News: 2015

    CSISAC Report: 70th OECD CDEP meetings

    December 7, 2015

    The CSISAC has participated in the meetings of the 70th OECD Committee for the Digital Economy (CDEP) and its working parties. The discussions at the meeting focused on the preparation of the 2016 Ministerial on the Digital Economy. In addition, the discussions included topics on privacy and security, communication infrastructure and services, and statistical exchange about measurement and indicators. This reports summarizes the contribution of CSISAC to this meeting.

    CSISAC wants to thank Steering Committee members Marc Rotenberg from EPIC and Claire Milne for leading the task forces and attending the meetings, together with the CSISAC Liaison, and to all CSISAC members who have contributed to the preparation of the meeting. The Civil Society delegation benefited from the expertise of Dr. Deborah Peel, who attended the meetings of the OECD Health Committee, in the context of the Advisory Group for the OECD Health Data project.

    2016 OECD Ministerial Meeting
    The main outcome of the discussion was the decision to have a three day agenda, with a first day organized by the stakeholders, followed by two days of parallel panels. The proposed structure is consistent with the proposal of CSISAC to have parallel forums the first day, one for each one of the four stakeholders: business, labor, technical community and civil society.

    As the formally recognised civil society advisory committee, CSISAC will organize the Civil Society Forum, introducing the opportunity for Civil Society participants to to evaluate the OECD implementation of the recommendations set in the Civil Society Seoul Declaration, to explore the implications of emerging ICT issues for human rights and social justice, and to set the civil society goals for the future OECD agenda. A Program Committee is being formed to help developing the program of the forum, to identify potential speakers and to coordinate the civil society papers. At the same time, the CSISAC Steering Committee is working to retrieve the necessary resources to ensure meaningful participation from civil society in the Forum with a focus on Latin America and the BRICs. All the information about the Civil Society Forum is kept updated in the 2016 CSISAC Forum site.

    In addition to the Civil Society Forum, CSISAC is working to extend the civil society perspective to the Ministerial panels as well. This effort is being done in three concurrent streamlines of work:

    • To foster a civil society perspective in the Ministerial Declaration. As it happened in the previous editions in 1998 and 2008, the 2016 edition of the OECD Ministerial is expected to summarize the conclusion of the discussions in the form of a declaration, chair statement, or similar outcome. Provided the deep and long lasting impact of the OECD recommendations, the work on the Ministerial declaration is among the highest priorities for CSISAC. As in the case of the other OECD recommendations, the Ministerial deliverable is the result of a consensus driven decision-making process developed together by the member states and the involved stakeholders. CSISAC is contributing to that process closely monitoring the discussion, submitting proposals and taking a part in the conversation about this topic.
    • To foster a civil society perspective in the contents of the panels. As showed in the agenda, the OECD plans to structure the Ministerial discussions through a set of parallel panels about four main topics in the second and third day, with two panels per topic, and two topics per day. The first day will hold the panels on the Open Internet in parallel with those about Trust (security and privacy), having the panels on Global Connectivity running in parallel to those on Jobs and Skills in the last day. For each panel, the OECD will prepare a set of background documents and summaries to support the discussion in the panel. As the contents of those documents will drive the discussion, CSISAC is working to improve as much as possible the inclusion of the perspectives fostered by civil society participants in consistency with the Civil Society Seoul Declaration.
    • To nominate Civil Society speakers for the panels. CSISAC thanks the opportunity to organize the Civil Society Forum the first day of the Ministerial, but CSISAC believes that the participation of Civil Society cannot be restrained to the Forum only. As 'the voice of Civil Society at the OECD', the CSISAC is fostering the inclusion of leaders of non-governmental organizations and experts from civil society as speakers in the ministerial panels. As a preparation for this meeting, CSISAC submitted a proposal of potential speakers to be considered by the OECD. During this meeting, the CSISAC was working to extend the presence of Civil Society focusing on women and a more activist profile, as well as in fostering a more balanced regional participation.

    Organisational Issues
    On the organisational side, the CDEP started the discussion about the 2017-2018 Program of Work and Budget. The contents of this proposals are expected to be coordinated with the outcomes of the Ministerial. The CSISAC offered remarks stressing the importance of having meaningful metrics and indicators, consistent with the discussion on trust at the MADE, and expressed interest in joining the efforts to propose research projects in that direction. In addition, the Committee approved the appointements for th CDEP Bureau.

    About CSISAC and the OECD
    The CSISAC is the voice of civil society at the OECD Committee on the Digital Economy Policy. We facilitate the exchange of information between the OECD and civil society participants, leading to better-informed and more widely accepted policy frameworks. The formal recognition of this Advisory Committee by the OECD was the result of an effort initiated in the 1990s decade to promote participation parity in the global policy-making. Today, the CSISAC is the main venue to channel the participation of civil society in the OECD work on the digital economy.

    You can learn more about CSISAC visiting csisac.org, or sending your question to the CSISAC Liaison

    CSISAC to participate in the 70th OECD Digital Economy Policy Committee

    November 24, 2015

    The next meeting of the OECD Digital Economy Policy Committee and its working parties will take place from the 30th of November to the 4th of December in the OECD headquarters in Paris (France). CSISAC will take part in this meeting to bring the voice of Civil Society to the OECD policy making process.

    This 70th meeting will focus on the preparation of the 2016 Ministerial on the Digital Economy. This involves the discussion of the logistics and the contents of the event, including the appointment of the high level speakers like Ministers and representatives of International Organizations. CSISAC will continue fostering the presence of Civil Society representatives in the panels, and also to improve the Civil Society perspective in the key issues under consideration.

    The work on the Ministerial will include the organization of the Stakeholders Forum the day before the event. CSISAC is working to organize a forum where activists, academics and experts gather to exchange views on the analyzed topics and provide a constructive input to the Ministerial's discussion. CSISAC is actively searching for participants from Latin America to take part in the preparatory work joining the programm committee, and also during the discussion as panelists. Proposal and suggestions on topics and participants can be sent to the CSISAC Liaison.

    In addition to the preparatory work for the Ministerial, the Committee and its Working Parties will discuss the reports and ongoing projects. Topics included in the agenda include several aspects related with Digital Risk and Identity Management; the protection of Critical Infrastructures; privacy and health data; the broadband policy toolkits; and several measurement issues on mobile commerce and ICT sector indicators.

    About CSISAC

    The Civil Society Information Society Advisory Council (CSISAC) is the "voice of civil society" at the OECD. CSISAC strengthens the relationship between civil society and the OECD and promotes better-informed and more widely accepted policies for the IT sector. CSISAC contributes to the OECD's work on Digital Economy Policy and promotes the exchange of information between the OECD and civil society. The OECD provides civil society participants with substantial empirical analyses that enable informed policy assessments; CSISAC provides the OECD with the essential perspectives of experts and NGOs leaders.

    In order to fullfil its mission, CSISAC participates in the regular meetings of the OECD Digital Economy Committee (CDEP) and its working parties: the Working Party on Measurement and Analysis of the Digital Economy (MADE), the Working Party on Communication, Infrastructures and Services Policy (CISP) and the Working Party on Security and Privacy in the Digital Economy (SPDE). The participation of CSISAC consists in the circulation of the draft reports and working paperS among Civil Society experts for analysis and assessment, attendance at the regular meetings by CSISAC representatives, and the submission of policy assessments for the ongoing policy guidance. In addition, CSISAC nominates high level experts to participate in the ad-hoc sessions like expert groups or advisory panels linked to specific policy developments.

    CSISAC fosters Human Rights and Fundamental Values in the Recommendation on Digital Risk Management

    October 5, 2015

    The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has released the Digital Risk Management Recommendation, the latest revision of the well established Digital Security Guidelines. The Civil Society Information Society Advisory Council (CSISAC) has actively contributed to this revision, focusing on preserving human rights and fundamental values, and working to ensure that responsibility is to be assumed not only by the end user. A multi-stakeholder approach should be followed by governments for the development of national security strategies.

    CSISAC fosters Human Rights, Responsibility and Multi-Stakeholder Design

    The CSISAC has worked together with the OECD, member states and other stakeholders as an interface to facilitate the contribution of acknowledged experts and academics from Civil Society.

    Among the improvements of the guidelines, CSISAC is proud to see reflected Human Rights and Fundamental Values as one of the four General Principles. We believe that this improves the role of transparency in the management of digital security risk by all stakeholders.

    The inclusion of the Responsibility Principle is also a welcome outcome, as it helps in ensuring that all involved stakeholders take their responsibility in the management of risk in the digital realm. In the case of disruptions of infrastructures and services, the responsibility cannot be delegate only to the final user. This principle helps in keeping the continuity in the responsibility chain.

    Another prominent signal is the explicit recommendation of a multi-stakeholder approach for the development of national security strategies. As the recent revelations about governmental pervasive surveillance programs show, the benefits of including civil society in the development of those strategies is necessary to help prevent similar disfunctions in the future. CSISAC will be happy to continue contributing to a productive dialogue with the member states through the work of the OECD Committee for the Digital Economy Policy.

    The OECD Digital Risk Management Recommendation

    The OECD Digital Risk Management Recommendation is one of the fundamental references for leaders and CEOs of public and private sectors in global policy making.

    Disruption of operations, financial loss, reputational damage, loss of competitiveness, lawsuits, as well as loss of trust among customers, employees, shareholders and partners: recent high-profile examples illustrate the far-reaching economic consequences that digital security incidents can have for organisations. Security incidents also affect individuals through a multitude of less known privacy breaches and incidents with potential harmful consequences.

    The OECD, whose last Recommendation on digital security was in 2002, offers eight principles to guide digital security risk management, including on the responsibility of different actors, co-operation between stakeholders and the role of innovation. It recommends that countries adopt national plans to ensure that measures are identified and implemented to prevent, detect, respond to and recover from digital security incidents. The emphasis of the Recommendation on the notion of 'risk' is one of the main characteristics of this new version, one strongly supported by CSISAC because the previous focus on security did not adequately acknowledge the value of preserving and fostering fundamental issues like human rights and privacy.

    The OECD Recommendation on Digital Security Risk Management was prepared under the guidance of the OECD Committee on Digital Economy (CDEP) with the input of the Working Parties on Communication Infrastructure and Services Policy (CISP), Measurement and Analysis in the Digital Economy (MADE), Security and Privacy in the Digital Economy (SPDE), together with expert groups and advisory panels. Thanks to the support of its funders and the voluntary contribution of its membership, the CSISAC has managed to extend civil society participation to the full set of policy assessment environments at the OECD CDEP.

    The final version of the Recommendation can be found at the OECD Library (http://oe.cd/dsrm).

    Privacy and Access Fostered by CSISAC in the Digital Economy Outlook 2015

    July 17, 2015

    The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has released the Digital Economy Outlook 2015, one of the most influential reports in Internet policy-making worldwide. The Civil Society Information Society Advisory Council (CSISAC) has actively contributed to the preparation of the Digital Economy Outlook 2015, emphasizing the right to privacy and a consumer rights perspective, together with the need to preserve an open Internet.

    Privacy and Access from a Civil Society Perspective

    The concerns of CSISAC can be found reflected in the Digital Economy Outlook 2015. For example, the report highlights the increasing concerns of the population about privacy, where 64% of respondents are more concerned about privacy than they were a year ago. The concerns of the citizens, now better informed about the existence of governmental mass surveillance programs thanks to the revelations of Edward Snowden and others, can also be found on the governmental side, where security and privacy are ranked 2nd and 3rd top priorities for governments. As a result, the Digital Economy Outlook supports the need to incorporate a whole-of-society perspective in the development of cyber-strategies, an increasingly relevant issue considering that 27 out of 34 countries now have a digital strategy.

    For example, while a positive outlook is depicted for the ICT sector, with services growing at 30% per year and up to 95% of enterprises connected by broadband, the report also confirms the persistence of a digital divide, with 58% "broader" Internet activity by users with tertiary education than by those with less education. Also, while 82% of adults in the OECD area used the Internet, less than 49% of those over 55 years used it. Those divergences in use by education and age are a clear sign of the need to persist in the efforts made by CSISAC together with many organizations of Civil Society worldwide to foster a positive balance between economic growth and social prosperity.

    The OECD Digital Economy Outlook 2015 also highlights new developments in policy and technology with impact on the digital economy. The emergence of the Internet of the Things or the convergence of telecom and broadcasting services into IP networks are reviewed in the report, including the introduction of legal measures to prohibit blocking and discrimination of services (net neutrality). The evolution of the infrastructures supporting digital activity is also reviewed, finding an increased share of optic fibre in total fixed broadband subscriptions, up to 16.5% in June 2014. Also important from a consumer perspective, the report shows how prices have registered a decrease for fixed broadband per Mpbs, down by 52% in the case of mobile broadband baskets for smartphones compared to 2012.

    The OECD Digital Economy Outlook

    The OECD Digital Economy Outlook is a biennial series reporting on the most relevant policy and technological developments with impact in the digital economy from a comparative evidence perspective. The importance of this work is reflected in its main audience, the political leaders and policy-makers with influence in shaping Internet policy worldwide.

    The OECD Digital Economy Outlook 2015 was prepared under the guidance of the OECD Committee on Digital Economy (CDEP) with the input of the Working Parties on Communication Infrastructure and Services Policy (CISP), Measurement and Analysis in the Digital Economy (MADE), Security and Privacy in the Digital Economy (SPDE), together with expert groups and advisory panels. Thanks to the support of its funders and the voluntary contribution of its membership, the CSISAC has managed to extend Civil Society participation to the full set of policy assessment environments at the OECD CDEP.

    The Digital Economy Outlook 2015 merges in one single document the contents previously provided by the OECD Communications Outlook and the Internet Economy Outlook (formerly OECD Information Technology Outlook). A copy of the report can be ordered at the OECD Library, which provides as well a link to access the Digital Economy Outlook 2015 online.

    CSISAC to participate in the meetings of the OECD Digital Economy Policy Committee

    June 1, 2015

    The Civil Society Information Society Advisory Council (CSISAC) is the "voice of civil society" at the OECD. CSISAC strengthens the relationship between civil society and the OECD and promotes better-informed and more widely accepted policies for the IT sector. CSISAC contributes to the OECD's work on Digital Economy Policy and promotes the exchange of information between the OECD and civil society. The OECD provides civil society participants with substantial empirical analysEs that enable informed policy assessments; CSISAC provides the OECD with the essential perspectives of experts and NGOs leaders.

    In order to fullfil its mission, CSISAC participates in the regular meetings of the OECD Digital Economy Committee (CDEP) and its working parties: the Working Party on Measurement and Analysis of the Digital Economy (MADE), the Working Party on Communication, Infrastructures and Services Policy (CISP) and the Working Party on Security and Privacy in the Digital Economy (SPDE). The participation of CSISAC consists in the circulation of the draft reports and working paperS among Civil Society experts for analysis and assessment, attendance at the regular meetings by CSISAC representatives, and the submission of policy assessments for the ongoing policy guidance. In addition, CSISAC nominates high level experts to participate in the ad-hoc sessions like expert groups or advisory panels linked to specific policy developments.

    The next meeting of the OECD Digital Economy Policy Committee and its working parties will take place from the 22th to the 26th of June in the OECD headquarters in Paris (France). The meeting will cover topics like the revision of the Security Guidelines, the Internet of Things, the effects of ICT in jobs and skills or statistics on children online. The draft reports and working papers will be circulated to the CSISAC membership to facilitate analysis and assessment in time for the meeting. CSISAC encourages Civil Society experts to join the task forces on their topics of interest so as to provide substantial and high quality contributions to the OECD policy-making process.

    CSISAC wants to acknowledge the contribution of the Open Society Foundation (OSF), the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC), and the European Digital Rights (EDRi) for their continued support, among other contributions.

    Summary of outcomes from the meetings of the 69th Digital Economy Policy Committee of the OECD and its Working Parties

    June 29, 2015

    The June sessions of the OECD Committee for the Digital Economy Policy have finished today. CSISAC wants to thank Steering Committee members Marc Rotenberg from EPIC and Claire Milne for leading the task forces and attending the Working Parties and the Committee, together with the CSISAC Liaison. In addition, the Civil Society delegation benefitted from the expertise of CSISAC member Martin Schmalzried on the children online topic.

    The meetings included the 20th MADE (Working Party on Measurement and Analysis of the Digital Economy), 53nd CISP (Working Party on Communication, Infrastructures and Services Policy), 38th SPDE (Working Party on Security and Privacy in the Digital Economy) and the 69th CDEP (Committee on the Digital Economy Policy). In addition, CSISAC took part in the preparatory meetings for the 2016 Ministerial, including the 3rd Ministerial Steering Group and the 1st Stakeholders Coordination Meeting.

    Thanks to the voluntary contribution of CSISAC experts in the analysis and assessment of the OECD draft reports and working papers, the Civil Society delegation contributed to achieving the following outcomes:

    • A new revised Security Guidelines that explicitly recognizes transparency, human rights and responsibility among its principles, increasing the potential for accountability by replacing the previous 'national security' frame with a 'risk management' approach. The acknowledgment by the OECD of the contribution made by CSISAC during the revision process can be recognized in the adoption by the OECD of the proposal to launch the guidelines in an event to be hosted by EPIC in Washington.
    • Increased awareness about the challenges of the digital economy, as only the benefits were initially planned for discussion in the Ministerial. This holds for the four themes of the Ministerial, and includes security and privacy aspects and balancing individual and group interests in the Internet of Things, the potential of privacy enhancing technologies for innovation, or consumer protection and quality of jobs with regard to emerging digital platforms like Uber. CSISAC members are invited to engage in the drafting process of the Ministerial panels to ensure that this need is sufficiently reflected in the Ministerial dossier, and to nominate High Level delegates to participate as speakers in the panels.
    • Adoption of the proposal to hold a Civil Society Stakeholders Forum in coordination with TUAC -labor unions stakeholder- in parallel to the forums organized by BIAC -the business stakeholder- and ITAC -the technical community stakeholder- the day before the Ministerial. In addition, a CSISAC member will participate in the High Level Plenary that will serve to launch the Ministerial in the first day, opening the way to effectively feed the Ministerial with the output of our Forum, perhaps in the form of a Civil Society Declaration. CSISAC has started to explore possible alternatives to maximize the Civil Society participation at the Ministerial. With that purpose, CSISAC has invited the OECD to coordinate with the Mexican delegation the logistics of Civil Society participation.

    The meetings of the CDEP represent an important milestone, as the work of CSISAC during the following year will focus on the preparation of the Ministerial. The organization of the Civil Society Forum is expected to concentrate the efforts of CSISAC in order to contribute constructively to the outcomes of the 2016 Ministerial in Cancun (Mexico).

    CSISAC wants to acknowledge the contribution of those who have been providing the resources to support our activity, mainly the Open Society Foundation, the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) and the European Digital Rights (EDRi). That leads to a big thanks to Meryem Marzouki from EDRi, the 'architect' of CSISAC, who has recently handed over her responsibilities after many years of excellent work. In addition, COFACE-EU has contributed by sending a delegate to provide input on the OECD work on children online.

    CSISAC to participate in OECD project on Privacy-protective Uses of Personal Health Data

    June 10, 2015

    The OECD has started a project to develop a Recommendation on Privacy-Protective Approaches for the Use of Health Data. This work will be pursued as a joint initiative of the Health Care Quality Indicator Group (HCQI), a subsidiary body of the OECD's Health Committee, and the Working Party on Security and Privacy in the Digital Economy (SPDE) under the umbrella of the Health Committee and the Committee on the Digital Economy and Policy (CDEP) respectively.

    An Advisory Group has been constituted for this purpose. As a follow up of the previous work on the OECD Advisory Panel on Health Information Infrastructure, the OECD has invited CSISAC members Robert Gellman and Bruce Arnold, member as well of the CSISAC Steering Committee. In addition, the Steering Committee of CSISAC nominated Deborah Peel, Ross Anderson and Pam Dixon to participate in that working group.

    Proclamation of the 2015-2017 Steering Committee of the CSISAC

    June 5, 2015

    The following members of CSISAC have been elected to stand for the Steering Committee for the 2015-2017 term:

    • Marc Rotenberg (EPIC)
    • Hanno Wagner (EDRI)
    • Jeremy Malcolm (EFF)
    • Bruce Arnold (APF)
    • Michael Gurstein (individual member)
    • Mohammad Tarakiyee (apc.org)
    • Claire Milne (individual member)
    • Susan Grant (individual member)

    With this notice, the 2015-2017 Steering Committee of the CSISAC gets formally constituted.

    The CSISAC Steering Committee is elected by the CSISAC members to manage the coalition and represent it for a two-year term. The maximum size of the Steering Committee is eight members, and they are elected in two steps. First, a maximum of 5 members are elected through vote by the membership. Second, the elected candidates can appoint other CSISAC members to improve the territorial, gender and expertise balance of the final composition.

    The election for the 2015-2017 Steering Committee took place without incidents, following the planned schedule. 69 out of 115 ballots were processed using an open source voting platform, with the results below. The platform provided anonymity and random display of candidates to ensure a fair, open and transparent process.

    1. Marc Rotenberg (EPIC) 40 78.43%
    2. Hanno Wagner (EDRi) 40 78.43%
    3. Jeremy Malcolm (EFF) 34 66.67%
    4. Bruce Arnold (APF) 31 60.78%
    5. Michael Gurstein (Individual member) 24 47.06%

    The result offered a good balance between old and new members, ensuring an effective transfer of knowledge and duties from the previous Steering Committee. However, territorial and gender diversity was found to be improvable. With that purpose, the elected members agreed on appointing the following members:

    1. Mohammad Tarakiyee (APF)
    2. Claire Milne (individual member)
    3. Susan Grant (individual member)
    4. In addition, individual member Renata Avila has been proposed to stand as replacement for individual members. This way, any potential resignation of an individual member of the Steering Committee will result in the increase of gender and territorial diversity.

      Update: APC requested Mohammad Tarakiyee to be replaced by Deborah Brown, and Susan Grant was replaced by the designated replacement for individual members.

    CSISAC members called to elect the Steering Committee for 2015-2017

    May 22, 2015

    The CSISAC Steering Committee is elected by the CSISAC members to manage the coalition and represent it for a two-year term. The following candidates have been nominated by the CSISAC membership during the nomination period:

    • Marc Rotenberg (EPIC)
    • Jeremy Malcolm (EFF)
    • Hanno Wagner (EDRI)
    • Michael Gurstein (individual member)
    • Bruce Arnold (APF)

    CSISAC voters can cast their ballots from the 23rd to the 29th of May. The vote is casted using a web-based voting platform reachable through any standard browser. The vote is anonymous and can be casted using accesibility alternatives.

    Consistently with the commitment of CSISAC with diversity, the candidates elected through vote can appoint other additional CSISAC members to ensure gender, regional and expertise balance. The maximum final size of the Steering Committee is eight members.

    The full detail of the Steering Committee election can be found in the document describing the CSISAC election process.

    Schedule for the elections of the CSISAC Steering Committee

    January 5, 2015

    The CSISAC Steering Committee is elected by the CSISAC members to manage the coalition and represent it for a two-year term. As a preparation for the forthcoming elections, the census has been reviewed by the membership, and the list of members updated and published.

    The following schedule has been agreed to held the election of the Steering Committee for the 2015-2017 term (always Paris time, CET/ CEST timezone):

    • Nomination: 2 weeks, from 02 to 15 of May
    • Deliberation: 1 week, from 16 to 22 of May
    • Vote: 1 week , from 23 to 29 of May

    Any member of CSISAC can nominate candidates for the Steering Committee providing the following information:

    • Full name, mail and country/ region of the candidate
    • Brief statement on the expected contribution of the candidate
    • Short bio, including reference to the most related CSISAC goals

    Once the nomination period is over, a deliberation week will allow to solve any possible incident and clarify any doubt about the nominations. After that, voters will receive a ballot to select up to five candidates. Finally, and consistently with the committment of CSISAC with diversity, the elected candidates can appoint other CSISAC members to ensure gender, regional and expertise balance. The maximum final size of the Steering Committee is eight members.

    The full detail of the Steering Committee election can be found in the document describing CSISAC election process.

    CSISAC to participate in the OECD Workshop on Health Data Governance

    April 3, 2015

    The OECD is organizing a Workshop on Health Data Governance to be held the 20 of May in Paris. CSISAC member Robert Gellman will participate in the workshop as moderator of the panel on Safeguards for for Privacy-Protective use. The panel will discuss legislative safeguards to protect privacy and enable data use, embedding privacy protection, ethical review, best practices in data identification and accreditation of health data processors.

    Civil Society on the Role of the OECD in Global Economic Governance

    April 16, 2015

    Steering Committee member and EPIC director Marc Rotenberg will participate in the Luncheon Discussion Program of the Executive Council Diplomacy, to be held the 16th of April in Washington. The event will include a discussion on the role of the OECD in global economic governance guided by Secretary-General of the OECD Angel GurrĂ­a.

    CSISAC will be represented at 2016 OECD Ministerial on Digital Economy

    February 27, 2015

    CSISAC will participate in the 2016 OECD Ministerial on Digital Economy in Mexico in May 2016. CSISAC will convene a meeting for civil society organizations concerning the future of the Internet. The Ministerial will also encourage emerging and developing countries to discuss how Internet policy making can address current and emerging issues in a way that helps mitigate risks to, and maximises the economic and social benefits of, the Internet economy.

    OECD planning to hold a Ministerial on the Digital Economy in 2016

    January 31, 2015

    OECD work to date has helped solidify the general understanding of the Internet as a general purpose technology and the need to preserve its open and decentralised nature. Yet further work is needed to demonstrate that good Internet policy making not only supports an expanding open Internet economy, but also stimulates innovation and economic and social growth.

    The next Ministerial meeting will encourage the ongoing dialogue and associate emerging and developing countries to discuss how Internet policy making can address current and emerging issues in a way that helps mitigate risks to, and maximises the economic and social benefits of, the Internet economy.

    Demonstrating the importance of Internet policy making will also set the scene for a discussion on how innovation in the Internet economy can be leveraged to address key challenges in the economy and society that demand policy attention now or in the near future, such as lack of jobs growth and ageing populations.