IGF 2019 WS #236 A universal personal data protection framework? How to make it work?

Relevance to Theme:

The development of automatic data processing and the accelerating development of technology enables vast quantities of data to be transmitted within seconds across the world. In the era of globalisation, a vast quantity of personal data could be transmitted and misused easily if there is no personal data protection framework or legislation to protect data breaches. 

Despite the fact that many international organizations have introduced a set of principles, guidelines and policy suggestions, personal data protection law on a national level has not been enacted widely across the globe yet. Meanwhile, the implementation of GDPR imposes stricter protection on cross-border personal data transfer which provide a realistic option for those who wish to transfer data to everywhere they like.

Some countries may resort to follow the existing data regulatory model which in turn risk creating a more fragmented global geometry for commerce and information exchange. It will affect the flows of cross-boundary data and leads to isolation and siloing of data usage within a specific country. Restrictions on these flows could cause serious disruption in important sectors of the economy, such as banking and insurance.The issue is imminent and involves not only the governments and the global community but individuals. 

For this reason, this workshop hopes to build up the conversation on reviewing the existing principles set out by different institutions and international organizations. It aims to help harmonise national privacy legislation and to avoid interruptions in international flows of personal data. We hope to reach a consensus on the fundamental principles on cross-border personal data protection by reaching out to different stakeholders for their concerns of the issue, and ultimately to touch on the possibility of establishing a universal jurisdiction that will hopefully serve as a reference for the future legislation and discussion.  

Relevance to Internet Governance: 

Data governance concerns an array of diverse and sensitive issues like protection of personal data, law enforcement and other security issues. Different governments have different models to steward their data, so as to foster better governance. These issues are interwoven with internet governance, since the internet is a vast network which is connected by standardized data communication protocols.

A vulnerable data management may result in data and privacy breaches which poses risk of crime, abuse, surveillance and social conflict at domestic or even international levels. The collection and use of network data, when not being properly regulated and stewarded, could put the cybersecurity at risk, hindering the proper functioning and use of the internet. 

Above scenarios demonstrate the importance of data governance in the use of the internet, and thus are highly relevant to internet governance. In our policy questions, we focus on practical mechanism in governing personal data in cross-border context. We seek for better understanding on the capability of the global south in handling issues related to personal data governance and the impacts of doing so. Examining the different limitations and advantages that when regulating personal data privacy issues can give us insight in understanding the strengths of and the possible assistance needed for an effective stewardship in different countries. Learning about the differences and uniqueness between the global north and global south could help in constructing a universal personal data framework that could facilitate international cooperation and meaningful participation among different countries, regardless of their developmental level, in global internet governance.