Source · Select Committees · Foreign Affairs Committee
Recommendation 1
1
Accepted
Paragraph: 11
The growing influence of private companies in global technology governance, and on the norms and...
Recommendation
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.
Government Response Summary
The Government accepts the need to engage with non-government entities and recognises the important role that tech companies play in our society. The FCDO will engage with private companies and relevant multinational bodies and Minister Norman is the FCDO Minister responsible for Technology.
Paragraph Reference:
11
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
1.1 We accept the Committee’s assessment of the growing influence of non-government entities in the technology landscape, and the potential implications of the UK government not establishing itself within this evolving environment, as leaders in the development of technology governance. 1.2 The UK Government recognises the important role that tech companies play in our society. Big Tech companies, for example Alphabet (including Google), Meta, Amazon, Apple and Microsoft are among the world’s largest companies by market capitalisation. with such organisations will be a key factor in the UK’s success developing itself as a “science and technology superpower.” The Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport is the lead minister for the five Big Tech companies, and holds biannual meetings with each of them. The FCDO recognises the importance of engaging with tech companies on strategic and foreign policy issues. Our US Tech Envoy, based in San Francisco, engages regularly with tech companies at their headquarters, and we are expanding the Tech Envoy network to increase this engagement with tech companies based in different regions. 1.3 The forthcoming International Technology Strategy recognises that to achieve our goals, governments cannot act alone. While governments and international organisations will continue to lead in shaping the future tech governance systems, we are clear on the need to take a multi-stakeholder approach. The strategy articulates the UK’s commitment to ensuring we have a strong and varied network of international partnerships to shape the development and responsible use of technology. This is part of the broader drive to secure the UK’s future international advantage, as highlighted in the National Cyber Strategy (NCS), which sets out our intention to build on existing engagement and take a more activist international leadership role to promote our interests and values in cyberspace. To achieve the UK’s technology ambitions, we will draw on industry, finance, academia, and civil society to drive innovation, provide thought leadership and tackle global challenges. We will continue to push for strong industry participation in the development of international technology standards and governance, as they have a key role in shaping regulation, alongside other stakeholders. 1.4 Values-based governance and regulation is a key priority in the International Technology Strategy. The strategy places emphasis on the importance of the UK Government taking a leading role internationally in influencing and setting these rules, standards and norms that we want to see reflected in the design, development and use of technology and which will enable us to achieve our technology ambitions. We will promote our principles with partners, and through international fora we will influence and shape global governance in line with our principles, which will strengthen open societies, defend democratic values and promote human rights. We support this process by helping partner countries to build their awareness and capacity in relation to the benefits and risks of technology, and the importance of regulation and standards that support inclusive, responsible and sustainable technological and digital transformation. 1.5 HMG, including the FCDO, plays a proactive, leading role by working with partners and through international fora to shape governance, building coalitions to promote our interests, values and principles in the World Trade Organisation (WTO), G7, G20, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI), North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Freedom Online Coalition (FOC), Council of Europe (CoE), Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and the United Nations (UN) system, including the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). Through our engagement with the private sector, academia and civil society, our leadership in multilateral fora and development of strong bilateral relations with like-minded and middle-ground partners, friends and allies we will jointly shape the rules of the future technologies. The FCDO will build on existing work in the multilateral system related to cyber issues, recognising the drivers and impacts of emerging technologies read across to these established multilateral processes. 1.6 Minister Norman is the FCDO Minister responsible for Technology. The FCDO is working closely with departments across government that lead on technology policy, such as DCMS and BEIS, leveraging their policy expertise and relationships with technology companies to deliver the UK’s technology ambitions internationally, including through the development of the International Technology Strategy and its implementation plan.