Neutrality and the net: ‘Bridging digital divide to be a top priority’

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He told a high-level UN meeting “our number one focus must be to close the digital divide.” Some 3.5 bn people have missed out on the “lifeline” the internet has provided during the coronavirus crisis that has enabled work, education and social connections online, Berners-Lee said.

“This inequality is a barrier to wider equality, and it most affects those who are already marginalised — people in developing countries, those on low incomes, and of course, women and girls, he said. “Men remain 21 per cent more likely than women to be online, and 52 per cent more likely in the least developing countries.”

He spoke at the online launch of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ Roadmap for Digital Cooperation. A first step is to develop new financial models to provide affordable connectivity to the Internet for everyone by 2030. Tackling inequality requires raising the bar from basic access to ensuring that people have “meaningful connectivity” to the Internet “that must include data and devices to use the full power of it,” Berners-Lee said.

When people do get online, they must also find that it is safe, participants said. The digital world has many benefits, but also has been “gravely misused,” Guterres said. “Hate speech, discrimination and abuse are on the march in digital spaces,” the UN chief said. “Misinformation campaigns put health and lives at risk. ... Life-threatening cyber attacks on hospital systems threaten to disrupt lifesaving care.”

The Roadmap for Digital Cooperation aims “to connect, respect, and protect people in the digital age” by promoting open data, open AI and financing models and open source software, Guterres said. It also calls for expanded training, data protection and privacy, and offers the UN as a platform for cooperation to ensure that AI is trustworthy, respects human rights and promotes peace. “Unless we address digital instability and inequality, they will continue to exacerbate physical instability and inequality,” Guterres said, warning that digital divides risk becoming “the new face of insecurity and conflict.”

The WWW Foundation, co-founded by Berners-Lee, helped develop the Roadmap. Last year it launched the “Contract for the Web,” a global action plan for governments, companies and civil society to counter growing anti-democratic activity on the internet and keep knowledge freely available. The contract has 1,300 endorsements and the foundation is developing ways for governments and firms to show how they’re living up to achieve a “safe and empowering web, connecting the unconnected, respecting privacy (and) fighting misinformation,” Berners-Lee said.

Since the onset of the crisis, internet usage has jumped 70 pc, the use of communication apps has grown by 300 pc and virtual collaboration tools by 600 pc. Some video streaming services have grown 20-fold, said Klaus Schwab, executive chairman of World Economic Forum. But he said only about half of the world has internet access. Of the 25 least connected countries, 21 are in Africa.

The World Economic Forum has worked with the International Telecommunication Union, the World Bank and GSM — which represents the interests of mobile operators worldwide — and others to develop plans for private-public collaboration on expanding digital connectivity. “This has been shared with 170 countries and is in active use,” he said. “This fast track partnership is deeply encouraging.” Schwab called for “ambitious” action on digital access and investment in innovative financing models. He noted only 1% of funding from global development banks goes to digital infrastructure.

Redefining rules for cyberspace is just as important as building digital infrastructure, said Ajay Banga, incoming chair of the International Chamber of Commerce and the president and CEO of Mastercard.

Associated Press