IGF 2020 OF #46 Beyond Personal Data: Literacy, Sovereignty and Rights

Time
Friday, 6th November, 2020 (12:00 UTC) - Friday, 6th November, 2020 (13:00 UTC)
Room
Room 1
About this Session
• Global convention for the implementation of Internet governance in order to promote global understanding and respect among countries.
• Acknowledgment of everybody’s right (personal data) being held and kept by various operators in the world, as part of globally acceptable personal data protection.
• Mutual benefits in digital economy ecosystem for both international and local participants.
Subtheme
Issue(s)

Panel - Auditorium - 60 Min

Description

With the rapid development of digital transformation, every country develops their ICT Infrastructure, as a result, the Internet access is enjoyed by more and more people at almost every corner of the world. At the same time the applications and contents in the Internet are highly used by those who already have the access. In addition, Operators of these Applications and Contents are not necessarily based in the country, but can be anywhere in the world. Most of the operators will ask the users’ data, for various purposes. Some of these data might be personal data of the users. With the developments of cloud system, the operators might store all data in their possession at Data Centers anywhere in the world too.

It is worth noting that the Covid-19 pandemic, has even pushed the digital transformation further. Previously, many digital activities, including online meetings for example, were carried out mainly in order to have higher productivity and efficiency. Today, it is considered primarily to protect ourselves from Covid-19 virus infection. Anything else, including higher productivity, can follow afterwards.

With the increased problems of personal data leakage, hacking, or perhaps even sold personal data by the operators, the awareness of Personal Data protection is increasing significantly. This is followed by various regulations developed by various countries to protect their citizens’ personal data. EU’s famous GDPR for example, is studied across the globe including in Indonesia, which currently is preparing the country’s personal data Act.

With the above global developments as the background, the big theme of this open forum is taken as Beyond Personal Data: Literacy, Sovereignty and Rights. Two subjects will be discussed under this theme, i.e.:

 

1. Internet Governance:

This topic has been discussed since the first WSIS in 2003, followed by the study by the UN WGIG that was then presented in the second WSIS in 2005. It was from the discussion in 2005 that IGF was then formed.

Based on various discussion in this topic which have been carried out in several international meetings, then the first subject to be discussed in this Open Forum is to review the various crucial aspects of Internet Governance and the possibility to further develop a globally acceptable Internet Governance in order to protect important data, including personal data. Even the current global development such as the introduction of some nationwide INTRANet might be partly triggered by the plan to protect those data. If this development goes further, a single global network for Internet might be the thing of the past. Hence, a discussion on a globally acceptable Internet Governance is extremely necessary.

In this first subject, several aspects will be discussed further, including but not limited to response to these questions:

  1. With Schrems II decision, US Clean Network Executive Order, Internet policy seems to deviate from a one global Internet dream, what should we expect come out from such attitude to personal data protection? Should we be prepared with Internet division based on country’s sovereignty?
  2. Such policies often being justified to serve public interest and protect national security, but that is not often the case, so how the implementation of multi-stakeholder principle in Internet governance can help to balance the dominance of a stakeholder in creating Internet policies that hamper a one global Internet affecting cross-border data transfer?

 

2. Digital Economy Ecosystem:

There is a necessity to develop global digital economy and, at the same time, regulate the digital economic ecosystem ensuring the global development will benefit all countries equally. It has to be noted, that the operators of applications and content, while they are holding the users’ some personal data, are not necessarily in the users’ country. In addition, currently, data is considered the new oil, which means personal data is a highly valued asset. This asset however is also held by the operators.

It is imperative for every country to protect their national data as well as their citizen’s personal data in the Internet, which are held by the Applications and Content Operators. At the same time the country also needs to open their cyberspace internationally for digital economy development. It means that the data, while it might be circulated around the globe and handled by various operators, must be protected. Otherwise, countries that cannot protect their data might lose in the global digital economic development.

Due to these facts, this topic will discuss the following questions:

  1. What are the reactions from industries to the emergence of various digital policies that eventually increase compliance and operational cost? Some even sees that certain policies such as data localization and data transfer restriction are difficult to be implemented.
  2. Additionally, how the stakeholders guarantee exactly that Internet based digital economy development activities, especially with data it collects, could benefit countries with less technological advancement? These countries suffer from digital divide and technological gap which are still struggling economically and at the same time also need to protect their strategic data and their citizen’s personal data. Most of the benefits will be in the hand of those who hold the data.

 

Online Moderator:
•    
Suryo Adhi Wibowo, AICOMS, Telkom University
•    Co-moderator: Larasati Muslikhah Famarsari, AICOMS, Telkom University

Rapporteur:
•    Willy Anugrah Cahyadi, AICOMS, Telkom University
•    Co-rapporteur: Faisal Budiman, AICOMS, Telkom University

Overall Advisor During the Forum:
•    Bhredipta Socarana (ID-IGF)

Organizers
  • Ministry of Communication and Information Technology of the Republic of Indonesia
  • Indonesian Internet Governance Forum (ID-IGF)
  • AICOMS, Telkom University, Indonesia
Speakers
  • Ministry of Communication and Information Technology of the Republic of Indonesia
  • Edmon Chung, DotAsia, CEO
  • Arthit Suriyawongkul, Thai Netizen Network, Trinity College Dublin
Onsite Moderator

Bhredipta Socarana (ID-IGF)

Online Moderator

Suryo Adhi Wibowo, AICOMS, Telkom University

Rapporteur

Willy Anugrah Cahyadi, AICOMS, Telkom University

SDGs

GOAL 4: Quality Education
GOAL 5: Gender Equality
GOAL 10: Reduced Inequalities
GOAL 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
GOAL 17: Partnerships for the Goals

1. Key Policy Questions and related issues
No data sovereignty if user cannot choose where the data is placed
PDP multilateral agreement not yet available
Data flow borders still unclear
2. Summary of Issues Discussed

The keynotes speech by Mrs Mariam Barata, stresses the importance of the Internet in Indonesia; Moreover, ICT Infrastructure development should benefit the Science, Technology, and Industries in the country as well as the Digital economy.

The first speaker, Mr. Arthit Suriyawongkul, emphasized an interesting borrowed term of Four Freedoms from the European Single Market. Free movement of goods, capital, services, and person. We note how the pandemic from COVID19 influences the change of control over the parcel, payment, work/study from home, and the traveling/social life. We observe the transactions of personal data over these changes. They also influence the privacy of each person since the limit between work life and personal life is blurred.

These transactions also caused an increase in the number of borders for more control. Therefore, cross-border implications exist due to data-driven discriminations. It is worth noting that these implications cause consequences including privacy. The ultimate catch is how the existing data protection mechanism evolves to catch up with the new reality.

Further, Mr. Edmon Chung, the second speaker, added more to Arthit's presentation, regarding our online ID. User's own digital private spaces belong to the companies. Even personal data are distributed to advertisers. There was this interesting statement from Edmon, "Customers are not the users but the companies that pay for advertisements."

Related to these issues is related to privacy in the digital domain, data sovereignty means the user owns his/her data and fully control them. The issue of personal data is just one part of the things but the bigger issue is the privately owned public spaces.

3. Key Takeaways

1/ ICT infrastructures dev should give benefit to the country, societies, people

2/ All countries should work together for integrated secured internet, PDP and increasing the digital economy

3/ ASEAN countries can discuss this issue further in the next ASEAN TelMin meeting for concrete actions

6. Final Speakers

- Mariam Barata, Ministry of Communication and Information Technology of the Republic of Indonesia
- Edmon Chung, DotAsia, CEO
- Arthit Suriyawongkul, Thai Netizen Network, Trinity College Dublin
- Ashwin Sasongko Sastrosubroto, Telkom University and MAG ID IGF

7. Reflection to Gender Issues

Not discussed specifically, since Data protection and Cybersecurity should be applied to people in general, regardless of their gender.

8. Session Outputs

Not available yet

9. Group Photo
IGF Open Forum Indonesia 2020
10. Voluntary Commitment

No commitment