ZZ

1

LONDON INTERNATIONAL MODEL UNITED NATIONS 2017

Table of Content

World Conference on Technology London International Model United Nations 18th Session | 2017

ZZ

2

LONDON INTERNATIONAL MODEL UNITED NATIONS 2017

Table of Contents

Introduction Letters…………………………………………………………3

Introduction to the Committee……………………………………………...4

Topic A: Planning for the changes arising from technological development

Introduction……………...…………………………………....5

Previous global discussion……………………………………6

Economic issues………………………………………………7

Social and inclusivity issues………………………………….10

Bloc positions…………………………………………………15

Questions a resolution should answer………………………...15

Topic B: Planning for the changes arising from technological development

Key definitions……………...…………………………………17

Introduction, overview and history of the topic……………….18

Case studies…….……………………………………………...20

Bloc positions………………………………………………….23

Questions to consider………………...………………………...24

ZZ

3

LONDON INTERNATIONAL MODEL UNITED NATIONS 2017

Introduction Letters

Whether you’ve travelled from within the UK, or from further afield, it gives

me great pleasure to welcome you as your Committee Director to WCT at

LIMUN 2017! I’m a third year Portuguese & Brazilian Studies student at

King’s College London, currently on Year Abroad teaching at an NGO in Rio

de Janeiro and studying at the University of Coimbra. MUN has taken me all

over the World, but it’s a real pleasure to be chairing back in London at

LIMUN. We come together at this conference in the spirit of diplomacy, so

let’s work together to ensure that this rings as true in our debate as it will in our

final product!

Benjy Cox

Director

ZZ

4

LONDON INTERNATIONAL MODEL UNITED NATIONS 2017

Hello! My name is Sarthak Kumar and I am a 2nd year Computing student at

Imperial College London. This is my first ever chairing experience, and I’m

extremely excited about it! I hope that you will all provide an excellent

standard of engaging debate over the course of the weekend, and I cannot wait

to see the resolutions that you come up with. Please don’t hesitate to get in

touch with Benjy or I if you have any questions, and here’s to a fantastic

LIMUN 2017!!

Sarthak Kumar

Assistant Director

If you have any queries please contact us at wct@limun.org.uk

ZZ

5

LONDON INTERNATIONAL MODEL UNITED NATIONS 2017

Introduction to the Committee

The World Conference on Technology is a special summit convened by the

United Nations in order to discuss pressing issues surrounding technology and

its future implications on a global platform.

As an assumed summit, we offer the chance for nations to come together to

discuss issues which would otherwise full under the remit of a variety of UN

agencies, allowing for a well-informed discussion that can be a approached

from a number of different angles. As a temporary summit, the role of this

committee is primarily one of discussion and suggestion.

At LIMUN this year a WCT will host a maximum of 50 delegates.

ZZ

6

LONDON INTERNATIONAL MODEL UNITED NATIONS 2017

Topic A: Planning for the changes

arising from technological

advancement

Introduction

Few technologies have caused such a sea change in the way we go about our daily

lives as the internet, and the World Wide Web. Whilst it may be the internet that we

associate with the word technology, many other forms of automation and computing

have had extraordinary effects on the workforce, and the efficiency and productivity

of global industry.

As we look towards the future, a raft of social changes are likely to occur due to this

increased usage of technology within daily life, but also specifically due to changing

needs within the workforce. An insufficient regulatory and legal framework provides

the global community with great challenges as technological advancement continues

to occur at an almost exponential rate.

ZZ

7

LONDON INTERNATIONAL MODEL UNITED NATIONS 2017

Previous global discussion

The United Nations has already highlighted the importance of planning for

technological advancement within the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)

Rio+20. Specifically, Paragraph 70 provided for the launch of the Technology

Facilitation Mechanism (TFM), with the aim of supporting technological

advancement, and implementation towards the SDGs1 (United Nations, 2016). The

UN has already established the Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) Forum for

the SDGs as part of the TFM. This multi-actor forum is designed to facilitate the

sharing of knowledge in a collaborative manner, whilst promoting discussion. The

first Forum held by this group highlighted, amongst other things, the following as key

areas for consideration (UN ECOSOC, 2016):2

- Issues of inclusivity: current technology, and technological development

benefits disproportionately, and is largely located in countries which are

already considered to be more developed. Furthermore, marginalised groups

such as women, persons with disabilities or indigenous groups may also be

disadvantaged as a result of uneven distribution of technology,

- The trade-off between social and economic advancement: often technological

developments favour either labour or capital, but not both, in the short term

creating ‘winners and losers’. The report notes that ‘efforts are needed to

enhance skills and social protection for the labour force, given that jobs are

threatened by the digital revolution’,

1 United Nations. (2016).Technological Facilitation Mechanism. Available at:

https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/TFM

2 ECOSOC. (2016). Multi-stakeholder forum on science, technology and innovation

for the Sustainable Development Goals: summary by the Co-Chairs. Available at:

http://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=E/HLPF/2016/6&Lang=E

ZZ

8

LONDON INTERNATIONAL MODEL UNITED NATIONS 2017

When considering how we can plan for future technological advancement,

these key issues of inclusivity, social vs. economic advancement issues that a

potential draft resolution should seek to address.

Economic issues

As long ago as 1981, an article published by the UN noted that ‘Technological

innovation, if it is not to be irreparably damaging to industrial societies, must be

accompanied by social innovation’.3 (UNESCO, 1981) Many workers’ job-roles are

changed through automation, many will naturally be lost. This is a pattern that has

already been seen over the course of the last century in developed nations, and is

likely to continue as we move towards a more developed world. The disappearance of

a particular job due to technological advances does not of course negate the fact that

many jobs are also created in the ever-growing technology industries. The challenge

for the global community is how to ensure that the benefits of the growing

technology community, and the subsequent wealth of knowledge, job and

commercial opportunities, can be implemented worldwide to ensure an equitable

movement towards fulfilling the SDGs.

In many cases, a move towards a greater reliance on, and utilisation of technology

could result in further movement of capital gain towards those who already occupy

the higher strata of society, as they already possess greater financial freedom to invest

in growing technologies, with the ultimate effect of removing some of the vital

‘manual’ jobs from people with a lower socio-economic background. Thus, making

provision for macro-innovation, and macro-investment in technologies is one way in

which the global community could attempt to ensure the benefits of technological

3Robertson, Andrew. (1981). Technological innovations and their social impacts.

UNESCO. Available at:

http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0004/000460/046009eo.pdf

ZZ

9

LONDON INTERNATIONAL MODEL UNITED NATIONS 2017

advancement in a workplace context remain accessible and beneficial to

economically marginalised communities.

The 2016 World Development Report conducted by the World Bank noted that ‘To

get the most out of the digital revolution, countries also need to work on the “analog

complements”—by strengthening regulations that ensure competition among

businesses, by adapting workers’ skills to the demands of the new economy, and by

ensuring that institutions are accountable.’4 (World Bank, 2016)

This phenomenon, dubbed by some as ‘technological unemployment’ could result in

the loss of 5 million job losses in 15 leading countries over the next five years.5 (Tim

Worstall, 2016) As industry strives to make itself ever more efficient, a point is

reached where increased productivity no longer equates to increased employment. In

the USA, this occurred in the 2000s.6 (Rotman, 2013) Comparing these statistics with

median household income, a stagnation can be observed, despite ever increasing

national wealth.

Increased automation and development does not always produce such results. There

are some instances of the same company using a highly automated process in one

4 World Bank. (20160. World Development Report. Available at:

http://www.worldbank.org/en/publication/wdr2016

5 Worstall, Tim. (2016). WEF’s Davos report on robots and robot automation and

job loss a trivial result of no matter at all. Forbes. Available at:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/timworstall/2016/01/18/wefs-davos-report-on-robots-

automation-and-job-loss-a-trivial-result-of-no-matter-at-all/#56014c2314f0

6 Roberston, Tim. (2013). How technology is destroying jobs. Technology Review.

Available at: https://www.technologyreview.com/s/515926/how-technology-is-

destroying-jobs/

ZZ

10

LONDON INTERNATIONAL MODEL UNITED NATIONS 2017

country, but taking advantage of cheaper skilled labour in another. 7 (The

Economist, 2014) However, it is predicted that even in these situations, whilst

unemployment will not necessarily rise, the benefit to those employed in financial

terms will not be great, other than the fact that they are not unemployed.

A great number of current jobs are at risk of automation in the future, many of which

are low-skilled jobs, whose workers are thus poorly-equipped with the skills

necessary to undertake employment in a different position or sector, for example a

third of all retail jobs in the UK could disappear due to automation by 2025.(Will

Martin, 2016)8. Automation can thus be seen to advance pre-existing disparities in

society, by reducing the number of jobs available to those who are already the least-

skilled, and most unlikely to be able to obtain other employment. Jobs that are

retained are likely to be higher-skilled managerial jobs, and thus a pre-existing skills

gap becomes more defined. A method to address this jobs transfer, and the effects of

automation on lower-skilled workers should form part of any draft resolution.

Much technological advancement, whether it be in the health, telecommunications,

scientific industries or otherwise, is conducted and funded by private enterprise. As a

result, those utilising the technology are subject to its market value, and the

conditions of the respective enterprises. One such obvious example is Facebook, a

social media service now used by nearly 1.8 billion individual monthly users, 9

7 The Economist. (2014). The onrushing wave. Available at:

http://www.economist.com/news/briefing/21594264-previous-technological-

innovation-has-always-delivered-more-long-run-employment-not-less

8 Martin, Will. (2016). Deloitte review into jobs in London. Available at:

http://uk.businessinsider.com/deloitte-review-jobs-london-risk-of-automation-2016-

3/#13-information-and-communication--3-information-and-communication-workers-

dont-need-to-lose-much-sleep-over-their-incomes-a-massive-97-of-jobs-in-the-

sector-are-considered-to-be-at-low-risk-of-automation-1 9 Zephoria. (2016). Top 15 Facebook statistics. Available at:

ZZ

11

LONDON INTERNATIONAL MODEL UNITED NATIONS 2017

(Zephoria, 2016) using Facebook for personal and business activities.

Regardless of the reason for using the service, users enter into an agreement with

Facebook when they sign up regarding their rights to data sharing, ownership of their

posts, photos and other information. Owing to this unprecedented sharing of

information through one single service, a quarter of the World’s population regularly

broadcasts and conducts its daily life through one single business. Similarly, in the

medical sector, a great deal of discussion has taken place surrounding the huge profits

of pharmaceutical companies, particularly regarding drugs used to treat illnesses such

as HIV.10 (Boseley, 2016) In previous eras, when technological research was largely

funded by governments, there existed a greater layer of accountability than there does

today with private enterprise.

Social and inclusivity issues

The ever-growing use of internet based services catapults previously private data into

the public realm, and into a world where very often the current legal framework is not

able to keep pace with the advances and technology, and does not provide adequate

protection or guidelines to individuals with respect to their rights and recourse in

technology usage. This regulatory gap has given rise to much discussion to questions

such as when the right to privacy does, and does not apply, and indeed to how

technology can be used to help or hinder it to prevail.11 (Lee, 2016)

If such worldwide reliance on private enterprises for what are considered by some to

be commodities is to be more and more common in the future, then the question

https://zephoria.com/top-15-valuable-facebook-statistics/

10 Boseley, Sarah. (2016). Big pharma’s worst nightmare. The Guardian. Available

at: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/jan/26/big-pharmas-worst-nightmare

11 Lee, Dave. (2016). Apple v. FBI: US debates a world without privacy. BBC.

Available at: http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-35704103

ZZ

12

LONDON INTERNATIONAL MODEL UNITED NATIONS 2017

arises of whether or not there needs to be collective, global action in

encouraging private enterprise to abide by certain ethics, with greater clarity of vision

for the future.12 (Wu, 2014)

Although by no means exclusively, a great deal of recent technological advances

have been as a result of the internet, and rely on the ability to communicate with the

global internet-of-things to function. It is for this reason that access to the internet is a

key driver in accessibility and development, and an area in which much inequality is

already visible within developing regions. Globally, the internet user penetration rate

is 11% for women than men.13 (UN ECOSOC, 2016)

Access to technology has been strongly linked to increased financial independence,

particularly amongst women in poorer countries where their rights are curtailed by

legal structures. A project supported by the UNCDF14 (OECD Insights, 2015) used

mobile phone payment technology in order to provided digital financial services

tailored to women in Malawi. Ensuring that the process is simple, and does not

require users to be literate, the programme is a good example of current projects in

existence, which not only have facilitated access to marginalised groups, but have

also made an attempt to address the development gap within those groups.

12 Wu, Tim. (2014). As technology gets better, will society get worse?. The New

Yorker. Available at: http://www.newyorker.com/tech/elements/as-technology-gets-

better-will-society-get-worse

13 ECOSOC. (2016). Progress towards the sustainable development goals – report of

the Secretary-General. Available at:

http://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=E/2016/75&Lang=E

14 OECD Insights. (2015). Why technology matters for advancing women’s social

inclusion. Available at: https://oecdinsights.org/2015/02/06/why-technology-matters-

for-advancing-womens-financial-inclusion/

ZZ

13

LONDON INTERNATIONAL MODEL UNITED NATIONS 2017

Not only is increased uptake of advancements in technology dependent upon a

certain degree of technological literacy, but also economic power. Although

technology prices steadily fall, the ability to purchase devices, or indeed subscriptions

to internet or other services can often be stifled by a lower household income. In

these cases, it is not always the poorest, least developed countries that have the most

difficulties, but rather more developed countries that have a higher income

inequality. 15 (Goldstein, 2014) Projects such as the Global Connect Initiative 16

(ShareAmerica, 2016) have attempted to increase the amount of internet users

worldwide, although in 2015 some 57% of the World’s people remained offline.17

(United Nations, 2015) A report commissioned by the International

Telecommunications Union (ITU), the UN body responsible for telecommunications,

has already suggested a number of possible of policy options in order to bridge this

gap including infrastructure sharing and ICT literacy campaigns. 18 (Broadband

Commission, 2015)

Amongst the most marginalised by technological development are the elderly, who

often lack the transferable skills to be able to adapt to changing technology. At times,

well-intended facilitation of new technology amongst elderly populations has had

unintended negative consequences. Not only has much technological change not

properly taken into account such demographics, but it has not always taken into

15 Goldstein, Joshua. (2014). The internet “access trap” in developing countries.

Freedom to Tinker. Available at: https://freedom-to-tinker.com/2014/01/04/the-

internet-access-trap-in-developing-countries/

16 Share America. (2016). Global Connect Initiative. Available at:

https://share.america.gov/globalconnect/

17 United Nations. (2015). Billions of people in developing world still without Internet

access, new UN report finds. Available at:

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=51924#.WCpReqOZMb0

18 Broadband Commisstion. (2015). Broadband Annual Report 2015. Available at:

http://www.broadbandcommission.org/Documents/reports/bb-annualreport2015.pdf

ZZ

14

LONDON INTERNATIONAL MODEL UNITED NATIONS 2017

account specific social needs, particularly regarding human interaction. 19

(Beckford, 2011) The experience of current older generations versus those of their

younger counterparts (often billed as ‘digital natives’) shows that a distinct

accessibility gap can exist based on age. Most consumer technological devices are not

designed with older people in mind, and as technology becomes more and more a part

of daily life, they are being left behind. For current ‘digital natives’, could this be a

preview of themselves in fifty years’ time? The ability to operate inter-generationally

is key for the success of future technological advancement.

According to estimates, some 65% of children in primary education today will be in

jobs types that do not exist today.20 (World Bank, 2016) Organisations such as the

Generation Initiative are using a ‘skills-training methodology’ which not only teaches

participants relevant skills, but provides a greater framework that is not job specific,

aiming to future-proof their students, and planning for technological advancement in

the years to come. 21 (Generation Initiative, 2016) Given the fact that technological

change can sometimes pose difficulties for older generations, such initiatives are one

way that some have already tried to tackle the issue of planning for unknown

technological changes, and could be further researched and used to act as basis for

collective action.

Such initiatives often do not provide for the current older generations, for whom

technology has been either an isolating force, or indeed one which has left them out

19 Beckford, Martin. (2011). Elderly people isolated by technological advances. The

Telegraph. Available at:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/health/elder/8867767/Elderly-people-isolated-by-

technological-advances.html

20 Mulas, Victor. (2016). How are future blue-collar skills being created? World

Bank. Available at: http://blogs.worldbank.org/psd/how-are-future-blue-collar-skills-

being-created

2121 Generation Initiative. (2016). About. Available at:

https://www.generationinitiative.org/about/

ZZ

15

LONDON INTERNATIONAL MODEL UNITED NATIONS 2017

of work. Providing a method of integrating those whose jobs are likely to be

lost to technological changes is generally focused on those who will be able to

embrace technology, and who have many years of work ahead of them before

retirement. Thus in order to build an inclusive and all encompassing solution for this

issue, consideration needs to be given to those older members of the workforce who

do not possess the requisite transferable skills to embrace technological change in the

workplace.

Another issue which will only grow in importance as technical advancement

continues to take hold, and traverse a whole variety of different sectors is the gender

disparity between men and women in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering

and Mathematics) fields which largely account for technological advancement.

Statistics from 2012 show that in the US, women only held 27% of jobs in computer

science fields. (Heather Huhman, 2012)22 As more and more jobs will be based in

the technological sector, and as existing jobs move towards a more technological

base, the potential for a growing gender disparity in the workforce needs to be

considered. This is relatively easy in developed countries, where women are already

an established part of the workforce, but may not be so easily facilitated in countries

where the participation of women in the workforce is already considerably lower.

Various studies come to the conclusion that this disparity does not begin in the labour

force, but rather through cultural influences and the education system. Such factors

therefore need to be considered when working towards planning for the changes

arising from technological development.23

22 Huhman, Heather. (2012). STEM fields and the gender gap: where are the women?.

Available at: http://www.forbes.com/sites/work-in-progress/2012/06/20/stem-fields-

and-the-gender-gap-where-are-the-women/#5de513e833a9

23 UNESCO. (2016). Closing the gender gap in STEM. Available at:

http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0024/002457/245717E.pdf

(All referenced sources accessible as of 30th November 2016)

ZZ

16

LONDON INTERNATIONAL MODEL UNITED NATIONS 2017

Bloc positions

In general, more developed nations are likely to be in support of increased

investment, maintaining as much technological freedom as possible, as well as

encouraging and facilitating developing nations to do the same. As economies

which have already reaped the benefits, nations such as the USA and many

European states see technological advancement as a key method of achieving

further economic growth, often due to their larger numbers of high-skilled

workers, for whom the technology sector provides job and economic

opportunities, and the pre-existing infrastructure they possess.

Developing nations, for whom a technology access deficit already exists, may

be more apprehensive about a drive towards great technological change given

their larger proportion of low or unskilled workers who would be affected by

technological unemployment, and the capital and investment required to

achieve technological development.

Questions a Resolution Should Answer

1. How can issues of inclusivity regarding technological advancement in

the future be addressed?

2. What can be done regarding the jobs market and labour force given

current trends of technological development?

ZZ

17

LONDON INTERNATIONAL MODEL UNITED NATIONS 2017

3. How can “analog components”, particularly those who might find using

technology difficult be better prepared for, and included in technological

advancement?

4. Should, and how could private enterprise be regulated in helping to plan

for changes arising from technological advancement?

5. Is a specific regulatory framework necessary, and how could it be

developed?

6. How do we plan for technologies and industries that are not in existence

today?

7. How can technology users be protected in the future from potentially

negative developments?

ZZ

18

LONDON INTERNATIONAL MODEL UNITED NATIONS 2017

Topic B: The market of the Internet of

Things and the usage of Big Data

Key Definitions

The Internet of Things (IoT) is the concept of connecting any device with an on and

off switch to the Internet (and/or to each other). This includes everything from

cellphones, coffee makers, washing machines, headphones, lamps, wearable devices

and almost anything else you can think of. This also applies to components of

machines, for example a jet engine of an airplane or the drill of an oil rig.

LONDON INTERNATIONAL MODEL UNITED NATIONS 2017

ZZ

19

LONDON INTERNATIONAL MODEL UNITED NATIONS 2017

The problem with defining Big Data is this - Big Data is a term for data sets

that are so large or complex that traditional data processing applications are

inadequate to deal with them. However, Big Data often refers simply to the use of

various types of data analytics that extract value from data24. The former definition

refers to the physical use of data; the latter definition refers to the need for better

analytical methods, such as predictive analytics or user behaviour analytics.

In this sense, big data is an evolving term, but there is general agreement that big data

must refer to data sets from which valuable information can be mined.

It must also be noted that big data - by definition - cannot be analysed by humans

only. Machines are required for such analytics; however, humans are involved in the

creation of the nature of the analysis performed.

Introduction, overview and history of the topic

Big data is already a big part of our lives - it is used by certain governments,

international development, manufacturing, healthcare, education, media, retail, retail

banking, science, research, and even sports. Obama used it in his successful 2012 re-

election campaign25 and the BJP used it in their successful 2014 general election

campaign26. At least two football clubs, FC Midtjylland and Brentford, have used it to

24 IJEDR. 2015. Survey on Big Data Using Data Mining. [ONLINE] Available at:

https://www.ijedr.org/papers/IJEDR1504022.pdf. [Accessed 4 November 2016]. 25 Tom Kalil. 2012. Big Data is a Big Deal. [ONLINE] Available at:

https://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2012/03/29/big-data-big-deal. [Accessed 9 November

2016]. 26 Leslie D’Monte. 2014. Are Indian companies making enough sense of Big Data?.

[ONLINE] Available at:

http://www.livemint.com/Industry/bUQo8xQ3gStSAy5II9lxoK/Are-Indian-companies-

making-enough-sense-of-Big-Data.html. [Accessed 8 November 2016].

ZZ

20

LONDON INTERNATIONAL MODEL UNITED NATIONS 2017

sign players and prepare gameplans27 (there’s even a movie about it called

Moneyball), and all our bank accounts are protected by big data too, namely the

FICO Card Detection System.

IoT and Big Data usually work in conjunction. From a media perspective, data is the

key derivative of device inter-connectivity and allows accurate targeting. The Internet

of Things, with the help of big data, therefore transforms the media industry,

companies and even governments, opening up a new era of economic growth and

competitiveness. The intersection of people, data and intelligent algorithms have far-

reaching impacts on media efficiency. The wealth of data generated allows an

elaborate layer on the present targeting mechanisms of the industry. However, it is

important to note that Big Data also falls into the larger problem of data regulation

and privacy.

The surprise isn’t that these technologies exist, but rather how little regulation exists

on said technologies.

It is also important to note the severity of the problem: on October 21st, 2016, a

major cyberattack caused major services such as Twitter, Spotify and PayPal to be

inaccessible for many users around the world. The attacks targeted Dyn, a company

that helps people connect to websites, with a huge amount of traffic in an attempt to

knock the service offline. Dyn chief strategy officer Kyle York said the source of

some of the traffic that attacked the company came from compromised "Internet of

Things" devices which include everyday items like baby monitors, webcams and

even thermostats that can connect to the Internet28.

27 Jack Coles. 2013. Rise of Data Analysis in Football. [ONLINE] Available at:

http://outsideoftheboot.com/2013/06/26/rise-of-data-analysis-in-football/. [Accessed 6

November 2016]. 28 Andrea Peterson. 2016. ‘Internet of Things’ compounded Friday’s hack of major

websites. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-

switch/wp/2016/10/21/someone-attacked-a-major-part-of-the-internets-infrastructure/.

[Accessed 6 November 2016].

ZZ

21

LONDON INTERNATIONAL MODEL UNITED NATIONS 2017

Case study: EU Regulations

Currently, the EU has regulations in place for the so-called Digital Single Market.

Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27

April 2016, which EU Member States must transpose into their national law by 6

May 2018, places great emphasis on the privacy of EU citizens and the need for a

balance between the rights of citizens and businesses. Clause 4 states:

The processing of personal data should be designed to serve mankind. The

right to the protection of personal data is not an absolute right; it must be

considered in relation to its function in society and be balanced against other

fundamental rights, in accordance with the principle of proportionality…

It also regulates the collection and use of data, for example in clause 39:

Any processing of personal data should be lawful and fair. It should be

transparent to natural persons that personal data concerning them are

collected, used, consulted or otherwise processed and to what extent the

personal data are or will be processed…Personal data should be processed in

a manner that ensures appropriate security and confidentiality of the personal

data, including for preventing unauthorised access to or use of personal data

and the equipment used for the processing.

However, even within the EU there are serious disagreements: before the regulation

was passed, on the 6th of April, 2016, the UK along with Czech Republic, Poland,

Luxembourg, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Bulgaria

submitted an open letter29 to the EU that stated the need for a lack of regulation, and

for the need of industry self-regulation rather than EU regulation:

29 Graeme Burton. 2016. UK warns EU over excessive regulation of big data and online

platforms. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.computing.co.uk/ctg/news/2453488/uk-

warns-eu-over-excessive-regulation-of-big-data-and-online-platforms. [Accessed 6

November 2016].

ZZ

22

LONDON INTERNATIONAL MODEL UNITED NATIONS 2017

We should avoid introducing legislation that might act as a barrier to the

development of new digital business models and create obstacles to entry and

growth in the European digital market. Such legislation might have an

unintentionally damaging effect on the innovation, competitiveness and

economic growth of the European digital industries.

Case Study: Google Spain v AEPD and Mario Costeja González

This is technically not a case about big data or IoT, but its implications are worth

noting given the outcome. It is also important to note that collection of data and data

privacy is a worthwhile debate as far as the big data topic is concerned.

“The only thing I know about him is the only thing he didn’t want me to know”

John Oliver

A Spanish man named Mario Costeja González in 1998 was trying to sell his home

and had an auction notice on it in order to pay off his debts. A Google search of him

before the ruling would show links to said auction notices, and he wanted that such

links be removed since they were an invasion of his privacy,

Commonly known as the “right to be forgotten”, the decision made international

headlines for its implications on search engines and data privacy. Even Google

admitted that removing links was logistically complicated.

Quoting clause 62 of the ruling:

…in order to comply with the rights laid down in those provisions, the operator

of a search engine is obliged to remove from the list of results displayed

following a search made on the basis of a person’s name links to web pages,

published by third parties and containing information relating to that person,

ZZ

23

LONDON INTERNATIONAL MODEL UNITED NATIONS 2017

also in a case where that name or information is not erased beforehand or

simultaneously from those web pages, and even, as the case may be, when its

publication in itself on those pages is lawful.

The problem, however, is that because of this Mario Costeja González is now

internationally known for being ‘that guy with debts from 1998’. In one way, John

Oliver is correct - the bulk volume of information on the internet means that

regulation is ineffective. However, a wholesale, worldwide, unanimous revamp could

be effective, if unlikely.

Case Study: Russia Business Network (RBN)

“An extraordinary level of blatant cybercrime that implies high-level political

backing”

In one sense, RBN (Russian Business Network) does not exist30. It has no legal

identity; it is not registered as a company; its senior figures are anonymous, known

only by their nicknames. Its web sites are registered at anonymous addresses with

dummy e-mails. It does not advertise for customers. Those who want to use its

services contact it via internet messaging services and pay with anonymous electronic

cash.

RBN was registered as an internet site in 2006. Initially, its activity was legitimate.

But with the profitability of illegal and illegitimate activities, RBN soon offered web

hosting and internet access to all kinds of criminal and objectionable activities. It

specialized in and in some cases monopolized personal identity theft for resale.

Some pointers about the RBN:

30 Economist, T. (2007) A walk on the dark side. Available at:

http://www.economist.com/node/9723768 (Accessed: 1 December 2016).

ZZ

24

LONDON INTERNATIONAL MODEL UNITED NATIONS 2017

It hosts cybercriminals, ranging from spammers to phishers, bot-herders and all

manner of other fraudsters and wrongdoers from the venal to the vicious.

Just one big scam, called Rock Phish (where gullible internet users were

tricked into entering personal financial information such as bank account

details) made $150m last year.

In October 2006, the National Bank of Australia took active measures against

Rock Phish, both directly and via a national anti-phishing group to which the

bank's security director belonged. RBN-based cybercriminals replied by

crashing the bank's home-page for three days.

Western law enforcement officers, despite having successfully tracked the

physical location of RBN servers have so far tried in vain to get their Russian

counterparts to pursue the investigation vigorously, as RBN are strongly

politically protected.

Bloc Positions

USA

In 2012, the Obama administration announced the Big Data Research and

Development Initiative, to explore how big data could be used to address important

problems faced by the government. The NSA has set up the Utah Data Center to

better optimize its analytical operations. It is clear that the USA is focused heavily

into data analysis and research, as well as on connectivity. However, these positions

remain unclear due to the 2016 Presidential Election, and the unpredictable nature of

Donald Trump could be decisive in whether these programs will still stand.

EU

As shown above, the EU as a whole has agreed to respect the right to privacy over

any business or corporation’s need. There are disagreements within the EU,

ZZ

25

LONDON INTERNATIONAL MODEL UNITED NATIONS 2017

particularly the UK, but since the regulation was passed it will become a part

of all member nation’s law. Note that once the UK invokes Article 50 all EU laws

and treaties cease to apply. Also, note that the NHS heavily relies on big data and that

if and when “Brexit” occurs the UK and British enterprises will be subject to a lack

of regulation31.

Central and South America

Some countries actually match EU standards on data privacy in order to carry out

more trade with Europe: these include Peru, Uruguay, Costa Rica, Argentina and

Mexico. Brazil is coming up to speed in this regard. However, the enforcement of

such laws is not as strong, and most other countries have lax data privacy laws, which

have opened up huge markets for big data collection.

Asia

Asian countries in general have some of the strongest data privacy laws, and most

countries enforce these very strictly - Singapore passed a data privacy law that

protects all personal data ten years after a person’s death. South Korea has some of

the strongest data privacy laws, even covering a person’s image or voice32.

Questions to consider

1. Should Big Data and IoT regulation be built on existing data protection and

regulation laws, and should this regulation be self-mandated or enforced by an

external body?

31 Billy Bambrough. 2016. UK firms lagging other countries in use of big data. [ONLINE]

Available at: http://www.cityam.com/244288/uk-firms-lagging-other-countries-use-big.

[Accessed 6 November 2016]. 32 Constance Gustke. 2013. Which countries are better at protecting privacy?. [ONLINE]

Available at: http://www.bbc.com/capital/story/20130625-your-private-data-is-showing.

[Accessed 5 November 2016].

ZZ

26

LONDON INTERNATIONAL MODEL UNITED NATIONS 2017

2. What, and how deep, is the role and involvement of private actors?

3. With regards to individual privacy and business rights, does one take

precedence over the other? If not, then how can one ensure the right balance

between them?

4. Is it necessary to share technologies between member nations, particularly

developed and developing countries?

5. Learning from the “right to be forgotten” case study, what could have been

done, or needs to be done, differently?

6. From a technical standpoint:

a. What can be done to ensure that the increasing use of IoT doesn’t

compromise systems and services?

b. Is it worth looking into the privatisation of data security? If not, then

how can data security be enhanced, and who would be responsible?

c. Is it physically feasible to store such high volumes of data?

7. Does a right to privacy result in a lack of accountability? Could a politician

undergoing a trial for a scandal, or a doctor with a negative review, ask for

certain links to be removed and not others?

8. How much privacy does a person have on a platform meant for connectivity

and sharing of information?

Further Reading

1. Google Spain v AEPD and Mario Costeja González:

http://curia.europa.eu/juris/document/document_print.jsf?doclang=EN&text=&pageI

ndex=0&part=1&mode=DOC&docid=152065&occ=first&dir=&cid=667631

2. Regulation (EU) 2016/679:

http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-

content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:32016R0679&from=EN

ZZ

27

LONDON INTERNATIONAL MODEL UNITED NATIONS 2017

Conference Information

When looking for information regarding LIMUN 2017 (and subsequent

editions) your first step should be to visit our website: www.limun.org.uk

LIMUN on social media

Please follow updates from us through our social media channels:

London International Model United Nations (LIMUN)

@LondonMUN

When tweeting about this year’s conference (your preparations, journey

to/from London or when live-tweeting the events during the conference itself)

–

- please use hashtag #LIMUN2017

Agenda & Rules of Procedure

The agenda for the 2017 conference is available online at

www.limun.org.uk/agenda

Since its 17th session last year, LIMUN has introduced changes to its Rules of

Procedure. The revised Rules can be accessed here: http://limun.org.uk/rules