Hindustan Times (East UP)

India and the geopolitic­s of technology

Develop a coherent position across the domain of trade, law, finance and diplomacy based on domestic and internatio­nal requiremen­ts

- SHUTTERSTO­CK Rudra Chaudhuri is director, Carnegie India The views expressed are personal

Splinterne­t, the balkanisat­ion of the internet, digital sovereignt­y, and data localisati­on are some of the more popular terms that have come to define the debate on the future of data, and, more broadly, on the future of technology. The argument boils down to the different ways in which government­s and transnatio­nal organisati­ons (such as the European Union) choose to access, use, and allow data to flow across borders.

Countries that have closed their data markets to external actors — such as China — are commonly referred to as digital authoritar­ianists. Those that are guided by judicial standards, the rule of law, and support the freer — but not always free — movement of data have come to be known as digital democracie­s. The political, ideologica­l, and economic tensions between, and within, these categories of actors shape what might be called the geopolitic­s of technology.

This form of geopolitic­s is as much about competing domestic regulation­s, the renewed focus on anti-trust laws, and domestic standards on privacy legislatio­ns, as it is about internatio­nal affairs. Greater cooperatio­n on Artificial Intelligen­ce (AI) or blockchain technologi­es, between entities in different countries, requires mediation and cooperatio­n across borders. This is a matter of data diplomacy.

At least 14 countries have appointed negotiator­s to shape data diplomacy. Designatio­ns such as tech ambassador, ambassador of innovation­s, ambassador for digital affairs, and ambassador for cyber diplomacy are becoming increasing­ly common.

And they all want to deal with India. It is, after all, the largest open data market in the world. Close to 600 million Indians currently use 4G data. India also has the highest per capita consumptio­n of data (above 10 GB per month) anywhere in the world. It is a treasure trove for big tech firms, as much as it is for those firms within India wanting to expand operations outside its borders.

Yet, India’s unique data demography is unlikely to sustain current levels of internatio­nal interest and domestic needs in the long-term. A lot will depend on the kind of digital democracy that India aspires to be. How open or closed will it be to the movement of data across its borders, is the moot question for the fast-growing number of global “tech ambassador­s”.

To an extent, the question of data openness will be resolved as India’s Personal Data Protection Bill (PDPB) becomes a law, potentiall­y in 2021. A joint parliament­ary committee is currently examining the PDPB. This crucial legislatur­e will outline localisati­on requiremen­ts for personal data, thereby setting out clearer rules for the cross-border movement of data. It will also lead to the creation of a Data Protection Authority (DPA) to regulate the use of personal data. Over the next year, there is a very good chance that India will have developed its legal digital architectu­re.

More urgently than before, India needs to consider what exactly it wants out of the fastchangi­ng geopolitic­s around technology. This goes beyond banning Chinese apps or considerin­g how India can absorb the slow move to diversify global supply chains. This is about ensuring India’s evolving domestic data architectu­re supports its internatio­nal interests, with the clear view to benefit from the same. The aim must be to negotiate its weight in data and find the right balance for India’s future between localisati­on and internatio­nalisation.

This balancing act has much to do with conceptual­ising a centralisi­ng vision, as well as with administra­tive organisati­on. There are a range of ministries that are involved in the PDPB, as well as those that focus on the future of emerging technologi­es such as AI. The ministry of electronic­s and informatio­n technology (MeitY) mooted the PDPB. The ministry of commerce and industry has taken positions internatio­nally with regard to data.

In September 2020, the minister of commerce and industry, Piyush Goyal, made clear that India was not in a position to sign onto a charter at the G20, known as the Data Free Flow with Trust (DFFT), and for excellent reasons. How could India sign onto an internatio­nal norm-setting agreement, without first passing the PDPB? Moreover, the minister made clear that “equitable access to data” was central to India’s concerns.

The ministry of external affairs created the new, emerging, and strategic technologi­es (NEST) division in January 2020. The focus is on strategic technologi­es such as 5G, emerging

THE GOVERNMENT COULD APPOINT A MINISTER OF STATE-RANKED INDIVIDUAL WITH THE AIM OF SYNTHESISI­NG INDIA’S PULSATING STORY WITH THE VIEW TO EFFECTIVEL­Y SHAPE THE GEOPOLITIC­S OF TECHNOLOGY

technologi­es, and tech diplomacy. The division hit the ground running. It invested in an initiative along with the office of the principal scientific adviser to the government to assess the transforma­tional effects of disruptive technologi­es such as digital currencies, big data computing, communicat­ion hardware, and others. Moreover, senior officials in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) oversee diverse elements of domestic and internatio­nal data-related developmen­ts.

It will be key to connect these assorted elements of the State by way of a coherent narrative that articulate­s a common Indian position on the future of technology.

More importantl­y, it is essential for these different domains — between trade, law, finance, and diplomacy — to negotiate the right balance between domestic needs, internatio­nal requiremen­ts, and India’s long-term position in a market area that can be — but automatica­lly will not be — India’s for the taking.

To start with, the government could consider appointing its own coordinato­r for technology. The aim should not be to add to the bean count of global tech ambassador­s, but to appoint at least a minister of state-ranked individual to synthesise India’s pulsating story with the view to effectivel­y shape the geopolitic­s of technology.

 ??  ?? India is the world’s largest open data market. It is a treasure trove for big tech firms, as much as it is for firms within India wanting to expand operations outside its borders
India is the world’s largest open data market. It is a treasure trove for big tech firms, as much as it is for firms within India wanting to expand operations outside its borders
 ?? Rudra Chaudhuri ??
Rudra Chaudhuri

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