UN Digital Government Branch

02/06/2020

01/27/2020

"Facing antitrust investigations and a growing backlash over privacy, encryption, artificial intelligence and content monitoring, leaders at tech giants including Alphabet Inc., Microsoft Corp., Facebook Inc. and Apple Inc. are now calling for new laws on a range of issues—even though some have worked to torpedo others designed to restrict their activities.

Their push to join in the policy debate, which was on display at the World Economic Forum in Davos last week, is motivated in part by a sense that a wave of new regulation is inevitable. Top executives want to help steer the outcome as much as possible, and many also fear the impact of a patchwork of laws around the world.

Microsoft Chief Executive Satya Nadella said earlier this month that the influence of tech CEOs on weighty issues of national policy—such as how best to handle encryption—isn’t ideal in a democracy."

Sensing new regulation is coming, Alphabet, Microsoft, Facebook, Apple and others are moving to shape policy discussions, calling for new laws on a range of issues—even as some have already resisted certain measures.

01/21/2020

Indermit Gill predicts the dominant player for the age of artificial intelligence: the United States, China, or the European Union.

01/21/2020

The development of ridesharing apps, such as Uber and Lyft, was made possible by 4G. With 5G, ridesharing cars could one day navigate themselves — no human driver required.

12/19/2019

More and more western companies are outsourcing their IT, creating huge opportunities for a new generation of Bangladeshi freelancers - young people and women in particular.

08/29/2019

"Since the last conference in 2016, Africa has seen advancements in areas from sustaining growth, to strengthening governance, to promoting gender equality, the UN chief reported, explaining the potential for technology to work as a catalyst in the continent’s developmental efforts"

A recap of Wednesday’s stories: Secretary-General António Guterres says ‘winds of hope are blowing ever stronger’ for Africa’s development; Swedish climate youth activist Greta Thunberg reaches New York by boat; Chief of UN Mission for Iraq warns on funding shortfalls; and in Canada, a new ...

08/29/2019

After a two-week sail across the Atlantic, youth climate activist Greta Thunberg arrived in the Big Apple on Wednesday to take part in two major climate summits to be held at UN Headquarters next month.

08/05/2019

As escalating cyberthreats continue to grab global headlines, local governments have been hit particularly hard over the past year. From cities to counties to townships, the breadth and depth of attacks have overwhelmed many jurisdictions.

In an interview with Teri Takai, who’s the former CIO for the U.S. Department of Defense and for the states of California and Michigan, we explore how local governments can tackle the growing cyberthreat.

06/25/2019

"...True transformation means realigning the agency workforce to its mission.

In other words, digital transformation isn’t about preserving ‘how’ things are currently done. It’s about refocusing on ‘why’ things are done and finding ways to do them better."

Digital transformation isn’t about preserving how things are currently done. It’s about refocusing on why things are done and finding ways to do them better.

06/19/2019

"...New Hampshire state CIO Denis Goulet tells StateScoop that “most of the challenges are not technical.” Rather, he’s faced some resistance from within his organization as he’s attempted to pry his colleagues away from longheld institutional practices that don’t necessarily yield the most convenient tools for its residents."

According to the CIOs of Delaware and New Hampshire, advancing digital government is often a matter of convincing other state officials it’s a good idea.

06/14/2019

"Canada’s economy, much like the rest of the world, has become data-driven. While this shift has enabled technology and online data to vastly improve the lives of Canadians in many ways, it has also led to concerns about how personal data is being collected, used and disclosed by businesses and whether businesses are subject to regulations that provide appropriate protection for Canadians. In an era of frequent data breaches, Canadians are well-founded in their anxiety regarding the ways in which their personal information is being handled.

The Canadian government has responded directly to this anxiety by releasing its ten-principle Digital Charter in the hopes of building a foundation of trust for Canadians in the digital sphere. Canadians ought to be able to trust that their personal data is protected, and the government hopes that this Charter will be a step in the right direction."

Back to all blog posts Posted in: Data Protection | Security | Data Security/Privacy On May 21, 2019, the Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of…