Thread by @ISIS_MY

The third and final day of #33APR begins with two concurrent sessions. The first is Concurrent Session 3: Technological Rivalry & National Security.

@MohanCRaja @leemakiyama

#33APR Dr Zheng Liang - We need to recognise the changing trends in digitalisation and the digital economy. Attributes of resources such as information, which is naturally "shareable", today pose difficult questions. For one, who owns these information?

Security issues not just limited to the private sector, but also the public sector who owns most of the data. Consequently, data governance issues should go beyond governing what the private sector can do to also include the public sector and governments. #33APR

Moving forward, need to be deliberate about how regulations are implemented. Businesses should not be disproportionately impacted by regulation. Data security needs to be ensured, but also need to explore potential data value. #33APR

So what we need now is a global collaboration, not just between the US and China, but other countries too. There is a need for unified regulations and norms, governance framework and more international regulations on areas such as artificial intelligence, 5G usage, etc.

#33APR @leemakiyama - There is no technological rivalry because the US has no companies to protect in the 5G era. This is compared against Huawei. It is domestically operated, privately owned, and free market oriented. As it stands, it is taking 1/3 of the global market.

Are there risks when it comes to using Huawei equipment? Of course. Its software does not hold to the same standards as European vendors. In fact Huawei's employee was caught for spying in Poland. Relationship between the private sector and Chinese state complicated. #33APR

China's National Intelligence Law passed in 2017 is the main concern here. This law essentially obligates businesses to hand over any data to the Chinese government if so requested. This then leads to the question, "do we trust the Chinese government?" #33APR

#33APR Dr Jasmine Begum - Microsoft has proposed the Digital Geneva Convention involving nation-states. As it stands there are 50+ countries with defensive capabilities, 38+ with offensive capabilities, 95+ are developing legislations, 70+ countries with cybersecurity strategies.

State sponsored attacks are on the rise, and this is not just the fault of the technology companies/players. With regards to procurement processes, the government is also not moving on. They are still adopting analogue procuring principles which introduces new risks. #33APR

#33APR Nur Sulyna Abdullah - Any machine that can connect to WiFi are exposed to hacking. This even includes cows equipped with RFID chips! When the Internet of Things further mainstream, the risk will increase exponentially as number of devices connected to the internet rises

With this, the roles played by norms, meaning what are acceptable/how states behave, is pivotal. ASEAN has made inroads here, with ASEAN Ministers having adopted the 11 UNGGE voluntary norms. #33APR.

But government/regulators cannot do it alone. Participation of private sector, who also hold large amounts of data is crucial. For example, social media companies need to cooperate to assist in due process/evidence law to discover information on cyber-offences. #33APR

#33APR @MohanCRaja - There has been work on developing a code of ethics like the Digital Geneva Convention. This is to address cyber attacks by including the private/public sectors. But questions still remain of the applicability of the law of armed conflict in the cyber realm?

Concurrent Session 4: Summits on the Korean Peninsula: Light at the End of the Tunnel? #33APR

@RalphCossa

Ralph Cossa begins by stating the obvious, but is always overlooked in that there needs to be an official agreement on what denuclearisation means and what are the steps taken for it. #33APR

#33APR Ambassador Chun Yung Woo - We are worse off compared to past years with our relationship with DPRK and it’s continuous belligerence in nuclear weapons. The official agreement on denuclearisation still has not been concluded nor has it positively progressed.

Kim Jong-un is too confident after Singapore as it reflected exactly what NK wanted for decades that is to bring in new relations, peace regimes after sanctions are lifted. From this position, he had overestimated @realDonaldTrump's domestic problems and weaknesses. #33APR

That being said we must acknowledge that KJU is not backing down and he can still camp on his original position. I believe NK will never denuclearise regardless of the position it is in. Only maybe when calculations change and DPRK realises that nuclear weapons would be a-
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-threat to their survival, maybe denuclearisation would be a possibility. In ROK, President Moon is impatient for progress on inter-Korea relations. This sends out a confusing signal on what is prioritised by Seoul, inter-Korean relations or denuclearisation? #33APR

Moon believes that momentum to mend relations will subside over time. Hence why he wants sanctions to be lifted. Further he gives the impression that he wants to continue with economic projects, regardless of denuclearisation, which is impossible without lifting sanctions. #33APR

#33APR Dr Geetha Govindasamy - Summits are important and progress in the ROK-DPRK relationship is a positive development. However the gap on denuclearisation is getting bigger as there is no roadmap. Complete disarmament is impossible as who will be monitoring compliancy? #33APR

With the existing NK-SK, NK-US relations, a multilateral-framework would play a better role in ensuring the peace process actually takes place. Throwing a spanner into the works is the unpredictability of @realDonaldTrump, and the nearing elections. Would momentum persist? #33APR

The last Plenary Session for #33APR on "State-Sponsored Influence Operations in the Digital Age" begins!

#33APR John Brandon @Asia_Foundation - Technology has the ability to bring people together but there is an increasing dark side to it. MIT's study in 2018 showed 2 things: Falsehoods are more likely to be RTed. Less likely for people to correct false content even after debunked.

#33APR Dr Shashi Jayakumar @RSIS_NTU - In the lead up to passing the Singapore's Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA), the published Parliamentary report determined that there is a need for legislation to deal with emerging disinformation operations.

Singapore and wider SEA is determined to be a theatre for information operations. This being so POFMA seen as draconian by social media users/companies. However, close examination of POFMA indicates that its application is more nuanced than a simple order for a takedown. #33APR

Singapore government is emphasising corrective action against falsehoods that can have a corrosive impact on public institutions/wider national integrity. Its application will be interesting to watch, and many are looking to Singapore as a case study. #33APR

Identified threat actors include Russia, and threat narratives include attempts to break a carefully crafted narrative of Singaporean nationhood and citizenship. These actors have a great deal of deniability and it is going to be very hard to clamp down. What Singapore-
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-and others can do is to play the catch-up game well. However in pursuit of this, we need to be careful to not to cut the nose to spite the face. It is all too easy for governments to enact rather draconian measures to protect their cherished values and freedoms. #33APR

#33APR Dev Lewis - What is artificial intelligence (AI) within the context of today’s discussion are machine learning in speech patterns, facial replication and behavioural recognition. These technologies are largely developed by the civilian sector, not security or government.

That being said it is now increasingly being adopted by governments and militaries. Today it does not take that much tools or capital to do it. The software to do so is increasingly accessible to most who can master the skill. The idea that the internet is a free and open-
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-space is increasingly being debunked by those who want to protect against misinformation, ironically. In this landscape, there is increasing space for Chinese internet platforms which have developed sophisticated monitoring mechanisms within their platforms. #33APR

#33APR @leemakiyami - The space for influence operations is highly asymmetrical and very effective for hybrid cyber-warfare, especially for developing countries. Real world impacts of this, too, have been seen with the US Presidential elections and Brexit referendum.

In Brexit, influence operations is thought to have influenced 2-3% of the vote. This is important as the majority was a mere 5%. Russia, and to an extent China, have been successful in influencing established democratic institutions and practices within western countries. #33APR

To build resilience, there needs to be an understanding of the traditions and realities of the target country and society. There also needs to be an acknowledgement that the liberal, rational argument will always lose out in this new, open information sphere. #33APR

Policing and censorship of social media can are strategies to counter. But challenge remains on different standards of what is legal/illegal. For accountability some call for increased transparency. But if remove anonymity from internet users, will it still be attractive? #33APR