Trust and safety

Navigating Data Governance: A Guiding Tool for Regulators

31.10.2024

Introduction In today’s data-driven world, the importance of robust data governance is more critical than ever. As digital ecosystems rapidly expand, the surge in mobile broadband subscriptions, internet traffic, and the number of internet users, now surpassing 5.4 billion[1], has transformed data into a vital asset. This data—whether generated by businesses, governments, or individuals—fuels innovation, enhances decision-making, and accelerates the digital transformation of economies and societies. However, the immense volume of data being generated, collected, and processed brings with it substantial challenges for regulators. Ensuring the responsible use, protection, and governance of this data is paramount to safeguarding personal data…

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Guiding principles for ICT regulators to enhance cyber resilience

05.02.2024

Introduction[1] Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) enable global digital connections between individuals, businesses, government, academia, and civil society. ICTs play a fundamental role in all aspects of national security and economic and social affairs[2]. In a world where modern societies are increasingly digital and hyperconnected, it is essential for the communication and technological infrastructures on which they depend to be fully functional and resilient against cyber incidents/attacks[3]. Telecommunications/ICT regulators, hereafter “ICT regulators”, can have sector-specific, multi-sector, or converged institutional structures. Their mandates and roles may have also shifted from being rules-based to principles-based.[4] Though their institutional structures, roles, mandates, and…

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Enhancing the protection and cyber-resilience of critical information infrastructure

17.06.2021

Introduction In today’s highly connected, interdependent world, several critical infrastructure (CI) sectors, such as health care, telecommunications, finance, energy, among others, increasingly rely on information technology (IT) and operational technology[1] (OT) systems. Not only are these critical information infrastructures (CII) in their own right, for example, cloud-based technology services, but they also underpin many other critical services, for example, water supply, power grids, and fuel pipeline supply. The malfunctioning or disruption of these critical services could cause significant social and economic harm and even loss of life. For this reason, key stakeholders from the CI/CII ecosystem should adopt a strong…

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Data protection and trust

16.12.2020

Introduction Data are sometimes described as the “oil of the digital economy”[1] while their use in the digital economy is sometimes referred to as “surveillance capitalism.”[2] While the former has relatively benign connotations, the latter directly provokes concerns about the use of personal data.[3] This chapter focuses on regulatory aspects of data with an emphasis on personal data. The digital transformation process has necessarily focused attention on the adequacy of, and need for, legal and regulatory frameworks that govern information products, services, and platforms. Intellectual property laws, especially copyright, have had to be revised to reflect the increasing value of…

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The ITU Guidelines on Child Online Protection

21.05.2021

1 Introduction The Internet has transformed how we live. It is entirely integrated into the lives of children and young people, making it impossible to consider the digital and physical worlds separately. With 69 per cent of young people online in 2019, and one in three children being connected, the Internet has become an integral part of children’s lives, presenting many possibilities for children and young people to communicate, learn, socialise and play, exposing children to new ideas and more diverse sources of information, opening opportunities for political and civic participation for children to be creative, and contribute to a…

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Related resources

27.07.2020

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