This session will discuss the competition over 5G and other “strategic” informaton and communication technologies that are alleged to be critical to national power. The workshop is structured as a debate, as there are two distinct sides to tech nationalism (basically pro and con), but the speakers are not polarized and will be able to appreciate the claims of either position. The debate will explore how the securitization of software and equipment affects Internet governance and the digital economy. The panel will include perspectives from the USA, Europe, India, and China.
The panel will be co-moderated by:
- Milton Mueller, Director of the Internet Governance Project at the Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, USA
- William Drake, International Fellow and Lecturer at the University of Zurich
Panelists include:
- Jyoti Panday , Researcher, India Telecom Center of Excellence, Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad
- Jan-Peter Kleinhans, Project Director IT Security in the Internet of Things, Stiftung Neue Verantwortung
- Tobias Feakin, Ambassador for Cyber Affairs of the Australian Government
- Donald Morrissey, Head of U.S. Congressional, State, and Local Government Affairs for Huawei Technologies LLC (USA)
The moderators will pose questions and issues to pairs of speakers with contrasting views. They will engage with each other, debating the differences and trying to reach agreement. There will be three rounds of this. Then there will be an opening to the audience to discuss one side or the other. In the final segment the discussion will be steered toward resolution and agreement on best practices.
Schedule:
11:30-11:40 Overview of topic, introduction of panelists and process
11:40-12:00 Topic 1: The Nature of Techno-nationalism
- What is techno-nationalism and how widespread is it in the industrialized and developing worlds?
- For example, many observers have detected a subcategory called "data nationalism" that views data as a 'national resource' to be 'protected' by the state. What are the arguments for and against this approach?
12:00-12:20 Topic 2: The Battle Over 5G
- What cybersecurity threats, if any, are posed by the national origin of 5G infrastructure suppliers?
- How much of the concern about foreign equipment, software and data use is motivated more by economic than by cybersecurity concerns (e.g. in the US, China, Australia, Europe…)
- Is it possible to reconcile techno-nationalist approaches to 5G with global markets for software, services and equipment?
12:20-12:30 Topic 3: What is to be Done?
- How could we advance the search for more cooperative solutions to techno-nationalist policies?
- Is techno-nationalism compatible with global multistakeholder governance of the Internet?
12:30-13:00 Open Discussion Among All Participants
