table of content - limun€¦ · zz 3 london international model united nations 2017 introduction...
TRANSCRIPT
ZZ
1
LONDON INTERNATIONAL MODEL UNITED NATIONS 2017
Table of Content
World Conference on Technology London International Model United Nations 18th Session | 2017
ZZ
2
LONDON INTERNATIONAL MODEL UNITED NATIONS 2017
Table of Contents
Introduction Letters…………………………………………………………3
Introduction to the Committee……………………………………………...4
Topic A: Planning for the changes arising from technological development
Introduction……………...…………………………………....5
Previous global discussion……………………………………6
Economic issues………………………………………………7
Social and inclusivity issues………………………………….10
Bloc positions…………………………………………………15
Questions a resolution should answer………………………...15
Topic B: Planning for the changes arising from technological development
Key definitions……………...…………………………………17
Introduction, overview and history of the topic……………….18
Case studies…….……………………………………………...20
Bloc positions………………………………………………….23
Questions to consider………………...………………………...24
ZZ
3
LONDON INTERNATIONAL MODEL UNITED NATIONS 2017
Introduction Letters
Whether you’ve travelled from within the UK, or from further afield, it gives
me great pleasure to welcome you as your Committee Director to WCT at
LIMUN 2017! I’m a third year Portuguese & Brazilian Studies student at
King’s College London, currently on Year Abroad teaching at an NGO in Rio
de Janeiro and studying at the University of Coimbra. MUN has taken me all
over the World, but it’s a real pleasure to be chairing back in London at
LIMUN. We come together at this conference in the spirit of diplomacy, so
let’s work together to ensure that this rings as true in our debate as it will in our
final product!
Benjy Cox
Director
ZZ
4
LONDON INTERNATIONAL MODEL UNITED NATIONS 2017
Hello! My name is Sarthak Kumar and I am a 2nd year Computing student at
Imperial College London. This is my first ever chairing experience, and I’m
extremely excited about it! I hope that you will all provide an excellent
standard of engaging debate over the course of the weekend, and I cannot wait
to see the resolutions that you come up with. Please don’t hesitate to get in
touch with Benjy or I if you have any questions, and here’s to a fantastic
LIMUN 2017!!
Sarthak Kumar
Assistant Director
If you have any queries please contact us at [email protected]
ZZ
5
LONDON INTERNATIONAL MODEL UNITED NATIONS 2017
Introduction to the Committee
The World Conference on Technology is a special summit convened by the
United Nations in order to discuss pressing issues surrounding technology and
its future implications on a global platform.
As an assumed summit, we offer the chance for nations to come together to
discuss issues which would otherwise full under the remit of a variety of UN
agencies, allowing for a well-informed discussion that can be a approached
from a number of different angles. As a temporary summit, the role of this
committee is primarily one of discussion and suggestion.
At LIMUN this year a WCT will host a maximum of 50 delegates.
ZZ
6
LONDON INTERNATIONAL MODEL UNITED NATIONS 2017
Topic A: Planning for the changes
arising from technological
advancement
Introduction
Few technologies have caused such a sea change in the way we go about our daily
lives as the internet, and the World Wide Web. Whilst it may be the internet that we
associate with the word technology, many other forms of automation and computing
have had extraordinary effects on the workforce, and the efficiency and productivity
of global industry.
As we look towards the future, a raft of social changes are likely to occur due to this
increased usage of technology within daily life, but also specifically due to changing
needs within the workforce. An insufficient regulatory and legal framework provides
the global community with great challenges as technological advancement continues
to occur at an almost exponential rate.
ZZ
7
LONDON INTERNATIONAL MODEL UNITED NATIONS 2017
Previous global discussion
The United Nations has already highlighted the importance of planning for
technological advancement within the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)
Rio+20. Specifically, Paragraph 70 provided for the launch of the Technology
Facilitation Mechanism (TFM), with the aim of supporting technological
advancement, and implementation towards the SDGs1 (United Nations, 2016). The
UN has already established the Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) Forum for
the SDGs as part of the TFM. This multi-actor forum is designed to facilitate the
sharing of knowledge in a collaborative manner, whilst promoting discussion. The
first Forum held by this group highlighted, amongst other things, the following as key
areas for consideration (UN ECOSOC, 2016):2
- Issues of inclusivity: current technology, and technological development
benefits disproportionately, and is largely located in countries which are
already considered to be more developed. Furthermore, marginalised groups
such as women, persons with disabilities or indigenous groups may also be
disadvantaged as a result of uneven distribution of technology,
- The trade-off between social and economic advancement: often technological
developments favour either labour or capital, but not both, in the short term
creating ‘winners and losers’. The report notes that ‘efforts are needed to
enhance skills and social protection for the labour force, given that jobs are
threatened by the digital revolution’,
1 United Nations. (2016).Technological Facilitation Mechanism. Available at:
https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/TFM
2 ECOSOC. (2016). Multi-stakeholder forum on science, technology and innovation
for the Sustainable Development Goals: summary by the Co-Chairs. Available at:
http://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=E/HLPF/2016/6&Lang=E
ZZ
8
LONDON INTERNATIONAL MODEL UNITED NATIONS 2017
When considering how we can plan for future technological advancement,
these key issues of inclusivity, social vs. economic advancement issues that a
potential draft resolution should seek to address.
Economic issues
As long ago as 1981, an article published by the UN noted that ‘Technological
innovation, if it is not to be irreparably damaging to industrial societies, must be
accompanied by social innovation’.3 (UNESCO, 1981) Many workers’ job-roles are
changed through automation, many will naturally be lost. This is a pattern that has
already been seen over the course of the last century in developed nations, and is
likely to continue as we move towards a more developed world. The disappearance of
a particular job due to technological advances does not of course negate the fact that
many jobs are also created in the ever-growing technology industries. The challenge
for the global community is how to ensure that the benefits of the growing
technology community, and the subsequent wealth of knowledge, job and
commercial opportunities, can be implemented worldwide to ensure an equitable
movement towards fulfilling the SDGs.
In many cases, a move towards a greater reliance on, and utilisation of technology
could result in further movement of capital gain towards those who already occupy
the higher strata of society, as they already possess greater financial freedom to invest
in growing technologies, with the ultimate effect of removing some of the vital
‘manual’ jobs from people with a lower socio-economic background. Thus, making
provision for macro-innovation, and macro-investment in technologies is one way in
which the global community could attempt to ensure the benefits of technological
3Robertson, Andrew. (1981). Technological innovations and their social impacts.
UNESCO. Available at:
http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0004/000460/046009eo.pdf
ZZ
9
LONDON INTERNATIONAL MODEL UNITED NATIONS 2017
advancement in a workplace context remain accessible and beneficial to
economically marginalised communities.
The 2016 World Development Report conducted by the World Bank noted that ‘To
get the most out of the digital revolution, countries also need to work on the “analog
complements”—by strengthening regulations that ensure competition among
businesses, by adapting workers’ skills to the demands of the new economy, and by
ensuring that institutions are accountable.’4 (World Bank, 2016)
This phenomenon, dubbed by some as ‘technological unemployment’ could result in
the loss of 5 million job losses in 15 leading countries over the next five years.5 (Tim
Worstall, 2016) As industry strives to make itself ever more efficient, a point is
reached where increased productivity no longer equates to increased employment. In
the USA, this occurred in the 2000s.6 (Rotman, 2013) Comparing these statistics with
median household income, a stagnation can be observed, despite ever increasing
national wealth.
Increased automation and development does not always produce such results. There
are some instances of the same company using a highly automated process in one
4 World Bank. (20160. World Development Report. Available at:
http://www.worldbank.org/en/publication/wdr2016
5 Worstall, Tim. (2016). WEF’s Davos report on robots and robot automation and
job loss a trivial result of no matter at all. Forbes. Available at:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/timworstall/2016/01/18/wefs-davos-report-on-robots-
automation-and-job-loss-a-trivial-result-of-no-matter-at-all/#56014c2314f0
6 Roberston, Tim. (2013). How technology is destroying jobs. Technology Review.
Available at: https://www.technologyreview.com/s/515926/how-technology-is-
destroying-jobs/
ZZ
10
LONDON INTERNATIONAL MODEL UNITED NATIONS 2017
country, but taking advantage of cheaper skilled labour in another. 7 (The
Economist, 2014) However, it is predicted that even in these situations, whilst
unemployment will not necessarily rise, the benefit to those employed in financial
terms will not be great, other than the fact that they are not unemployed.
A great number of current jobs are at risk of automation in the future, many of which
are low-skilled jobs, whose workers are thus poorly-equipped with the skills
necessary to undertake employment in a different position or sector, for example a
third of all retail jobs in the UK could disappear due to automation by 2025.(Will
Martin, 2016)8. Automation can thus be seen to advance pre-existing disparities in
society, by reducing the number of jobs available to those who are already the least-
skilled, and most unlikely to be able to obtain other employment. Jobs that are
retained are likely to be higher-skilled managerial jobs, and thus a pre-existing skills
gap becomes more defined. A method to address this jobs transfer, and the effects of
automation on lower-skilled workers should form part of any draft resolution.
Much technological advancement, whether it be in the health, telecommunications,
scientific industries or otherwise, is conducted and funded by private enterprise. As a
result, those utilising the technology are subject to its market value, and the
conditions of the respective enterprises. One such obvious example is Facebook, a
social media service now used by nearly 1.8 billion individual monthly users, 9
7 The Economist. (2014). The onrushing wave. Available at:
http://www.economist.com/news/briefing/21594264-previous-technological-
innovation-has-always-delivered-more-long-run-employment-not-less
8 Martin, Will. (2016). Deloitte review into jobs in London. Available at:
http://uk.businessinsider.com/deloitte-review-jobs-london-risk-of-automation-2016-
3/#13-information-and-communication--3-information-and-communication-workers-
dont-need-to-lose-much-sleep-over-their-incomes-a-massive-97-of-jobs-in-the-
sector-are-considered-to-be-at-low-risk-of-automation-1 9 Zephoria. (2016). Top 15 Facebook statistics. Available at:
ZZ
11
LONDON INTERNATIONAL MODEL UNITED NATIONS 2017
(Zephoria, 2016) using Facebook for personal and business activities.
Regardless of the reason for using the service, users enter into an agreement with
Facebook when they sign up regarding their rights to data sharing, ownership of their
posts, photos and other information. Owing to this unprecedented sharing of
information through one single service, a quarter of the World’s population regularly
broadcasts and conducts its daily life through one single business. Similarly, in the
medical sector, a great deal of discussion has taken place surrounding the huge profits
of pharmaceutical companies, particularly regarding drugs used to treat illnesses such
as HIV.10 (Boseley, 2016) In previous eras, when technological research was largely
funded by governments, there existed a greater layer of accountability than there does
today with private enterprise.
Social and inclusivity issues
The ever-growing use of internet based services catapults previously private data into
the public realm, and into a world where very often the current legal framework is not
able to keep pace with the advances and technology, and does not provide adequate
protection or guidelines to individuals with respect to their rights and recourse in
technology usage. This regulatory gap has given rise to much discussion to questions
such as when the right to privacy does, and does not apply, and indeed to how
technology can be used to help or hinder it to prevail.11 (Lee, 2016)
If such worldwide reliance on private enterprises for what are considered by some to
be commodities is to be more and more common in the future, then the question
https://zephoria.com/top-15-valuable-facebook-statistics/
10 Boseley, Sarah. (2016). Big pharma’s worst nightmare. The Guardian. Available
at: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/jan/26/big-pharmas-worst-nightmare
11 Lee, Dave. (2016). Apple v. FBI: US debates a world without privacy. BBC.
Available at: http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-35704103
ZZ
12
LONDON INTERNATIONAL MODEL UNITED NATIONS 2017
arises of whether or not there needs to be collective, global action in
encouraging private enterprise to abide by certain ethics, with greater clarity of vision
for the future.12 (Wu, 2014)
Although by no means exclusively, a great deal of recent technological advances
have been as a result of the internet, and rely on the ability to communicate with the
global internet-of-things to function. It is for this reason that access to the internet is a
key driver in accessibility and development, and an area in which much inequality is
already visible within developing regions. Globally, the internet user penetration rate
is 11% for women than men.13 (UN ECOSOC, 2016)
Access to technology has been strongly linked to increased financial independence,
particularly amongst women in poorer countries where their rights are curtailed by
legal structures. A project supported by the UNCDF14 (OECD Insights, 2015) used
mobile phone payment technology in order to provided digital financial services
tailored to women in Malawi. Ensuring that the process is simple, and does not
require users to be literate, the programme is a good example of current projects in
existence, which not only have facilitated access to marginalised groups, but have
also made an attempt to address the development gap within those groups.
12 Wu, Tim. (2014). As technology gets better, will society get worse?. The New
Yorker. Available at: http://www.newyorker.com/tech/elements/as-technology-gets-
better-will-society-get-worse
13 ECOSOC. (2016). Progress towards the sustainable development goals – report of
the Secretary-General. Available at:
http://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=E/2016/75&Lang=E
14 OECD Insights. (2015). Why technology matters for advancing women’s social
inclusion. Available at: https://oecdinsights.org/2015/02/06/why-technology-matters-
for-advancing-womens-financial-inclusion/
ZZ
13
LONDON INTERNATIONAL MODEL UNITED NATIONS 2017
Not only is increased uptake of advancements in technology dependent upon a
certain degree of technological literacy, but also economic power. Although
technology prices steadily fall, the ability to purchase devices, or indeed subscriptions
to internet or other services can often be stifled by a lower household income. In
these cases, it is not always the poorest, least developed countries that have the most
difficulties, but rather more developed countries that have a higher income
inequality. 15 (Goldstein, 2014) Projects such as the Global Connect Initiative 16
(ShareAmerica, 2016) have attempted to increase the amount of internet users
worldwide, although in 2015 some 57% of the World’s people remained offline.17
(United Nations, 2015) A report commissioned by the International
Telecommunications Union (ITU), the UN body responsible for telecommunications,
has already suggested a number of possible of policy options in order to bridge this
gap including infrastructure sharing and ICT literacy campaigns. 18 (Broadband
Commission, 2015)
Amongst the most marginalised by technological development are the elderly, who
often lack the transferable skills to be able to adapt to changing technology. At times,
well-intended facilitation of new technology amongst elderly populations has had
unintended negative consequences. Not only has much technological change not
properly taken into account such demographics, but it has not always taken into
15 Goldstein, Joshua. (2014). The internet “access trap” in developing countries.
Freedom to Tinker. Available at: https://freedom-to-tinker.com/2014/01/04/the-
internet-access-trap-in-developing-countries/
16 Share America. (2016). Global Connect Initiative. Available at:
https://share.america.gov/globalconnect/
17 United Nations. (2015). Billions of people in developing world still without Internet
access, new UN report finds. Available at:
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=51924#.WCpReqOZMb0
18 Broadband Commisstion. (2015). Broadband Annual Report 2015. Available at:
http://www.broadbandcommission.org/Documents/reports/bb-annualreport2015.pdf
ZZ
14
LONDON INTERNATIONAL MODEL UNITED NATIONS 2017
account specific social needs, particularly regarding human interaction. 19
(Beckford, 2011) The experience of current older generations versus those of their
younger counterparts (often billed as ‘digital natives’) shows that a distinct
accessibility gap can exist based on age. Most consumer technological devices are not
designed with older people in mind, and as technology becomes more and more a part
of daily life, they are being left behind. For current ‘digital natives’, could this be a
preview of themselves in fifty years’ time? The ability to operate inter-generationally
is key for the success of future technological advancement.
According to estimates, some 65% of children in primary education today will be in
jobs types that do not exist today.20 (World Bank, 2016) Organisations such as the
Generation Initiative are using a ‘skills-training methodology’ which not only teaches
participants relevant skills, but provides a greater framework that is not job specific,
aiming to future-proof their students, and planning for technological advancement in
the years to come. 21 (Generation Initiative, 2016) Given the fact that technological
change can sometimes pose difficulties for older generations, such initiatives are one
way that some have already tried to tackle the issue of planning for unknown
technological changes, and could be further researched and used to act as basis for
collective action.
Such initiatives often do not provide for the current older generations, for whom
technology has been either an isolating force, or indeed one which has left them out
19 Beckford, Martin. (2011). Elderly people isolated by technological advances. The
Telegraph. Available at:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/health/elder/8867767/Elderly-people-isolated-by-
technological-advances.html
20 Mulas, Victor. (2016). How are future blue-collar skills being created? World
Bank. Available at: http://blogs.worldbank.org/psd/how-are-future-blue-collar-skills-
being-created
2121 Generation Initiative. (2016). About. Available at:
https://www.generationinitiative.org/about/
ZZ
15
LONDON INTERNATIONAL MODEL UNITED NATIONS 2017
of work. Providing a method of integrating those whose jobs are likely to be
lost to technological changes is generally focused on those who will be able to
embrace technology, and who have many years of work ahead of them before
retirement. Thus in order to build an inclusive and all encompassing solution for this
issue, consideration needs to be given to those older members of the workforce who
do not possess the requisite transferable skills to embrace technological change in the
workplace.
Another issue which will only grow in importance as technical advancement
continues to take hold, and traverse a whole variety of different sectors is the gender
disparity between men and women in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering
and Mathematics) fields which largely account for technological advancement.
Statistics from 2012 show that in the US, women only held 27% of jobs in computer
science fields. (Heather Huhman, 2012)22 As more and more jobs will be based in
the technological sector, and as existing jobs move towards a more technological
base, the potential for a growing gender disparity in the workforce needs to be
considered. This is relatively easy in developed countries, where women are already
an established part of the workforce, but may not be so easily facilitated in countries
where the participation of women in the workforce is already considerably lower.
Various studies come to the conclusion that this disparity does not begin in the labour
force, but rather through cultural influences and the education system. Such factors
therefore need to be considered when working towards planning for the changes
arising from technological development.23
22 Huhman, Heather. (2012). STEM fields and the gender gap: where are the women?.
Available at: http://www.forbes.com/sites/work-in-progress/2012/06/20/stem-fields-
and-the-gender-gap-where-are-the-women/#5de513e833a9
23 UNESCO. (2016). Closing the gender gap in STEM. Available at:
http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0024/002457/245717E.pdf
(All referenced sources accessible as of 30th November 2016)
ZZ
16
LONDON INTERNATIONAL MODEL UNITED NATIONS 2017
Bloc positions
In general, more developed nations are likely to be in support of increased
investment, maintaining as much technological freedom as possible, as well as
encouraging and facilitating developing nations to do the same. As economies
which have already reaped the benefits, nations such as the USA and many
European states see technological advancement as a key method of achieving
further economic growth, often due to their larger numbers of high-skilled
workers, for whom the technology sector provides job and economic
opportunities, and the pre-existing infrastructure they possess.
Developing nations, for whom a technology access deficit already exists, may
be more apprehensive about a drive towards great technological change given
their larger proportion of low or unskilled workers who would be affected by
technological unemployment, and the capital and investment required to
achieve technological development.
Questions a Resolution Should Answer
1. How can issues of inclusivity regarding technological advancement in
the future be addressed?
2. What can be done regarding the jobs market and labour force given
current trends of technological development?
ZZ
17
LONDON INTERNATIONAL MODEL UNITED NATIONS 2017
3. How can “analog components”, particularly those who might find using
technology difficult be better prepared for, and included in technological
advancement?
4. Should, and how could private enterprise be regulated in helping to plan
for changes arising from technological advancement?
5. Is a specific regulatory framework necessary, and how could it be
developed?
6. How do we plan for technologies and industries that are not in existence
today?
7. How can technology users be protected in the future from potentially
negative developments?
ZZ
18
LONDON INTERNATIONAL MODEL UNITED NATIONS 2017
Topic B: The market of the Internet of
Things and the usage of Big Data
Key Definitions
The Internet of Things (IoT) is the concept of connecting any device with an on and
off switch to the Internet (and/or to each other). This includes everything from
cellphones, coffee makers, washing machines, headphones, lamps, wearable devices
and almost anything else you can think of. This also applies to components of
machines, for example a jet engine of an airplane or the drill of an oil rig.
LONDON INTERNATIONAL MODEL UNITED NATIONS 2017
ZZ
19
LONDON INTERNATIONAL MODEL UNITED NATIONS 2017
The problem with defining Big Data is this - Big Data is a term for data sets
that are so large or complex that traditional data processing applications are
inadequate to deal with them. However, Big Data often refers simply to the use of
various types of data analytics that extract value from data24. The former definition
refers to the physical use of data; the latter definition refers to the need for better
analytical methods, such as predictive analytics or user behaviour analytics.
In this sense, big data is an evolving term, but there is general agreement that big data
must refer to data sets from which valuable information can be mined.
It must also be noted that big data - by definition - cannot be analysed by humans
only. Machines are required for such analytics; however, humans are involved in the
creation of the nature of the analysis performed.
Introduction, overview and history of the topic
Big data is already a big part of our lives - it is used by certain governments,
international development, manufacturing, healthcare, education, media, retail, retail
banking, science, research, and even sports. Obama used it in his successful 2012 re-
election campaign25 and the BJP used it in their successful 2014 general election
campaign26. At least two football clubs, FC Midtjylland and Brentford, have used it to
24 IJEDR. 2015. Survey on Big Data Using Data Mining. [ONLINE] Available at:
https://www.ijedr.org/papers/IJEDR1504022.pdf. [Accessed 4 November 2016]. 25 Tom Kalil. 2012. Big Data is a Big Deal. [ONLINE] Available at:
https://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2012/03/29/big-data-big-deal. [Accessed 9 November
2016]. 26 Leslie D’Monte. 2014. Are Indian companies making enough sense of Big Data?.
[ONLINE] Available at:
http://www.livemint.com/Industry/bUQo8xQ3gStSAy5II9lxoK/Are-Indian-companies-
making-enough-sense-of-Big-Data.html. [Accessed 8 November 2016].
ZZ
20
LONDON INTERNATIONAL MODEL UNITED NATIONS 2017
sign players and prepare gameplans27 (there’s even a movie about it called
Moneyball), and all our bank accounts are protected by big data too, namely the
FICO Card Detection System.
IoT and Big Data usually work in conjunction. From a media perspective, data is the
key derivative of device inter-connectivity and allows accurate targeting. The Internet
of Things, with the help of big data, therefore transforms the media industry,
companies and even governments, opening up a new era of economic growth and
competitiveness. The intersection of people, data and intelligent algorithms have far-
reaching impacts on media efficiency. The wealth of data generated allows an
elaborate layer on the present targeting mechanisms of the industry. However, it is
important to note that Big Data also falls into the larger problem of data regulation
and privacy.
The surprise isn’t that these technologies exist, but rather how little regulation exists
on said technologies.
It is also important to note the severity of the problem: on October 21st, 2016, a
major cyberattack caused major services such as Twitter, Spotify and PayPal to be
inaccessible for many users around the world. The attacks targeted Dyn, a company
that helps people connect to websites, with a huge amount of traffic in an attempt to
knock the service offline. Dyn chief strategy officer Kyle York said the source of
some of the traffic that attacked the company came from compromised "Internet of
Things" devices which include everyday items like baby monitors, webcams and
even thermostats that can connect to the Internet28.
27 Jack Coles. 2013. Rise of Data Analysis in Football. [ONLINE] Available at:
http://outsideoftheboot.com/2013/06/26/rise-of-data-analysis-in-football/. [Accessed 6
November 2016]. 28 Andrea Peterson. 2016. ‘Internet of Things’ compounded Friday’s hack of major
websites. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-
switch/wp/2016/10/21/someone-attacked-a-major-part-of-the-internets-infrastructure/.
[Accessed 6 November 2016].
ZZ
21
LONDON INTERNATIONAL MODEL UNITED NATIONS 2017
Case study: EU Regulations
Currently, the EU has regulations in place for the so-called Digital Single Market.
Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27
April 2016, which EU Member States must transpose into their national law by 6
May 2018, places great emphasis on the privacy of EU citizens and the need for a
balance between the rights of citizens and businesses. Clause 4 states:
The processing of personal data should be designed to serve mankind. The
right to the protection of personal data is not an absolute right; it must be
considered in relation to its function in society and be balanced against other
fundamental rights, in accordance with the principle of proportionality…
It also regulates the collection and use of data, for example in clause 39:
Any processing of personal data should be lawful and fair. It should be
transparent to natural persons that personal data concerning them are
collected, used, consulted or otherwise processed and to what extent the
personal data are or will be processed…Personal data should be processed in
a manner that ensures appropriate security and confidentiality of the personal
data, including for preventing unauthorised access to or use of personal data
and the equipment used for the processing.
However, even within the EU there are serious disagreements: before the regulation
was passed, on the 6th of April, 2016, the UK along with Czech Republic, Poland,
Luxembourg, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Bulgaria
submitted an open letter29 to the EU that stated the need for a lack of regulation, and
for the need of industry self-regulation rather than EU regulation:
29 Graeme Burton. 2016. UK warns EU over excessive regulation of big data and online
platforms. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.computing.co.uk/ctg/news/2453488/uk-
warns-eu-over-excessive-regulation-of-big-data-and-online-platforms. [Accessed 6
November 2016].
ZZ
22
LONDON INTERNATIONAL MODEL UNITED NATIONS 2017
We should avoid introducing legislation that might act as a barrier to the
development of new digital business models and create obstacles to entry and
growth in the European digital market. Such legislation might have an
unintentionally damaging effect on the innovation, competitiveness and
economic growth of the European digital industries.
Case Study: Google Spain v AEPD and Mario Costeja González
This is technically not a case about big data or IoT, but its implications are worth
noting given the outcome. It is also important to note that collection of data and data
privacy is a worthwhile debate as far as the big data topic is concerned.
“The only thing I know about him is the only thing he didn’t want me to know”
John Oliver
A Spanish man named Mario Costeja González in 1998 was trying to sell his home
and had an auction notice on it in order to pay off his debts. A Google search of him
before the ruling would show links to said auction notices, and he wanted that such
links be removed since they were an invasion of his privacy,
Commonly known as the “right to be forgotten”, the decision made international
headlines for its implications on search engines and data privacy. Even Google
admitted that removing links was logistically complicated.
Quoting clause 62 of the ruling:
…in order to comply with the rights laid down in those provisions, the operator
of a search engine is obliged to remove from the list of results displayed
following a search made on the basis of a person’s name links to web pages,
published by third parties and containing information relating to that person,
ZZ
23
LONDON INTERNATIONAL MODEL UNITED NATIONS 2017
also in a case where that name or information is not erased beforehand or
simultaneously from those web pages, and even, as the case may be, when its
publication in itself on those pages is lawful.
The problem, however, is that because of this Mario Costeja González is now
internationally known for being ‘that guy with debts from 1998’. In one way, John
Oliver is correct - the bulk volume of information on the internet means that
regulation is ineffective. However, a wholesale, worldwide, unanimous revamp could
be effective, if unlikely.
Case Study: Russia Business Network (RBN)
“An extraordinary level of blatant cybercrime that implies high-level political
backing”
In one sense, RBN (Russian Business Network) does not exist30. It has no legal
identity; it is not registered as a company; its senior figures are anonymous, known
only by their nicknames. Its web sites are registered at anonymous addresses with
dummy e-mails. It does not advertise for customers. Those who want to use its
services contact it via internet messaging services and pay with anonymous electronic
cash.
RBN was registered as an internet site in 2006. Initially, its activity was legitimate.
But with the profitability of illegal and illegitimate activities, RBN soon offered web
hosting and internet access to all kinds of criminal and objectionable activities. It
specialized in and in some cases monopolized personal identity theft for resale.
Some pointers about the RBN:
30 Economist, T. (2007) A walk on the dark side. Available at:
http://www.economist.com/node/9723768 (Accessed: 1 December 2016).
ZZ
24
LONDON INTERNATIONAL MODEL UNITED NATIONS 2017
It hosts cybercriminals, ranging from spammers to phishers, bot-herders and all
manner of other fraudsters and wrongdoers from the venal to the vicious.
Just one big scam, called Rock Phish (where gullible internet users were
tricked into entering personal financial information such as bank account
details) made $150m last year.
In October 2006, the National Bank of Australia took active measures against
Rock Phish, both directly and via a national anti-phishing group to which the
bank's security director belonged. RBN-based cybercriminals replied by
crashing the bank's home-page for three days.
Western law enforcement officers, despite having successfully tracked the
physical location of RBN servers have so far tried in vain to get their Russian
counterparts to pursue the investigation vigorously, as RBN are strongly
politically protected.
Bloc Positions
USA
In 2012, the Obama administration announced the Big Data Research and
Development Initiative, to explore how big data could be used to address important
problems faced by the government. The NSA has set up the Utah Data Center to
better optimize its analytical operations. It is clear that the USA is focused heavily
into data analysis and research, as well as on connectivity. However, these positions
remain unclear due to the 2016 Presidential Election, and the unpredictable nature of
Donald Trump could be decisive in whether these programs will still stand.
EU
As shown above, the EU as a whole has agreed to respect the right to privacy over
any business or corporation’s need. There are disagreements within the EU,
ZZ
25
LONDON INTERNATIONAL MODEL UNITED NATIONS 2017
particularly the UK, but since the regulation was passed it will become a part
of all member nation’s law. Note that once the UK invokes Article 50 all EU laws
and treaties cease to apply. Also, note that the NHS heavily relies on big data and that
if and when “Brexit” occurs the UK and British enterprises will be subject to a lack
of regulation31.
Central and South America
Some countries actually match EU standards on data privacy in order to carry out
more trade with Europe: these include Peru, Uruguay, Costa Rica, Argentina and
Mexico. Brazil is coming up to speed in this regard. However, the enforcement of
such laws is not as strong, and most other countries have lax data privacy laws, which
have opened up huge markets for big data collection.
Asia
Asian countries in general have some of the strongest data privacy laws, and most
countries enforce these very strictly - Singapore passed a data privacy law that
protects all personal data ten years after a person’s death. South Korea has some of
the strongest data privacy laws, even covering a person’s image or voice32.
Questions to consider
1. Should Big Data and IoT regulation be built on existing data protection and
regulation laws, and should this regulation be self-mandated or enforced by an
external body?
31 Billy Bambrough. 2016. UK firms lagging other countries in use of big data. [ONLINE]
Available at: http://www.cityam.com/244288/uk-firms-lagging-other-countries-use-big.
[Accessed 6 November 2016]. 32 Constance Gustke. 2013. Which countries are better at protecting privacy?. [ONLINE]
Available at: http://www.bbc.com/capital/story/20130625-your-private-data-is-showing.
[Accessed 5 November 2016].
ZZ
26
LONDON INTERNATIONAL MODEL UNITED NATIONS 2017
2. What, and how deep, is the role and involvement of private actors?
3. With regards to individual privacy and business rights, does one take
precedence over the other? If not, then how can one ensure the right balance
between them?
4. Is it necessary to share technologies between member nations, particularly
developed and developing countries?
5. Learning from the “right to be forgotten” case study, what could have been
done, or needs to be done, differently?
6. From a technical standpoint:
a. What can be done to ensure that the increasing use of IoT doesn’t
compromise systems and services?
b. Is it worth looking into the privatisation of data security? If not, then
how can data security be enhanced, and who would be responsible?
c. Is it physically feasible to store such high volumes of data?
7. Does a right to privacy result in a lack of accountability? Could a politician
undergoing a trial for a scandal, or a doctor with a negative review, ask for
certain links to be removed and not others?
8. How much privacy does a person have on a platform meant for connectivity
and sharing of information?
Further Reading
1. Google Spain v AEPD and Mario Costeja González:
http://curia.europa.eu/juris/document/document_print.jsf?doclang=EN&text=&pageI
ndex=0&part=1&mode=DOC&docid=152065&occ=first&dir=&cid=667631
2. Regulation (EU) 2016/679:
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-
content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:32016R0679&from=EN
ZZ
27
LONDON INTERNATIONAL MODEL UNITED NATIONS 2017
Conference Information
When looking for information regarding LIMUN 2017 (and subsequent
editions) your first step should be to visit our website: www.limun.org.uk
LIMUN on social media
Please follow updates from us through our social media channels:
London International Model United Nations (LIMUN)
@LondonMUN
When tweeting about this year’s conference (your preparations, journey
to/from London or when live-tweeting the events during the conference itself)
–
- please use hashtag #LIMUN2017
Agenda & Rules of Procedure
The agenda for the 2017 conference is available online at
www.limun.org.uk/agenda
Since its 17th session last year, LIMUN has introduced changes to its Rules of
Procedure. The revised Rules can be accessed here: http://limun.org.uk/rules