G7 nations have signed a new ministerial declaration to enhance online safety and security worldwide. The digital and technology ministers from the U.K., Canada, Germany, France, Italy, the U.S., and the EU have agreed on a range of recommendations to tackle the rising cyberattacks across the world. The declaration outlines the agenda of G7 nations towards improving online safety, developing a collaborative approach to data security, and promoting an uninterrupted flow of information across the nations.
“Our collective recovery from COVID-19 must be rooted in a desire to build back a better, more productive, and resilient global economy, with digital technology at its heart. This should support open societies in the digital and data-driven age and be guided by our shared democratic values of open and competitive markets, strong safeguards including for human rights and fundamental freedoms, and international cooperation which drives benefits for our citizens, economies, and global well-being,” the declaration stated.
The new initiative will be delivered via six critical interventions which address:
- Promoting secure, resilient, and diverse digital, telecoms, and ICT infrastructure supply chains
- A framework for G7 collaboration on digital technical standards
- A G7 roadmap for cooperation on data free flow with trust
- G7 Internet Safety Principles
- Deepening cooperation on digital competition
- A framework for G7 collaboration on electronic transferable records
“We have decided to place the needs of open, democratic societies at the center of the technology debate and to work together towards a trusted, values-driven digital ecosystem. We believe that such ecosystems must enhance prosperity in a way that is sustainable, inclusive, and human-centric. We have also affirmed our opposition to measures which may undermine these democratic values, such as government-imposed Internet shutdowns and network restrictions,” the declaration added.
