I wanted to share a new report from thes Digital Trade and Data Governance Hub at GWU.    We find that some 68 countries and the European Union struggle to govern various types of data (personal, public, and proprietary) in a comprehensive, democratic and accountable manner.  We conclude that this failure has huge implications for governance of technologies — such as artificial intelligence and augmented/virtual reality — which comprise the next phase of the internet.

In 2021, the Hub created the world’s first mapping of how 51 nations and the EU govern various types of data at the national and international level. The Hub divides data governance into six attributes: strategies; laws and regulations; structural changes; human rights and ethical guidelines; public participation; and mechanisms for international cooperation. The researchers looked for evidence of government activity to evaluate a country’s comprehensive data governance.

Among the key findings in the 2022 report:  

·        The United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, and France take the most comprehensive approach to data governance at the national and international levels.

·        Egypt, Algeria, Botswana, Cuba, and Tanzania are among the countries that are taking baby steps.

·        The United States, the world’s leading digital economy, provides an example of divergence between digital prowess and data governance.

·        In general, less wealthy nations focus their data governance efforts on structural or regulatory actions to govern data. They do little to ensure that data driven technologies do not undermine internationally accepted human rights or ethical norms.

·        Most countries have created advisory committees to govern data and data driven technologies, but these committees are generally composed of academic and business experts.

·        Although most countries seek public comment on strategies and proposed laws and regulations related to data, many of these same case study countries do little to change their data governance policies in response to public concerns. The researchers believe this failure has important implications for technologies such as AI.

The full report can be downloaded here and additional data forming the project can be found here.