July Digital Matters

This month’s Digital Matters—our monthly round-up of news, research, events, and notable uses of tech—explores how cross-sector initiatives can better center user needs, safety, and privacy through equitable digital development and governance initiatives. Tackling substantial challenges like ensuring access to the internet, internet fragmentation, online censorship, data privacy and security concerns, and the potential risks of emerging technologies like AI will require concerted effort by lawmakers, civil society, and industry alike. As stakeholders grapple with how to safeguard users, increased collaboration, inclusive bottom-up governance measures, and people-centric digital development policies can help address challenges and lead to greater resiliency and more responsive delivery of public programs, especially in the wake of the pandemic and other crises.

How does DPI fit into a sustainable and equitable vision for our digital future?

There is an emerging consensus that maps paths forward for how digital solutions and data are harnessed for the people – or the public good – are efforts that are strengthened by cross-sector perspective and collaboration. As countries, cities, and communities around the world engage in digital transformation efforts, insights into best practices and common challenges of the process are emerging to the forefront. of collaboration opportunities. Developing digital public infrastructure can help public serving institutions provide more accessible, efficient, equitable, and resilient services to residents.

Reimagining Our Digital Future by Digital Impact and Governance Initiative (DIGI) at New America (July 31, 2023)

Digital transformation will be high on the global agenda at prominent multinational convenings in September, providing essential openings to ensure people and the public interest remain at the center of national digital strategies. Global leaders should consider Digital Public Infrastructure as a framework to advance inclusivity and resilience. Discussions and agreements forged at the Tallinn Digital Summit, the Open Government Partnership Global Summit, the G20 Leaders’ Summit in New Delhi, and the United Nations General Assembly could help alter the trajectory of digital development towards a more inclusive digital future.

The Human and Economic Impact of Digital Public Infrastructure by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) (July 13, 2023)

Digital public infrastructure (DPI) are the digital solutions and systems that enable society-wide functions– solutions like data exchange, identity verification, financial transactions, and information systems. UNDP shares digital solutions across finance, justice, and climate sectors in 70 low-and middle-income countries to understand the full human and economic potential of DPI adoption. The study highlights effective sectoral use cases: Novissi is a cash transfer system that allows the Togolese government to make quick and cost-effective transfers to vulnerable households. The Central Bank of Brazil’s Pix facilitates real-time payments between individuals, companies, and the government using a QR code or unique identifier. In Palestine MIZAN serves as a digital case and court management system to help citizens and lawyers track cases – facilitating access to justice, transparent judicial process, and comprehensive data to policy makers.

Kenya draws inspiration from Estonia in journey toward e-governance by Cecilia Maundu, GlobalVoices (July 3, 2023) & UNDP Unveils Digital Public Infrastructure Portfolio and Signs MOU (Kenya) to Drive Inclusive Digital Transformation by UNDP (July 28, 2023)

Kenya’s National Digital Master Plan for 2022 - 2023 features an extensive action plan for the country’s digital transformation, featuring initiatives like developing an e-government suite, improving national digital public infrastructure, and providing digital literacy training for citizens. However, existing digital divides, cybersecurity and privacy concerns, and government misuse of technology underscore challenges on the path toward effective and equitable digital transformation. Estonia offers a valuable e-government model for people-centered digitization that fosters democratic values and the UNDP has made significant strides towards supporting and accelerating inclusive digital transformation in Kenya.

MyFile NYC: Establishing Eligibility for Public Benefits Through Document Management Services by Maja Ochojska, Digital Benefits Hub (July 2023)

The Digital Benefits Hub, an open-source reference library of digital solutions for public sector practitioners, profiled MyFile NYC. MyFile NYC, developed by New York City’s Mayor’s Office for Economic Opportunity and New America’s DIGI , is a pilot document management platform. It allows NYC residents to securely store, retrieve, and share vital documents for public services and benefits. The initial pilot is working with the city’s Prevention Assistance and Temporary Housing (PATH) program under the Department of Homeless Services.

For more information on the field of public interest technology and My File NYC, please see this reflection from DIGI’s summer intern, Ellen Zeng, Entering the Public Interest Technology Field with My File NYC.

How can we better safeguard access to the internet, strengthen democracy, and close the digital divide?

So far this year, an estimated 4.2 billion people have been impacted by government internet restrictions. Fueled by geopolitical tensions and growing digital authoritarianism, internet fragmentation and online censorship are putting users’ rights, privacy, and safety at risk. Increased multi stakeholder collaboration, inclusive bottom-up governance measures, and people-centric digital transformation policies can help better protect the open internet and promote digital equity.

Fixing the global digital divide and digital access gap by Landry Signé, Brookings (July 5, 2023)

While COVID response rapidly expanded access to the internet, in 2022 around one-third of the world’s population did not have access to the internet and 53% of the world did not have access to high-speed broadband. Disparities in digital connectivity are the result of multiple, complex variables, and often overlap with disparities in digital skills, digital use, quality of infrastructure, and access to content. Bridging the digital divide and access gap requires greater collaboration among stakeholders to drive inclusive regional and global digital transformation, creating foundational support for an equitable digital ecosystem.

Russia hasn’t stopped maneuvering for a role in internet oversight by David Ignatius, The Washington Post (July 6, 2023)

In a recently submitted resolution to the UN’s International Telecommunication Union (ITU), Russia argues for a top-down approach to internet regulation to protect against potential threats of internet fragmentation. Yet critics are skeptical of Russia’s intentions given its own authoritarian approach to internet regulation. Many argue, like Ignatius, that internet openness and freedom are safeguarded best through the decentralized, bottom-up governance approach currently in practice through organizations such as ICANN and the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C).

Towards Digital Platforms and Public Purpose: Final Report of the Democracy and Internet Governance Initiative by Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs and Shorenstein Center for Media, Politics, and Public Policy (July 6, 2023)

The Democracy and Internet Governance initiative, shares its final report, making the case for a risk-centered approach to analyzing and addressing the negative impacts of digital platforms. The report emphasizes increased transparency, disclosure, and coordinated, multistakeholder governance when addressing potential harms to users.

Democratic Engagement After Two Summits for Democracy by Julia Keutgen, Thomas Heinmaa, Nicolay Paus, and Lisa-Marie Dalke, International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (July 5, 2023)

International IDEA unpacks lessons learned after the Summits for Democracy. The Summits represent international action and commitment to promote and defend democratic principles around the world, but the potential for impact was limited by a lack of structure and coordination. The report offers three recommendations for a future Summit: (1) more proactive communication and continuous monitoring and analysis of country commitments; (2) increased dialogue and collaboration between stakeholders; and (3) a more prominent and inclusive role for civil society groups in the formal summit process. Events like the Summit represent much needed convening bodies to address issues surrounding technology and democracy in an open and inclusive format.

Could the fever pitch surrounding AI trigger a cohesive and collective approach to data privacy and governance measures?

The prevalence of AI technologies is contributing to renewed interest in the need for comprehensive data privacy measures and related commitments by tech companies to build safe and responsible AI. At the core of the issue is the fact that effective AI technologies require large amounts of data – AI tools often scrape the internet and use publicly available information without permission or compensation to the original creators. As lawmakers grapple with how to safeguard users against potential harms of AI, they must also contend with data privacy measures. Various efforts in recent weeks have scaled the gamut of to marshall industry groups, a new federal agency to regulate tech, to voluntary corporate commitments to build safe and responsible AI systems. There has also been much comparison of AI development with what we learned around the development of other transformative technologies, most notably, nuclear weapons.

AI’s Pugwash Moment by Anne-Marie Slaughter and Fadi Chehadé, Project Syndicate (July 24, 2023)

Slaughter, New America’s Chairman, and Chehadé, a former president and CEO of ICANN argue for a global approach to collaborating with scientists, technologists, philosophers, ethicists, and humanitarians from every continent must come together to secure a broad agreement on a framework for governing AI that can win support at the local, national, and global levels. And unlike the original Pugwash Movement (multilateral meeting of 10 countries to identify the dangers of nuclear weapons and devise peaceful ways to resolve conflicts), the AI version would not have to devise a framework from scratch. There are many governance frameworks to guide AI development and applications already underway. Examples include the Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights in the United States, the Ethics Guidelines for Trustworthy AI in the European Union, the OECD’s AI Principles, and UNESCO’s Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence.

The U.S. ignored Oppenheimer’s warnings about nuclear weapons and rushed to build and deploy a dangerous technology. We must not make the same mistake with AI, by Senator Edward Markey, Scientific American (July 27, 2023)

Senator Markey argues Congress must act now to regulate tech companies to ensure that they prioritize the collective public interest. There are bills that can be passed. Congress could start by passing my Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, my Algorithmic Justice and Online Transparency Act and Senator Markey’s bill prohibiting the launch of nuclear weapons by AI. There are also existing frameworks that can help guide effective oversight, including the White House’s Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights. On the accountability front, decisions about how and where to use AI cannot be left to tech companies alone. These decisions should be made by centering on the communities most vulnerable to exploitation and harm from AI.

The White House Already Knows How to Make AI Safer by Suresh Venkatasubramanian in Wired (July 25, 2023)

Suresh Venkatasubramanian, co-author of the Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights discusses the need for implementing proper regulations and guidelines for the development, deployment, and use of AI systems in the U.S. Since the White House released the Blueprint, there have been ongoing discussions, but commitments from AI-focused companies remain vague and voluntary. Suresh calls for an executive order to enforce compliance with best practices in various ways, such as requiring government agencies to comply with guidelines, influencing vendor compliance through federal procurement, conditioning federal funds, and expanding regulatory action on processes involving AI.

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