Tech and the future of UK foreign policy

The growing influence of private companies in global technology governance, and on the norms and rules that shape our societies, has profound implications for the future role and identity of the nation-state. The Government has yet to demonstrate that it has seriously considered its role and influence within this new environment and how it might manage the consequences of these shifts in influence and identity. In the forthcoming International Technology Strategy, we recommend that the FCDO clearly articulates what it understands its future role in global tech governance to be and how it intends to engage with private companies and relevant multinational bodies to project UK norms and values in global policy-making fora. We further recommend that the FCDO identifies a Minister with clear responsibility for this work within the Department and sets out how its work interacts with that of other Government departments.

The UK’s global technology leadership ambitions should be Government-led but will need to pull in significant support from the private sector as well as academia. There is an opportunity for the FCDO to exemplify the values articulated in the Integrated Review by leading on collaboration with the private sector and civil society, both in the UK and overseas, in the pursuit of its objectives. This should include working to ensure that the voices of smaller companies and less economically developed countries are heard in global fora. There is an opportunity for the Government to influence global best practice by sharing knowledge of the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) and drawing upon the expertise of our world-class institutes.

The UK should work with allies to ensure global practice in frameworks designed to protect data, and to prevent our adversaries exporting data from around the world to build the massive data sets needed to develop algorithms to automate surveillance systems, military systems and disinformation systems. We need to think about data as a national security asset, which should be subject to an appropriate regime of export controls. Placing greater controls on the collection, aggregation and access to data available to China is a good first step to eliminating an obvious national-security vulnerability.

We recommend that the FCDO prioritises engaging with product teams and technologists, rather than only policy teams, to gain a clearer understanding of the activities of companies that are developing and implementing new technologies, as well as helping to influence the activities of these companies. The Department will need to bring in and develop the internal skills and expertise it needs to effectively engage at this level (Paragraph 16) The UK’s place in shaping the international order

The UK’s position on technology standards vis-à-vis the US and EU remains unclear and the Government’s stance on many elements of the Transatlantic Trade and Technology Partnership remain ambiguous. The UK therefore risks becoming Encoding values: Putting tech at the heart of UK foreign policy 31 a rule-taker rather than a rule-maker. The Government should clearly articulate its position on data sharing, privacy and private-sector regulation, so that it can establish a starting point for discussions on deeper cooperation with the US and the EU. This position should be set out within the forthcoming International Technology Strategy or a related policy document to inform the FCDO’s efforts to influence standards and norms at the international level.

We cannot meaningfully influence the global order without the cooperation and support of our partners. While there is an opportunity for the UK to exercise thought leadership, we cannot go it alone and should not seek to carve out a “fourth way” for the UK in global technology governance. We recommend that the FCDO leverages its diplomatic influence and wider relationships to promote mutual understanding among the world’s different regulatory blocs, to facilitate a cohesive international approach to technology governance, based on the shared values of democracy, openness and human rights.

There is a strong case for the Government to establish deeper partnerships with “digital deciders” such as India, Singapore and Brazil. There is scope for the FCDO to have more dialogue with these countries and to form partnerships around the value of an open and global approach to tech rules and governance to counter the influence of authoritarian governments. The Government should increase its diplomatic efforts with countries who might otherwise align with models of digital authoritarianism, including by offering trade and investment opportunities in support of technologies that support democratic values and human rights. The Government should consider using funding streams such as the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF) to support this work. (Paragraph 39) Linking domestic and foreign policy: bolstering national capabilities to exert national influence

The integration of technology within UK foreign policy should reflect the intrinsic links between the UK’s domestic capabilities and its global influence. The Government’s recent measures to encourage growth and support start-ups within the UK technology sector are welcome, but they have been undermined by the Government’s previous reticence to review and intervene in foreign investments that risk moving strategically important UK businesses overseas. This slow erosion of our domestic capabilities has implications for our ability to project influence internationally. In its response to this report, we ask that the FCDO sets out and then reports back to the Committee on its plans and progress in integrating this work between departments. (Paragraph 44) Measuring FCDO progress in delivering on the Government’s leadership ambitions

The FCDO’s forthcoming International Technology Strategy should set out clear objectives and targeted actions for achieving them, to be used as a blueprint or framework that diplomats can easily use to guide their decisions and activities at Post level and to ensure a coherent approach across the FCDO’s global network. (Paragraph 47) 32 Encoding values: Putting tech at the heart of UK foreign policy

We recommend that the FCDO designs and publishes in its forthcoming International Technology Strategy metrics on how it is supporting the Integrated Review’s goal of establishing the UK as a science & tech superpower. Performance against these metrics should be set out in the Department’s annual report and accounts. (Paragraph 48) Encoding values: Putting tech at the heart of UK foreign policy 33