[Bp_cybersec_2016] [Internet Policy] Cybersecurity and fake news

[Fred Baker]

A few thoughts... Frankly, (sputter sputter). 

It's not like Europe doesn't have technical specialists. ISOC in its Geneva office and several European chapters, and numerous colleagues working for various companies (and not just American-owned companies) could presumably be available to them. I won't go into blame-shifting ("if they would like to ask us..."), but there is no shortage of highly qualified people - or of tech-savvy people that already have strong relationships with various governments. 

One practical step ISOC could take would be to introduce the various governments to their citizens, perhaps by inviting officials to chapter meetings or organizing other meetings. RIPE would be an obvious venue as well.

ISOC, and especially Sally Wentworth (US) and Konstantinos Komaitis (Germany) and their colleagues, have been meeting with government officials at IETF meetings, and bringing technical specialists from the IETF community to talk with them. Frédéric Donck, Constance Bommelaer, Christine Runnegar, and others have been liaising with the European Commission, if I understand correctly. One obvious next step in this, if the governments are interested, would be to expand the interface. ICANN is meeting in Copenhagen next month, for example... There already exist a number of reports, such as those developed by BITAG (http://www.bitag.org) to inform US regulators, that might be helpful.

I think my suggestion would be for ISOC to investigate the concern, and consider what practical steps to take next.

> On Feb 21, 2017, at 1:12 AM, Michael Oghia <mike.oghia at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> Dear all,
> 
> I just read this NYTimes article about European efforts to counter fake news as well as this infographic explaining technical solutions to counter fake news.
> 
> One of the most concerning passages in the NYT articles was this one:
> 
>> "One of the biggest problems policy makers across Europe say they face is a lack of tech specialists. Germany recently passed a cybersecurity law that called for a rapid response team to combat hacking attacks. Officials quietly acknowledged, though, that they would need three teams, if they could only find people to staff them."
> 
> It makes me wonder if more of us, especially cybersecurity and technical experts, working within the Internet governance community can do more to collaborate with governments, intergovernmental bodies, and the private sector where appropriate to help boost cybersecurity standards as well as help fight propaganda through technical means. If anything, the abovementioned passage suggests that more multistakeholder collaboration may prove useful and effective. Of course, I argue that technical means alone won't accomplish it -- we also need more education, capacity building, critical thinking, and digital media literacy.
> 
> Best,
> -Michael
> __________________
> 
> Michael J. Oghia
> iGmena communications manager
> Independent #netgov consultant & editor
> 
> Belgrade, Serbia
> Skype: mikeoghia
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