Select committee: Foreign Affairs Committee
Recommendation 5
Third report - Encoding values: Putting tech at the heart of UK foreign policy
Published 8 Jul 2022
Paragraph 33
Addressed to Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
Foreign Affairs Committee Tech and the future of UK foreign policy All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Recommendation (the committee's words)
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.
From: Foreign Affairs Committee, Third report - Encoding values: Putting tech at the heart of UK foreign policy (HC 170), paragraph 33, 8 July 2022
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 24 October 2022 (deadline 8 September 2022).
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The government states that it "agrees with the Committee's recommendations for the FCDO" on developing international technology policy, while setting out its approach mainly through the forthcoming International Technology Strategy.
- On the growing influence of private companies, it "accept[s] the Committee's assessment" and says FCDO is expanding its Tech Envoy network to increase engagement with tech companies in different regions.
- On export controls and data, it agrees that data challenges are "a national security liability" but says it does "not believe introducing disproportionate restrictions on data transfers is the right response".
- On FCDO skills, it agrees on the need to "upskill our staff" and commits that FCDO "will also establish a secondment programme with the tech sector", with no date stated.
- On metrics, it "recognise[s] the importance" of them, says performance metrics will sit in an internal implementation plan, and says FCDO "will publish in its annual report and accounts" information on international technology partnerships.