| World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) It is a UN initiative aimed at addressing challenges posed by information and communication technologies (ICTs) through a collaborative, multi-stakeholder approach at national, regional, and international levels. Its goal is to create a people-centric, inclusive, and development-oriented Information Society, contributing to the achievement of SDGs. Geneva 2003: Attended by 11,000 participants from 175 countries. Tunis 2005: Attended by over 19,000 participants from 174 countries. |
- The recently concluded “Summit of the Future” organized by the United Nations led to the adoption of the “Global Digital Compact” (GDC).
- It is a comprehensive framework for global governance of digital technology and artificial intelligence, Twenty years after the World Summit on the Information Society.
- The GDC is an ambitious instrument designed for the common good, although it is not legally binding.
- The GDC is a diplomatic initiative aimed at creating shared goals for governments, institutions, and stakeholders.
- It seeks to promote digital technologies to support Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
- Two panels are to be established under GDC. one on AI governance and another for global dialogue on AI regulation.
- The GDC promotes open-source software and AI models, to drive social change.
- Challenges: The GDC’s proposal for partnerships may face limitations due to restrictions like non-disclosure and intellectual property protection, calls for self-regulation by tech companies, but this has been ineffective in practice, lacks emphasis on strong personal data protection and privacy laws, gives corporate entities significant power but does not provide sufficient measures to prevent monopolistic practices.
Dig Deeper: Read about India’s steps for regulation of Digital Technologies.
