OECD’s Gurría welcomes call for ‘Social Compact for Digital Privacy and Security’ as critical first step for trust and economic prosperity | WPN World People News

On the occasion of the Global Conference on Cyberspace meeting in The Hague on April 15, the Global Commission on Internet Governance (GCIG) issued a statement calling on ‘the global community to build a new social compact between citizens and their elected representatives, the judiciary, law enforcement and intelligence agencies, business, civil society and the Internet technical community, with the goal of restoring trust and enhancing confidence in the Internet’.

“This is a critical first step to achieving long-term digital trust, which in turn can help ensure economic prosperity and well-being,” said OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurría, a member of the GCIG.

“Restoring trust in the absence of a broad social agreement on norms for digital privacy and security is crucial. As a member of the GCIG, I welcome this call for citizens, governments, businesses, and civil society to agree on the terms of a social compact for digital privacy and security,” he said.

The Internet is a fundamental infrastructure with a still largely untapped potential to address a wide array of economic and social challenges. Its open and decentralised design means that this potential is accessible to all. Bringing evidence-based analysis on the economic dimensions of the open Internet, including its impact on productivity, jobs and growth, the OECD’s long-standing work aims to help governments develop policies to stimulate the digital economy for the benefit of all.

The OECD Recommendation on Internet Policy Making Principles was adopted amid concerns that the openness of the Internet—which has stimulated innovation, delivered economic and societal benefits, and given voice to democratic aspirations—was at risk. Aimed at preserving the fundamental open nature of the Internet while protecting privacy, security, children online, intellectual property, and the free flow of information, the principles strengthen international co-operation and support a flexible, multi-stakeholder approach to Internet policy making, rather than an international regulatory approach.

Source: Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development