"Democracy and digital technology", 27 Sep 2018

Democratic governments are facing unique challenges in maximizing the upside of digital technology while minimizing its threats to their more open societies. Protecting fair elections, fundamental rights online, and multi-stakeholder approaches to internet governance are three interrelated priorities central to defending strong democracies in an era of rising insecurity, increasing restrictions, and geopolitical competition. This article addresses digital technology as it relates to [these]…subtopics…[These] growing challenges democracies face…have become a defining domestic and foreign policy issue... The progressive digitization of nearly all facets of society and the inherent trans-border nature of the internet raise a host of difficult problems… In all three areas, governments and the private sector are struggling to keep up with the positive and negative aspects of the rapid diffusion of digital technology...[T]he lack of effective regulatory or oversight mechanisms of private companies’ role in protecting citizens’ data is [one] element of the dilemma… Policy implications and recommendations [include:] states, in partnership with civil society and the private sector, should coordinate positions to strengthen UN resolutions and mechanisms aimed at developing proper norms and monitoring… [and] private sector companies [should] establish much more rigorous systems, products, and protocols for protecting citizens from intrusions by states and non-state actors…[Refers to Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp].