other interested parties at the event, which was hosted by David Gross, a partner with Wiley Rein LLP and chair of USCIB’s Information, Technology and Communications Committee.

Kramer discussed the latest U.S. submission to WCIT, a treaty conference held under the auspices of the UN’s International Telecommunication Union (ITU). He also explored the state of play concerning proposals aimed at increasing ITU control over Internet governance.

Citing figures showing that, in recent years, the highest average annual growth rates for Internet use have been in Africa (30 percent) and Asia (17 percent), as compared to lower growth in Europe (10 percent) and the United States (4 percent), Kramer said U.S. negotiators will have a very compelling argument at WCIT that the Internet is not the sole province of the United States. In fact, emerging economies have benefited the most from their ability to freely access cyberspace.

Certain developed and developing economies have supported proposals aimed at generating revenue from content transmitted online from a sending party, as well as giving governments a greater hand in managing internet traffic. Kramer said the U.S. delegation will strongly oppose both proposals. The former, which amounts to a tax in the Internet, would have the effect of stifling Internet-generated economic activity in many developing countries, while the latter represents a very slippery slope toward online censorship, he said.

Kramer stressed that a treaty negotiation like WCIT, which potentially could result in revised, binding International Telecommunications Regulations (ITRs), is not the appropriate place to address the issues driving these proposals, which include financing broadband build outs and addressing spam, hacking, and other security-related challenges. Rather, these issues are best dealt with in appropriate global forums that enable dialogue and input from multiple stakeholders.

Kramer acknowledged that all parties concerned want a forward-looking successful outcome to WCIT – which may not be easy to realize given complexity and divergent nature of the proposals. He said he favors an approach aimed at identifying opportunities for success. Further discussion of problematic proposals would then be pursued in other non-treaty forums.

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Internet Governance as Foundation for Job Creation and Economic Growth

Published on November 5, 2012
Baku, Azerbaijan
Baku, Azerbaijan

USCIB and the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) will use their presence at the 7th annual Internet Governance Forum (IGF) on November 6-9 in Baku, Azerbaijan to reinforce the value of a multi-stakeholder approach to public policy development around the Internet and enhanced cooperation in stimulating economic growth.

Jean-Guy Carrier, secretary general of the ICC on behalf of ICC’s Business Action to Support the Information Society (BASIS) initiative, delivered a key message that stakeholders must collaborate more fully in order to bring about the positive policy changes needed to deliver open trade and Internet investment to enhance future economic growth and maintain the free flow of information online.

“There is a clear and positive correlation between investment in the Internet and the growth of economic activity,” he said. “To truly capitalize on this potential for economic growth, cooperation needs to be facilitated and promoted across the whole spectrum of organizations addressing Internet-related issues, including those that are private sector-led, multi-stakeholder and intergovernmental.”

Addressing approximately 1,700 business leaders, government officials, Internet technical experts, and civil society representatives attending this year’s IGF, Mr. Carrier said: “Business feels more strongly than ever that open trade and investment, respect for the rule of law and regulatory predictability, provide a path to growth and job creation. What’s more, bridging borders through global trade and the economic ties made possible by the Internet, has lifted millions of people out of poverty and contributed to improving living standards around the globe.”

Every year at the IGF, ICC’s BASIS serves as the voice of global business in the international dialogue on how the Internet and ICTs can better serve as engines of economic growth and social development. It is ICC’s’ longstanding belief that the IGF’s unique format and founding principles should be protected to ensure that genuine progress continues to be made towards addressing some of the most important global economic and social Internet issues.

David Gross, chair of USCIB’s Information, Communications and Technology (ICT) Committee and partner at Wiley Rein LLP, will be a featured speaker, providing the business perspective on a plenary panel exploring “Managing Critical Internet Resources.” In addition, Joseph Alhadeff, vice president of global public policy and chief privacy officer of Oracle Corporation and chair of Information, Computer and Communication (ICCP) Committee for BIAC, the Business and Industry Advisory Committee to the OECD, will contribute his considerable expertise on global privacy policy to a plenary session, “Security, Openness, and Privacy,” which will examine issues affecting security and openness of the Internet as it relates to human rights and access to knowledge. Barbara Wanner, USCIB’s vice president of ICT policy, will also attend the IGF.

 

Click here to read more on ICC’s website.

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