IGF 2020 WS #114 Osaka Track - High Way or Wrong Way? Discussing chances

Description:

1. Broader Framework: The digital age is an age of data. Thanks to accelerating digitization,cross-border data flows are increasingly shaping social and economic life. The opportunities of a data-centric world are tremendous. Increased eonomic growth, better public services, sustainable mobility solutions and more development are only some of the promises that could be realized by using data in a beneficial way. At the same time the new data centric age poses also new risks to states, companies, NGO`s and individuals that are caused by the misuse and/or abuse of data. These threats include e.g. identity theft and violation of privacy, algorithmic unfairness, theft of intellectual property, mass surveillance, and far reaching cyber attacks. To set up a global framework that allows harnessing the potential of data and adressing the risks appropriately, Japan initiated the so called “Osaka Track” at the G20 Summit in January 2019. The idea of the track was to set a global data governance framework for how governments, companies, academic institutions and other relevant entities collect data, use it to generate insights, produce value of it and how they store and protect it. Based on the model “Data Free Flow with Trust” and aiming at the benefit of different stakeholders, such a global data governance framework should promote cross-border data flows and simultaneously provide safeguards against the misuse oder abuse of data, whether personal or non-personal data. With its effort to establish a global data governance framework, Japan has launched a major project for the digital age that is to be welcomed. If such a global norm setting process shall gain any momentum, a number of fundamental questions must be answered and challenges overcome. It is nothing less than an attempt to reach a binding consensus across countries, cultures and different stakeholders not only on a very broad range of issues (e.g. access to data, the protection of privacy, cybersecurity) but on the rules defining who should “control” data and harness their value. 2. Adressed Issues in this context The Konrad Adenauer Foundation would like to contribute to the IGF 2020 with a international multi-stakeholder panel discussing the opportunities and challenges of the Osaka Track. The panel will bring together representatives of different stakeholder groups and cultural backgrounds to explore which principles could guide the development of a global data governance framework. It will also discuss which actors could and may form an alliance in such a global norm-setting process in order to drive such a process forward and in which institutional framework such a process should be integrated. The panel could further address the lessons learned so far, i.e. the experiences made with the basic principles of the GDPR in Europe as a starting point of implementing a unified approach on data processing. Moreover possible enforcement models at international level and approaches by prominent data management projects, like MyData, may supplement the debate. 3. Methodical Considerations / Outcome The aim of the event is a problem-oriented discussion on the opportunities and challenges of the Osaka Track. The panel will bring together representatives of different stakeholder groups and cultural backgrounds to explore which principles could guide the development of a global data governance framework, which should serve as an impulse for different stakeholders on the future of a global data governance framework. Subsequently to our Panel we will ensure that the results will be published and integrated in our international work as well as in our consulting efforts for political deciders worldwide. In addition to the panelists' discussion, the audience will also be involved. Therefore, we will conduct question rounds on certain issues / challenges. In these, the respective representatives from individual regions will be asked about their perspective to specific challenges (short statement). The statements will then be discussed and related to each other. The audience will also be involved via interactive methods. In the run-up to the event, we are planning various activities on social media (e.g. Twitter surveys). Furthermore, the event will be accompanied parallel via our social media accounts (e.g. input for questions / reporting about the Panel etc.). 4. Speaker As speakers, we aim to integrate multipliers from different regions and stakeholder groups. The aim will be to involve representatives from Europe, North America, Asia, Africa and Latin America. For the identification of relevant speakers, we will use our global network of over 100 offices abroad. First consultations have already taken place. As soon as we have commitments from individual representatives, we will be happy to communicate them. 5. Further Information about KAS and our work in the field of Internet governance in 2018 / 2019 After the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS) was already represented at the IGF for the first time in 2019, the foundation would like to continue ist contribution to the IGF and the field of internet governance. In order to implement the panel, the (KAS) has access to a broad international network of more than 100 foreign offices worldwide. Furthermore, the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung also organizes the European Data Summit, one of the most important data policy events in Europe. KAS presence IGF 2019 Session: https://igf2019.sched.com/event/STyM/pre-event-13-open-and-free-and-wha… KAS presence IGF 2019 Booth with links to our work in 2018 and 2019 (Internet governance): https://igf2019.sched.com/event/SU9X/konrad-adenauer-stiftung