Global digital order and Korean proposal

By Sandip Kumar Mishra

Digitalization has overwhelmed almost every human sphere. Political, economic, administrative, cultural and other domains of human life have changed substantially through the revolution in information and communication technologies (ICT).

Digitalization has re-charted relations between individuals, communities, states and non-state actors. Digitalization has led to the emergence of various forces, which try to disrupt the liberal order and peace and prosperity of the world. There are vested interests from big corporations, illiberal regimes and disruptive forces that have become more active and threatening in the present digital order.

There are at least four important tools that many non-liberal forces in the world use and that threaten the existing digital order. These four important tools are information control, fake news, surveillance and technology governance. Through these mechanisms, stability, transparency, trust and productivity at the domestic and global levels might be disrupted and destroyed.

More recent developments in the digital revolution such as generative artificial intelligence have further complicated the issue of governance. For example, software like ChatGPT would complicate copyright and intellectual property rights and in a self-driving vehicle, it would be difficult to establish responsibility in the case of accidents.

Thus, the statement of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on June 21 during the Paris Digital Vision Forum at Sorbonne University is quite important. He said that there must be an international agency that should set the rules of the global digital order. Yoon further proposed that to have consensus and legitimacy of such an agency it could be associated with a relevant U.N. body. Although Yoon did not say it in his speech, it seems that not only setting rules but the agency should also work as a watchdog to ensure that these rules are being followed by state as well as non-state entities. Yoon's Paris Initiative stated that the global digital order would seek to expand freedom, guarantee free transactions, narrow the digital divide, and ensure fair access and compensation.

Actually, President Yoon first made such a proposal in September 2022 in New York and he repeated it in a special address at Davos in January 2023. During his visit to the U.S. in April 2023, Yoon mentioned the global digital order in his speech at Harvard University. At the domestic level, South Korea's Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT) announced on May 2, 2023, that it would work for the “new digital order” and “establish the digital bill of rights to define the vision, goals, universal values and rights of humanity, and obligations of citizens, companies and the government, as well as principles for the resolving digital issues,” by September 2023.

Thus, the Paris Initiative is basically the most recent extension of his proposal regarding a rule-making body for the global digital order. It is indeed an important proposal that must be collectively acted upon. However, at the global level, the establishment of such an agency and its functioning is going to be quite challenging. Even if there cannot be a dispute about the need for such an agency, it would not be easy to bring China, Russia and other such countries on board. It is quite obvious that the main challengers of the U.S.-led but diversified liberal digital order are China and Russia.

Actually, China launched its Digital Silk Road (DSR) initiative within its Belt Road Initiative in 2015. China talked about connectivity but several other critical areas were not addressed in the Chinese initiative such as universal access, transparency and liberal ethics. Several other states have quite opposite directions and goals in the global digital order. They would not be willing to give up their non-transparent and unethical-illegal acts. Even OECD countries are going to have their reservations as there are cases that these countries or companies of these countries got benefits from due to the existing order.

The next big challenge for such a body would be the different levels of capacities in ICT among the countries. Establishing a universal rule book with wide representation is, however, not impossible but it is definitely not easy. Another problem would be the mechanism needed to ensure compliance with the rules. There must be bodies through which constant vigil of any violation of the rules of the digital order could be maintained. Furthermore, they need to decide on issues regarding the violation with the rules: who and how violations will be addressed. There could be mechanisms for sanctions and other means to ensure compliance of the rules.

Overall, it is undoubtedly a welcome proposal of South Korea to have a rule-making agency for the digital order but it would not be easy at the contested international level. For this other countries must also come forward and work diligently and sincerely.

The author is associate professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India and could be reached at sandipmishra10@gmail.com.