Edited by Sarah Hesterman
https://mailchi.mp/tech-diplomacy/tech-diplomacy-news-august-12704004?e=5594b13229
Global
Tech Diplomacy News: AI and international cultural relations: Blessing or Curse?
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| Last month, Tech Diplomacy Network co-founder Martin Rauchbauer joined Nonprofit Technology Enterprise Network’s (NTEN) CEO, Amy Sample Ward, and the director of digital publishing house Teseo, Octavio Kulesz, to discuss how artificial intelligence has altered the dynamics of international cultural relations, risks, opportunities, and the need for intersectoral collaboration. Watch the full conversation, hosted by the Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen, below! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_XczCMRBmA |
News Roundup
| Global This article from Simon Hutagalung for Eurasia Review explores the evolving field of cyber diplomacy and assesses its “historical evolution, conceptual foundations, economic, political, and security implications, as well as its social and ethical dimensions,” making the case for international collaboration among other poignant recommendations. Last month, an IT outage caused significant disruptions across various sectors globally, affecting banks, airports, hospitals, and more following a faulty update from United States-based cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike. The issue, linked to a misconfigured update for CrowdStrike’s Falcon Sensor, grounded flights, delayed public services, and affected healthcare facilities, demonstrating the vulnerabilities of relying on interconnected IT systems, Matt Burgess writes for WIRED. More lessons from the outage were explored by Tuhu Nugraha for Modern Diplomacy. Regulators from the U.S., European Union, and United Kingdom are committing to ensuring fair competition in the rapidly advancing field of AI, emphasizing key principles like fair dealings, preventing exclusionary tactics, and closely monitoring industry investments and partnerships. The United Nations Convention against Cybercrime was approved by around 200 nations this month, despite concerns it might empower governments to violate human rights and privacy. Critics argue the treaty is too vague and “open to abuse,” while supporters find it balances law enforcement needs with human rights protections. Nations worldwide are scrambling to make sure they aren’t left behind in the AI race, fueling an “AI nationalism” in which countries push to develop their own AI tech to secure economic and strategic advantages. Adam Satariano and Paul Mozur discuss what country is leading the race and why, what countries are ramping up investments, and what comes next for their New York Times newsletter. Carl Miller writes about the D-RAIL strategy, which shifts focus from combating disinformation to actively “disrupting the infrastructure, funding, and personnel behind illicit influence operations,” and its five-step approach for EU DisinfoLab. Valerie Wirtschafter determines whether concerns about AI-driven disinformation are “overblown” for Brookings. What consequences does the accelerating integration of AI into the digital economy have for women? “Their participation has been diminished,” Sanasya Nadia Tuzahra writes for Modern Diplomacy. Hadley Spadaccini argues why “cooperation is the logical path forward” in the AI arms race between the U.S. and China for The Diplomat. North America Instagram failed to act on 93% of abusive comments directed at female politicians in the U.S. even after they were reported for violating the platform’s policies, the Center for Countering Digital Hate found in a recent report, identifying comments containing sexist, racist, and threatening language and highlighting ongoing concerns about the platform’s enforcement of its policies. U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris has faced unprecedented amounts of abuse online, facing an increasingly hostile online environment and sexist and racist attacks once launching her presidential campaign, amplified by new, sophisticated AI tools and “a far more fragmented online landscape.” This undermines the democratic process and is made more dangerous by evolving foreign influence campaigns, Tiffany Hsu, Stuart A. Thompson, and Steven Lee Myers write for The New York Times. This piece from Brookings delves into the differing approaches of U.S. presidential candidates Kamala Harris and Donald Trump to tech policy, reflecting broader ideological divides in the nation regarding digital equity, bias mitigation, and more. Canada is facing the challenge of maintaining its position as a leader in quantum research as other nations invest billions into this effort – “Canada took an early lead in quantum research – we shouldn’t let that get away from us,” Paul Smith, the Managing Director of Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, writes. Last month, USAID Administrator Samantha Power unveiled the agency’s new Digital Policy, aiming to harness the benefits of digital technologies and improve infrastructure, enhance digital skills, and promote privacy and security. USAID will put forward over 14 million USD towards these goals and is proposing a new office to support the policy’s implementation. Presidential candidate Kamala Harris would seek to “balance the U.S.’s desire to outcompete other countries with the need to protect people from deepfakes and other harmful uses of the technology” in her approach to AI, according to her adviser Tony West and reported by Steven Overly for Politico. Matthew Ingram assesses whether tech giant Meta’s dreams of championing an open source AI world is really a “good idea” for Columbia Journalism Review. Google will need to face a trial over a lawsuit alleging the company’s Chrome browser breached user privacy and misled on data collection practices, federal judges said this week. Last week, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology reported that encryption algorithms capable of combatting cyberattacks from a quantum computer had been finalized. “NIST is providing invaluable expertise to develop innovative solutions to our quantum challenges, including security measures like post-quantum cryptography that organizations can start to implement to secure our post-quantum future,” according to Deputy Secretary of Commerce Don Grave. U.S. intelligence officials believe Iran was indeed responsible for a hacking attack on former president Donald Trump’s second presidential campaign, further confirming widespread concern of foreign interference in the nation’s biggest election. In a recent statement, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy underscored the pivotal role of science and technology in tackling modern challenges and shaping a prosperous future, outlining a strategic commitment and need for collaborative efforts to leverage innovation in areas such as climate change, public health, and economic equity. Canada must leverage its strengths in research and innovation to forge strong partnerships with other nations in addressing pressing issues like climate change, pandemics, and technological development, Habib Massoud writes for Policy Options. Africa South Africa’s Department of Communications and Digital Technologies has unveiled a national policy framework aimed at positioning the country as a leader in AI, a crucial step towards creating “robust and effective” AI policy and reflecting a growing effort across several African nations to develop strategies towards the emerging tech. Agricultural producers across the continent are increasingly using digital technologies to access farming advice, market information, and financial services, but this is raising concerns about the misuse of their data. Countries like Kenya and Ghana have enacted personal data protection laws, but compliance is low and enforcement weak. There is a need to strengthen and update these laws to safeguard farmers’ rights, Heike Baumüller and Bezawit Beyene Chichaibelu write for The Conversation. The telecom sector in Nigeria is struggling big time, with CEO of mobile network operator MTN Nigeria saying “rising costs and unsustainable pricing” have led to a “deep crisis.” Africa’s gaming industry is set to surpass 1 billion USD in revenue this year, fueled by a young population, increased internet access, and widespread smartphone use – growth that is attracting foreign investment and inspiring African game developers who see it as an opportunity to preserve and celebrate local culture. Ghana’s central bank has released draft guidelines to regulate the growing use of cryptocurrency in the country, seeking to target Virtual Asset Service Providers with the aim of preventing money laundering and terrorism financing, as well as protecting consumers. The bank is also working with the Securities and Exchange Commission to develop complementary regulations for crypto applications. A recent devaluation of Libya’s dinar was linked to the exchange of counterfeit banknotes, believed to be created by a Russian state printer, with U.S. dollars. The notes are suspected of being funneled into the country to finance the activities of Russian mercenaries in a nation facing an ongoing crisis. Recent research has revealed LGBTQ+ individuals in the Middle East and North Africa are facing severe “digital oppression,” and are being targeted by authorities exploiting dating, messaging, and social media apps to identify and abuse them. Morocco is becoming a focal point for Chinese investment in the electric vehicle and renewable energy sectors due to its strategic location and commitment to green energy initiatives, which have attracted significant interest from Chinese companies looking to establish a foothold in Africa. Asia China managed to remain largely unaffected by the global IT outages last month due to limited use of CrowdStrike and lesser reliance on Microsoft, with issues mostly affecting foreign organizations in the country. China has strategically reduced dependency on foreign tech, mirroring the West’s approach to limit Chinese tech influence and underscoring ongoing global tensions. Seeking to become a global AI player, Japan’s open approach to AI development is attracting global tech companies drawn in by laws allowing the use of copyrighted materials to train AI models without permission, but this greatly concerns Japanese artists who have been left feeling unprotected by the government. A North Korean military intelligence officer was charged last month for orchestrating cyberattacks on seventeen U.S. targets across eleven states, including healthcare providers, NASA, military bases, stealing sensitive data, deploying ransomware, and laundering money through a Chinese bank to fund further attacks. Leaked documents suggest the Israeli government “took extraordinary measures to frustrate a high-stakes US lawsuit that threatened to reveal closely guarded secrets” about Pegasus spyware, manufactured by Israel-based NSO Group. The documents show officials seized documents from NSO in 2020 to prevent the company from complying with WhatsApp’s legal demands in a U.S. court case, so as to “to block the disclosure of information about Pegasus, which the government believed would cause ‘serious diplomatic and security damage,’” Harry Davies and Stephanie Kirchgaessner report for The Guardian. Despite attempts by the U.S. to block China’s access, largely cited as due to national security concerns, there is an “underground marketplace of smugglers is funneling A.I. chips” in the country, an investigation from The New York Times reveals. Research from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute has found China is likely responsible for a social media campaign using deepfake technology to undermine Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., amid ongoing tensions between the two nations in the South China Sea. The campaign is viewed as part of a broader effort to influence Philippine politics, particularly as Marcos takes a tougher stance on China’s maritime claims. Malaysia is positioned to be a key player in the global green transition, with an established semiconductor industry, skilled workforce, and abundant renewable energy resources to leverage argues Ng Wei Ling, the Special Functions Officer to the Deputy Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry. Central Asia is poised for significant growth by embracing digital diplomacy, and a strategic approach will be needed to harness the region’s potential and position it as a key player in the global economy. Europe Despite U.S. sanctions, fugitive oligarch Ilan Shor continues to use Facebook to spread Russian disinformation in Moldova, particularly critical as the country heads towards an EU referendum and presidential election. Shor and other oligarchs have significantly increased their ad spending on Facebook even though sanctions are in place, boosting the platform’s profits while fueling disinformation campaigns. Watchdog reports emphasize a need for more proactive efforts from platforms like Meta and Google to address these issues effectively, David Smith reports for Euractiv. TikTok has been fined by the U.K.’s broadcast and telecommunications regulator Ofcom for failing to provide correct information about parental controls on the platform to the body and taking too long to correct the error. Russian hackers have likely targeted diplomats through phishing ads for luxury cars to harvest credentials and “get ahead of any schemes designed to undermine the Kremlin’s own agenda,” Sam Sabin writes for Axios. German Member of the European Parliament Daniel Freund claims he was the target of spyware a few weeks before June’s European elections. Freund, who is critical of Hungary and the nation’s EU Council presidency, believes it is most likely suspect. Over 140 cyberattacks were launched during the 2024 Olympics held in Paris this summer according to French authorities, who found the scale of threats surrounding the games to be “unparalleled,” and risks “extended beyond the Games’ infrastructure to broader national assets, including transport systems and financial networks.” The UK’s Electoral Commission is in hot water with the Information Commissioners Office following a major security error that left millions of voter details exposed to hackers for over a year due to a failure to update software and enforce secure passwords. Hackers were able to gain access to sensitive voter information, an attack the government has accused China of being behind, but there is no evidence data was misused. Russia has legalized cryptocurrency mining, passing new laws that allow legal entities and entrepreneurs to mine digital currencies and paving the way for the central bank to use crypto for international payments. This move comes as Russia seeks alternatives to traditional financial systems amid global sanctions that have disrupted its economy, although Russia continues to ban cryptocurrency payments within the country and crypto-related advertising. The EU’s AI Act came into effect at the beginning of this month. Learn more about it and what this could mean for U.S. tech companies here. Latin America Brazil will invest 4 billion USD into domestic AI development in an initiative aiming to “to secure technological autonomy, boost the competitiveness of the Brazilian economy, and promote the responsible use of AI,” Thiago Alves writes for Brazil Reports. Mexico’s tech transformation is being driven by the adoption of 5G and IoT, revolutionizing industries like transportation, retail, and manufacturing by enhancing efficiency, customer experiences, and competitiveness. With widespread implementation expected by 2024, these advancements are set to significantly boost revenue and productivity across various sectors, Diego Valverde argues for Mexico Business News. Argentinian President Javier Milei has launched an Artificial Intelligence Applied to Security Unit, aimed at using AI to predict crimes and raising grave human rights concerns. The unit will use machine learning algorithms to analyze historical crime data, facial recognition, social media monitoring, and security camera footage analysis claiming this will help identify criminal threats, although critics warn it could lead to excessive surveillance and infringe on privacy and freedom of expression. A recent report from Binance surveyed 10,000 users from Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico, finding key motivations for getting involved with crypto include financial freedom, high returns, and security. The Atlantic Council has published a new report on the future of digital transformation and workforce development in Latin America and the Caribbean, outlining key recommendations for growth. Oceania Australia is ramping up efforts to counter China’s influence in the Pacific by launching a new cable connectivity and resilience center to enhance connectivity and support for Pacific nations, backed by an 18 million AUD investment over four years. The center will provide technical assistance, training, and regulatory support for undersea cables crucial for connecting Pacific islands. The Cook Islands is undergoing a significant digital transformation through a partnership between SES, a Luxembourg-based satellite operator, and Vodafone Cook Islands. This collaboration, which began in 2014, leverages advanced satellite technology to enhance connectivity across the archipelago’s fifteen islands, improving services like education, healthcare, and economic development. Shamima Ali, Coordinator for the Fiji Women’s Crisis Center, is warning of the growing threat of technology-facilitated gender-based violence in the region, emphasizing the need for more resources and funding for Fiji’s underfunded Online Commission and urging collective stakeholder action to address the increasing cases of online abuse. |