Information Policy

ICT is almost a perfectly performing sector

by Igors Kasjanovs Chief Economist of the Macroeconomic Analysis Division, Monetary Policy Departmen, For Latvijas Banka Monthly Newsletter, In Focus

Over the last few years, the information and communications technologies sector (ICT) has been among those with fastest growth. It is no secret that in recent years rapid expansion of different ICT services could be observed in Latvia: programming, data storage, development of mobile applications, development of various complex ICT solutions, etc. However, unlike retail trade or manufacturing, the sector usually is not in the spotlight of economic analysts and policy makers. This can be explained by the size of the sector – ICT only accounts for about 5% of the total value added, even though this level is close to the European Union's average. Nevertheless, the success of the sector should be noted: it is one of the fastest growing, with high productivity levels, high average salary, implementation of latest technologies, and other positive features.

CRISIS: Internet to Have Global Governance October 1. Call Congress! Better Censorship for Tyrants

• The U.S. announced its plan to pass the oversight of the agency to a global governance model on October 1, 2016. The Obama Administration says that the transition will have no practical effects on the internet's functioning or its users, and even considers the move necessary in order to maintain international support for the internet and to prevent a fracturing of its governance. Oh really?

Continue reading "CRISIS: Internet to Have Global Governance October 1. Call Congress! Better Censorship for Tyrants" »

Strasbourg, 25.08.2016 – The Republic of Senegal today became the third non-European state to accede to the Convention for the protection of individuals with regard to Automatic Processing of Personal Data, also known as “Convention 108”, and its Additional Protocol, taking the total number of States Parties to the treaty to 50.

by Leonid Ragozin, Michael Riley

Denis Davydov, executive director of the Safe Internet League, a nongovernmental organization closely linked to the Kremlin, is happy with what the Duma did this summer. Davydov says a piece of legislation signed into law on July 7 by President Vladimir Putin will protect the nation from terrorists. The law requires internet service providers such as MTS, a cell phone operator, and search engine Yandex to store all Russian traffic, including all private chat rooms, e-mails, and social network posts, for as long as six months at their own expense as of July 1, 2018. The providers, which include global giants such as Facebook’s WhatsApp, must also surrender encryption keys to Russian security services. The backers of the measure argue that by giving the Kremlin total access to internet traffic, the guardians of public safety will never be taken unawares.

Singapore, a country that is so proud of its technology culture that it has branded the term “smart nation,” has unplugged some of its government offices from the internet and is working on a plan to unplug the entire public sector by next year. According to a Reuters report, the idea is that this will prevent cyberattacks.

Senegal becomes the 50th state to accede to the Data Protection Convention - “Convention 108”

Strasbourg, 25.08.2016 – The Republic of Senegal today became the third non-European state to accede to the Convention for the protection of individuals with regard to Automatic Processing of Personal Data, also known as “Convention 108”, and its Additional Protocol, taking the total number of States Parties to the treaty to 50.

Putin Is Building a Great Russian Firewall

by Leonid Ragozin, Michael Riley

Denis Davydov, executive director of the Safe Internet League, a nongovernmental organization closely linked to the Kremlin, is happy with what the Duma did this summer. Davydov says a piece of legislation signed into law on July 7 by President Vladimir Putin will protect the nation from terrorists. The law requires internet service providers such as MTS, a cell phone operator, and search engine Yandex to store all Russian traffic, including all private chat rooms, e-mails, and social network posts, for as long as six months at their own expense as of July 1, 2018. The providers, which include global giants such as Facebook’s WhatsApp, must also surrender encryption keys to Russian security services. The backers of the measure argue that by giving the Kremlin total access to internet traffic, the guardians of public safety will never be taken unawares.

Singapore’s wrong turn on the internet

Singapore, a country that is so proud of its technology culture that it has branded the term “smart nation,” has unplugged some of its government offices from the internet and is working on a plan to unplug the entire public sector by next year. According to a Reuters report, the idea is that this will prevent cyberattacks.