The Narrative (May 19, 2021): Cybersecurity EO and encrypted data; Indian 5G trials and China fights back

This week we cover some of Biden's Cybersecurity Order and a few 5G related developments.  Biden’s Cybersecurity EO: Encrypted data at rest for me, why not thee? On the heels of the Colonial Pipeline, Microsoft Exchange Server, and SolarWinds incidents, the White House has issued a new Executive Order that...

The Narrative (April 13, 2021)

China fines Ali Baba for competing vigorously; platform governance becomes a thing; reports of a digital currency war are greatly exaggerated; NSA’s “we need visibility” thesis is contested. From China, with love China’s State Administration for Market Regulation has fined Ali Baba 18.228 billion yuan (about 2.79 billion U.S. dollars)...

The Narrative (March 30, 2021)

Facing a hostile U.S. Congress, Facebook proposes “updated Internet regulations” that push more responsibility for content regulation decisions to the government. Europe is already trying to do just that, but civil liberties groups are campaigning against it. India considers a tech nationalist approach to cryptocurrency. A taste of “updated Internet...

Regulation of Digital Platforms in Asia

In November 2020, amidst increased conflict, violence and human rights abuses, Indonesia’s Ministry of Communication and Information Technology issued the Ministerial Regulation #5 (MR5). With the MR5 the Ministry has granted itself the authority to compel any individual, business entity or community that operates “electronic systems” (ESOs) to restrict or...

The Narrative: March 1, 2021

India and other Asian countries are asserting control over content on platforms. The European Commission tries to explain to the ICANN community how and why it is asserting jurisdiction over domain names. The Biden administration makes a clean break with the Trump Administration’s State Department on handling cyber issues. India’s...

The Narrative – February 14, 2021

Facebook’s Oversight Board is sparking discussion about global governance institutions for online content. Privacy, competition policy and cybersecurity are all implicated in the battle over enclosing platforms’ data. And an insurance company is demonstrating how cybersecurity information sharing really happens. Facebook Oversight Board sparks governance debate The Oversight Board, set...

Tracking India’s Approach to Data Governance: From Localization to Stewardship of Data

In December 2020, a Committee of Experts (CoE)) appointed by the Indian government to deliberate on data governance released its report on Non-Personal Data Governance Framework (NPD Framework). The CoE has proposed creating national legislation and a regulator, the Non-Personal Data Authority (NPDA), to establish rights of India, Indian citizens...

The Narrative – January 26, 2021

The impact of social media on political communication remains a top concern worldwide. A request for comment on disinformation policy has been issued by the UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of expression. Biden's incoming Director of National Intelligence is being pushed to support mandatory cybersecurity information sharing by the private...

The Narrative (January 13, 2021)

We focus on India and Europe, where frameworks for the regulation of non-personal data are emerging. We add a bit of SolarWinds followup, and peek at ICANN hiding in the corner Governance of Non-Personal Data Although most data governance efforts in recent years have been focused on the collection, storage,...

The Narrative (December 30, 2020)

This time we analyze the SolarWinds intrusion and challenge some narratives being spun around it. We also look at Europe’s whirlwind of legislative activity in the EU around cybersecurity and the digital economy. And oh, happy New Year. It’s an idiot (solar) wind... The biggest event shaping Internet governance discussions...