World Telecommunication and Information Society Day

Trust , in this context, refers to  The confidence that people have in the sources and reliability of the information that they access , including official sources and information, and in the mechanisms that allow information to flow throughout the ecosystem. Resilience refers to   The ability of societies to handle disruptions or manipulative actions within the information ecosystem . Trust and resilience are vulnerable to actions driven by State and non-State actors who seek to exploit the information ecosystem for strategic, political or financial gain. These actions, at times widely coordinated, can result in a range of harms and jeopardize people’s ability to critically assess science and facts. Large technology companies hold significant power in the information ecosystem and exercise inordinate influence over the manner in which stakeholders, including other businesses, advertisers, news media and individual users, interact with and access information. Advances in ar...

  Empowerment for individuals navigating the information ecosystem demands that people have control over their online experience, can make informed decisions as to the media that they choose to consume and can express themselves freely. Public empowerment requires consistent access to diverse and reliable sources of information.   Digital spaces have in many ways served as catalysts for inclusive participation in public life, connecting people across geographical boundaries with shared aspirations for progress. When harnessed for good, these spaces can help empower individuals and give agency to those who are often excluded and marginalized . At the same. time, digital technologies can hinder genuine empowerment. Individuals frequently have little control over how their personal data are used , or over algorithmic content personalized by large technologycompanies , and face obstacles from information providers to understanding and accessing the criteria and mechanisms us...

  Technological advances have in a few short decades revolutionized communications, connecting individuals and communities on a previously unthinkable scale and presenting unparalleled opportunities for the diffusion of knowledge, cultural enrichment and sustainable development. They have in many ways raised ambitions for the integrity of the information ecosystem—where freedom of expression is fully enjoyed and where accurate, reliable information, free from discrimination and hate, is available to all in an open, inclusive, safe and secure information environment . While these advances have enabled the mass dissemination of information, they have also facilitated the spread of misinformation, disinformation and hate speech by many kinds of actors at historically unprecedented volume, velocity and virality, risking the integrity of the information ecosystem . Such risks encompass a range of current, emergent and future threats amid rapid breakthroughs in artificial intelligence t...

  As recognized by the regulatory community as best practice, an adaptive, resilient, evidence and outcome based, collaborative and fit-for-purpose policy and regulatory ecosystem is necessary for open and competitive digital markets to thrive along with delivering positive consumer outcomes and provide the foundation for Digital Transformation. The Best Practice Guidelines ‘ Regulatory uplift for financing digitalinfrastructure, access and use ’ adopted by regulators at the Global Symposium for Regulators(GSR) further amplify the importance of policy and regulatory thought leadership, cross-sectoral collaboration, building trust, engagement, and novel regulatory approaches the gold standard for digital regulation , to fast-forwarding digital connectivity for all , and bridge the funding and financing gap in digital markets . Serving as a reference framework of good practices for digital policy and regulation, the G5 Benchmark and ICT Regulatory Tracker help countries to...