Recommendation 7

HM Government Accepted

7.1 The strategic competition between authoritarian and democratic values will define how technologies shape our future. Authoritarian regimes are increasingly using technology as a tool of oppression. Recognising that in the wrong hands, technology can be used to undermine freedoms and democracy, we will ensure that our investments, and the associated production and applications of new technologies are shaped by our core principles and values. 7.2 Partnerships and collaborations are central to our approach. Alongside strengthening our traditional relationships, we will continue to seek new partnerships which foster cooperation and greater alignment with our values, ensuring technologies promote freedom, not fear. 7.3 We will provide an alternative partnership to that offered by authoritarian regimes, in line with the highest international standards. There is need for a broad, united approach to increase resilience to challenges and threats presented by authoritarian regimes, to ensure that countries have a choice. The forthcoming International Technology Strategy sets out the UK’s alternative offer to techno-authoritarianism by building partnerships and coalitions in line with our core democratic values to ensure technologies are used to promote economic growth, innovation and freedom. 7.4 The Government engages with emerging tech economies in multilateral fora and mini- lateral initiatives. During the UK’s presidency of the 2021 G7, the Government invited Australia, India, Republic of Korea and South Africa to participate, and also brought emerging tech nations including Singapore, Kenya and Mexico into the conversation with major global tech leaders at the 2021 Future Tech Forum. These fora discussed the shared global risks we face with future technologies, and the opportunities that collaboration on tech governance provides, emphasising the importance of embedding open society and human rights principles into the future of tech governance. 7.5 We seek to strengthen partner institutions’ science, technology and innovation capabilities, systems and structures. This supports countries to make informed choices on technology, including the risks, opportunities and appropriate governance mechanisms and helps to shape the international debate around responsible technology development, adoption and use. We will continue to challenge those that endorse an authoritarian approach. 7.6 This includes work under the NCS with middle-ground countries to demonstrate it is possible to address challenges in cyberspace without adopting authoritarian approaches, while enabling innovation, development and growth. We will support countries grappling with digitalisation to build legal and strategic communications expertise, to counter the influence of authoritarian states over the multi-stakeholder system. 7.7 The FCDO has invested in cybersecurity capacity building and on creating a more trusted and resilient cyber ecosystem in key countries for over 10 years and currently manages a portfolio of programmes under the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF), with spending of £24.1m in financial year 2022–23. The CSSF also funds activities focused on digital safety and prevention of online gendered harms. Through the CSSF and Global Partnership in Action against Online Gendered Harms, for which the UK is a founding member, and together with the US, Denmark and others, we support safer online participation and voice, and promote democratic values. The FCDO concentrates effort with selected countries which are most important for achieving the objectives of the National Cyber Strategy, with particular focus on India, the Indo-Pacific region and Africa. This includes partnering with organisations that have regional influence, for example, the ASEAN-Singapore Cyber Capacity Building Centre in South-East Asia and the Organisation of American States in Latin America and the Caribbean. The FCDO works closely with DIT to ensure capacity building aligns with opportunities to drive trade in cyber services. 7.8 The FCDO leads Cyber Dialogues with a range of bilateral partners including India, Singapore and Brazil, as well as the Republic of Korea, Japan, Israel and other key international partners to promote inclusive, responsible and sustainable digital transformation. Through delivering Cyber Dialogues with stakeholders, we seek to build local capacity on digital development and establishing partnerships with telecom regulators. These are being supplemented by an increasing number of joint cyber and technology partnership meetings, as recently established by the Foreign Secretary with Australia. Linking domestic and foreign policy: bolstering national capabilities to exert national influence