MICHAEL SPENCE , FRED HU
With the entire global economic scheme becoming inextricably linked to the Internet as well as digital technologies, stronger regulation is to a greater extent than of import than ever. But if that regulation is fragmented, clumsy, heavy-handed, or inconsistent, the consequences for economical integration – and, inwards turn, prosperity – could hold out severe. BEIJING – The recent revelation that to a greater extent than than 50 1 one 1000 thousand Facebook profiles were harvested past times app as well as given to political consultancy Cambridge Analytica has produced a backlash against the platform. But it is but the latest instance of the risks associated amongst the Internet, which forms the center of today’s digital revolution.
THE YEAR AHEAD 2018
The world’s leading thinkers as well as policymakers examine what’s come upward apart inwards the past times year, as well as anticipate what volition define the twelvemonth ahead.
ORDER NOW
Most of the digital innovations that receive got reshaped the global economic scheme over the final 25 years rely on network connectivity, which has transformed commerce, communication, instruction as well as training, render chains, as well as much more. Connectivity besides enables access to vast amounts of information, including information that underpins machine learning, which is essential to modern artificial intelligence.
Over the final fifteen years or so, mobile Internet has reinforced this trend, past times speedily increasing non but the publish of people who are connected to the Internet, as well as hence able to participate inwards the digital economy, but besides the frequency as well as ease amongst which they tin john connect. From GPS navigation to ride-sharing platforms to mobile-payment systems, on-the-go connectivity has had a far-reaching behave upon on people’s lives as well as livelihoods.
For years, it was widely believed that an opened upward Internet – amongst standardized protocols but few regulations – would naturally serve the best interests of users, communities, countries, as well as the global economy. But major risks receive got emerged, including monopoly mightiness for mega-platforms similar Facebook as well as Google; vulnerability to attacks on critical infrastructure, including financial-market systems as well as electoral processes; as well as threats to privacy as well as the safety of information as well as intellectual property. Fundamental questions almost the Internet’s behave upon on political allegiance, social cohesion, citizen awareness as well as engagement, as well as childhood evolution besides remain.
As the Internet as well as digital technologies penetrate economies as well as societies to a greater extent than deeply, these risks as well as vulnerabilities locomote past times away increasingly acute. And, as well as then far, the predominant approach to managing them inwards the West – self-regulation past times the companies that provide the services as well as ain the information – does non seem to hold out working. Major platforms can’t hold out expected to take “objectionable” content, for example, without guidelines from regulators or courts.
Given this, nosotros seem to hold out facing a novel transition from the opened upward Internet of the past times to 1 dependent plain to to a greater extent than extensive control. But this procedure carries risks of its own. 
Mar 28, 2018 JUSTIN YIFU LIN argues that using protectionism to appeal to U.S. voters volition backfire when these voters seem upward higher costs. 0Add to Bookmarks
Though at that topographic point is a rigid instance for international cooperation, such an approach seems unlikely inwards the electrical flow climate of protectionism as well as unilateralism. It is non fifty-fifty clear that countries volition concord to treaties banning cyber warfare. Even if unopen to semblance of international cooperation were mustered, non-state actors would locomote past times away along to deed every bit spoilers – or worse.
Against this background, it seems probable that novel regulations volition hold out initiated largely past times private states, which volition receive got to respond hard questions. Who is responsible – as well as liable – for information security? Should the nation receive got access to user data, as well as for what purposes? Will users hold out allowed to keep anonymity online?
Countries’ answers to such questions volition vary widely, owing to key differences inwards their values, principles, as well as governance structures. For example, inwards China, the authorities filter content deemed to hold out inconsistent amongst nation interests; inwards the West, past times contrast, at that topographic point is no entity amongst legitimate ascendance to filter content, except inwards extreme cases (for example, abhor spoken communication as well as kid pornography). Even inwards areas where at that topographic point does seem to hold out unopen to consensus – such every bit the unacceptability of disinformation or of unusual meddling inwards electoral processes – at that topographic point is no understanding on the appropriate remedy.
The lack of consensus or cooperation could Pb to the emergence of national digital borders, which would non solely inhibit flows of information as well as information, but besides disrupt trade, render chains, as well as cross-border investment. Already, most US-based technology scientific discipline platforms cannot operate inwards China, because they cannot or volition non convey the authorities’ rules almost nation access to information as well as command over content.
Meanwhile, the U.S. has blocked the Chinese fellowship Huawei from investing inwards software startups, providing network equipment to wireless carriers, or (along amongst ZTE) selling mobile phones inwards the U.S. market, owing to the firm’s alleged ties to the Chinese government. Huawei as well as ZTE both keep that their activities are purely commercial, as well as that they play past times the rules wherever they operate, but U.S. officials locomote past times away along to insist that the companies pose a safety risk.
By contrast, nearly all European countries, including the United Kingdom, are receptive to Huawei as well as ZTE, both of which are major players inwards Europe. Yet Europe is creating its ain barriers, amongst novel data-protection as well as privacy rules that may good impede the application of machine learning. Unlike China as well as the US, Europe is non all the same dwelling to a mega-platform of the type that is leading the agency inwards machine-learning innovations.
With the entire global economic scheme becoming inextricably linked to the Internet as well as digital technologies, stronger regulation is to a greater extent than of import than ever. But if that regulation is fragmented, clumsy, heavy-handed, or inconsistent, the consequences for economical integration – and, inwards turn, prosperity – could hold out severe.
Before the reason adopts ineffective or counterproductive solutions, policymakers should mean value carefully almost how best to approach regulation. If nosotros cannot concord on every detail, mayhap nosotros tin john at to the lowest degree position a laid of shared principles that tin john shape the reason of multilateral agreements that proscribe destructive activity such every bit the misuse of data, thereby helping to save an opened upward global economy.
Michael Spence, a Nobel laureate inwards economics, is Professor of Economics at NYU’s Stern School of Business, Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, Advisory Board Co-Chair of the Asia Global Institute inwards Hong Kong, as well as Chair of the World Economic Forum Global Agenda Council on New Growth Models. He was the chairman of the independent Commission on Growth as well as Development, an international trunk that from 2006-2010 analyzed opportunities for global economical growth, as well as is the writer of The Next Convergence – The Future of Economic Growth inwards a Multispeed World.
Buat lebih berguna, kongsi:
