Internet Governance Update :ICANN 63; United Nations Data Forum; U.N Digital Economy Forum; UK, US to Sign Accord on AI, Cybersecurity; Europe and US on digital tax; Internet access has slowed; Tim COOK backs GDPR; cyber geopolitics (US – Russia..); Internet of things market; Declaration on Ethics and Protection in Artificial Intelligence

“With 80 interactive discussion panels and more than 400 global speakers, the second edition of the United Nations Data Forum 2018 discussed harnessing the data revolution for sustainable development and improving the use of data and statistics to achieve change towards a better future for human communities in line with the SDGs 2030”. https://www.urdupoint.com/en/middle-east/un-world-data-forum-2018-launched-in-dubai-462042.html

“The United Nations 2018 World Digital Economy Forum was held at the United Nations Headquarters in Geneva. UN Secretary-General Guterres, current presidents, prime ministers, ministers and other political figures from many countries around the world, senior executives of the global 500 companies, top investors and entrepreneurs attended the summit”. https://www.globalbankingandfinance.com/plus-token-co-founder-leo-attended-the-united-nations-world-digital-economy-forum-and-met-with-global-blockchain-technology-experts/ Moreover, “Investment is needed in hard infrastructure like roads and broadband connections in developing countries if they are to prosper in the new digital economy and attain the Sustainable Development Goals, speakers said at the World Investment Forum’s Global Leaders Investment Summit on 24 October”. https://unctad.org/en/pages/newsdetails.aspx?OriginalVersionID=1895 On taxation, “Europe has talked long enough about whether to make internet giants like Google (GOOGL.O), Apple (AAPL.O) and Facebook (FB.O) pay more taxes and it is time for a decision, French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said on Thursday. “Enough of talking. Enough words. Enough excuses!” Le Maire said in an interview with Public Senat TV. “What’s getting in the way, as always in Europe, is a lack of political will. All the technical issues have been resolved.” https://www.reuters.com/article/us-eu-tax-digital-france/enough-excuses-frances-le-maire-grows-impatient-over-gafa-tax-idUSKCN1MS1AM Also, “a new tax on technology giants such as Facebook, Amazon and Google could raise £4.4bn a year across Europe, an EU commissioner has said”. https://www.bbc.com/news/business-45813754. On Cryptocurrency,“Japan’s Financial Services Agency has granted the Japan Virtual Currency Exchange Association, a self-regulatory organization made up of representatives from cryptocurrency exchanges, authority to create rules aimed at protecting consumers, preventing money laundering, and standardizing how exchanges should operate. The agency also gets the power to sanction exchanges for breaking those rules.”https://www.technologyreview.com/the-download/612347/japan-just-gave-its-cryptocurrency-industry-legal-power-to-police-itself/ “US authorities have criticised the EU’s plans to introduce a ‘digital tax,’ describing the measures as discriminating ‘against US companies’ in a letter penned to European Council president Donald Tusk and Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, at the close of last week’s EU summit” https://www.euractiv.com/section/digital/news/eu-digital-tax-is-discriminatory-us-says/ On cryptocurrency, “simplyBrand, the next-gen e-commerce verification platform powered by blockchain tech and AI, has entered into a strategic partnership with COBINHOOD, a leading cryptocurrency service platform and zero-fee exchange, to launch its ICO. This ICO is being used by simplyBrand as a means of scaling up its e-commerce verification services globally and the SBA tokens will be used to reward crowdsourcing participants who provide human intelligence to the platform’s anti-counterfeiting activities”. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/blockchain-based-e-commerce-verification-platform-simplybrand-enters-strategic-partnership-with-leading-zero-fee-crypto-exchange-cobinhood-300737054.html. “India’s digital economy is likely to cross $1 trillion by the financial year 2022, a KPMG report said here on Thursday”. https://www.financialexpress.com/economy/indias-digital-economy-may-cross-1-trillion-by-2022-says-report/1361517/

On access, “The growth of internet access around the world has slowed dramatically, according to new data, suggesting the digital revolution will remain a distant dream for billions of the poorest and most isolated people on the planet”. https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/oct/18/exclusive-dramatic-slowdown-in-global-growth-of-the-internet “The Alliance for Affordable Internet, an initiative hosted by the Web Foundation, today published its annual Affordability Report and found that over two billion people live in countries where the internet is unaffordable”. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/10/23/global-growth-internet-access-slowing-sharply-must-act-now-get/

On artificial intelligence, “the 40th International Conference of Data Protection and Privacy Commissioners (the “Conference”) released a Declaration on Ethics and Protection in Artificial Intelligence (“the Declaration”). In it, the Conference endorsed several guiding principles as “core values” to protect human rights as the development of artificial intelligence (“AI”) continues apace”. https://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=b069d911-8171-4e75-9c32-a427baa4a995 “Last Friday, a portrait produced by artificial intelligence was hanging at Christie’s New York opposite an Andy Warhol print and beside a bronze work by Roy Lichtenstein. On Thursday, it sold for well over double the price realized by both those pieces combined. “Edmond de Belamy, from La Famille de Belamy” sold for $432,500 including fees, over 40 times Christie’s initial estimate of $7,000-$10,000. The buyer was an anonymous phone bidder”. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/25/arts/design/ai-art-sold-christies.html

On Internet of things, “In the Global IoT (Internet of Things) Security market research report, the global IoT (Internet of Things) Security Industry is valued at USD XX million in 2017 and is expected to reach USD XX million by the end of 2022, growing at a CAGR of XX% between 2017 and 2022”. https://thefuturegadgets.com/40735/iot-internet-of-things-security-market-2018-2025-global-research-by-size-share-demand-technology-innovation-analysis-and-industry-growth-forecast-report/

In China “China’s largest government-owned internet media company, People’s Daily Online is all set to launch a blockchain technology innovation laboratory. To do this, the venture capital arm of the portal, People Capital signed a strategic partnership with Xunlei Limited to promote blockchain innovation”. https://www.crypto-news.in/news/chinas-government-owned-media-company-set-blockchain-laboratory/

On data protection” Apple CEO Tim Cook has endorsed tough privacy laws for both Europe and the U.S., and renewed the technology giant’s commitment to protecting personal data, which he warns is being “weaponized” against users. Speaking at an international conference on data privacy, Cook applauded European Union authorities for bringing in a strict new data privacy law in May and said the iPhone maker supports a U.S. federal privacy law.” https://www.sfchronicle.com/business/article/Apple-CEO-warns-of-data-being-used-as-a-weapon-13333754.php . “Microsoft is committed to complying with the law of the land when it comes to data privacy and will honour data localisation requests from all countries, including India”. https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/microsoft-honour-data-localisation-requests-governments-90599

On geopolitics, “The United States Cyber Command is targeting individual Russian operatives to try to deter them from spreading disinformation to interfere in elections, telling them that American operatives have identified them and are tracking their work, according to officials briefed on the operation”. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/23/us/politics/russian-hacking-usa-cyber-command.html “Malicious computer code used in a cyberattack against a petrochemical plant in Saudi Arabia has been linked by U.S. researchers to a research institute owned by the Russian government”. https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-researchers-link-cyberattack-on-saudi-petrochemical-plant-to-russia-1540322439 “Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) has thrown a wrench in a planned deal that would bring internet access to the most rural and remote parts of the country, according to Reuters. United States-based startup OneWeb was set to launch a satellite project that would provide an internet network for Russia, but the plans have been delayed over the FSB’s concerns that the company will gather intelligence and threaten the country’s national security”. https://www.engadget.com/2018/10/24/russia-oneweb-satellite-internet-security-concerns/

On cyber cooperation, “ASEAN has appointed Singapore to propose a mechanism to enhance ASEAN cyber coordination, and has also agreed in principle to certain voluntary norms of behaviour in cyberspace. This choice of norms gives clarity to the region’s direction, especially while international discussions have stalled”. https://www.rsis.edu.sg/rsis-publication/cens/next-steps-for-cyber-norms-in-asean/#.W9GU0fZ2s2w “Military officials from the US and UK, as well as tech industry executives, will sign an accord today committing to the countries’ cooperation on cybersecurity and artificial intelligence. The agreement will be signed during the inaugural meeting of the Atlantic Future Forum, being held on the Royal Navy’s HMS Queen Elizabeth while it is anchored in New York Harbor, off New York City”. https://www.darkreading.com/operations/uk-us-to-sign-accord-on-ai-cybersecurity-cooperation/

On infrastructure, “An increase in both fixed and mobile broadband penetration has a positive impact on the economy according to a new study, “The economic contribution of broadband, digitisation and ICT regulation”, from the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).The study analyses the positive economic impact of broadband, digitisation and effective ICT regulation on national economies”. https://it-online.co.za/2018/10/22/itu-stresses-economic-benefit-from-connectivity/

YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki is warning that the European Union’s recent copyright legislation is putting digital creators’ livelihoods at stake — and she issued a call for YouTubers to voice their opposition to the proposed rules. https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/youtube-ceo-calls-creators-saveyourinternet-against-e-u-copyright-legislation-n922871

As event, we note ICANN 63 held in Barcelona https://meetings.icann.org/en/barcelona63