Summary
- The "Digital Bill of
Rights," crystallizing President Yoon's digital vision, is announced as
the manifesto for a universal digital order.
- This announcement is a comprehensive
result derived from many global discussions, from the New York Initiative in
September 2022 and the Davos Forum, to lectures at Harvard University and
Sorbonne University, and public conversations integrating diverse input from scholars,
the younger generation, and more.
- Values and five principles
for a digital community of mutual prosperity that global citizens should
collectively embrace are announced.
The Ministry of Science and ICT (Minister Lee Jong Ho, hereinafter
referred to as "MSIT") announced on September 25th (Mon.)
that the "Digital Bill of Rights" will now be formally reported, with
its full contents disclosed for the first time, at the cabinet meeting chaired
by President Yoon Suk Yeol.
President Yoon Suk Yeol, starting with the New York Initiative in
September 2022, engaged in continuous discussions on a "new digital
order" with scholars and business leaders around the world by
participating in a number of international events, such as the Davos Forum, lectures
at Harvard University and Paris-Sorbonne University, the G20 Summit, and the
United Nations General Assembly. In particular, at the recent "Digital
Vision Forum" held at New York University, the President presented the
five basic principles of the "Digital Bill of Rights" in his keynote
speech.
MSIT has been actively supporting the establishment of the "Digital
Bill of Rights," which will in turn set out the foundation for the
establishment of a "new digital order," in line with the President's
digital vision. After the New York Initiative last year, MSIT organized a body
of experts and representatives from various sectors to drive the formulation
process and conducted many activities, namely: 1) Drafting a foresight of
future digital society, 2) Provision of advice on legal and philosophical
matters, 3) Case studies of important digital charters and declarations made
overseas, and 4) Analysis of digital issues with currency. Moreover, MSIT has
led public conversation by operating the "Council for a New Digital
Order," and a series of roundtables which invited a diverse range of
stakeholders, such as university presidents, major academic societies, and
CEOs, to listen to different voices coming from different parts of our society.
The "Digital Bill of Rights" released today is a charter
codifying nation-level standards and principles to synchronize with this era of
deepening digitalization, as well as outlining the basic direction for universal
digital order for guiding the international community. It consists of a
preamble, which lays out the background and objectives of the document, and the
main text, a total of 6 chapters and 28 articles.
The "Digital Bill of Rights" sets forth a blueprint of a digital
society of mutual prosperity, in which the pursuit for digital innovation comes
with just and fair distribution of its benefits. To achieve this exemplary
vision of how future society should be shaped together with all members of the
international community, the "Digital Bill of Rights" defines
principles for action. However, based on the feedback from academia that the
nomenclature "Bill of Rights" does not adequately reflect the nature
of this document, "Charter on the Values and Principles for a Digital
Society of Mutual Prosperity" is formally adopted as the title, and
"Digital Bill of Rights" will be kept in use as the official subtitle
and abbreviation.
The "Digital Bill of Rights" reflects globally shared values
while highlighting our own distinctiveness by incorporating experiences and
philosophies surrounding digital innovation specific to Korea. Unlike
discussions held elsewhere that centers around artificial intelligence (AI), it
encompasses a broad spectrum of digital issues, such as literacy and addressing
disparities. Furthermore, it goes beyond ethical and normative discussions to
emphasize the role of digital innovation by stipulating distinguished
principles and rights, for example, the promotion of the well-being of
humankind through international solidarity and cooperation.
In the first chapter, the Bill defines the fundamental principles for
realizing a "Digital Society of Mutual Prosperity." These principles
regard five aspects: 1) Guarantee of freedom and rights in digital environment,
2) Guarantee of fair access to and equitable opportunities in the digital, 3)
Building a safe and trustworthy digital society, 4) Promotion of digital
innovation based on autonomy and creativity, and 5) Advancement of the
well-being for all humankind. From Chapter 2 to Chapter 6, the Bill defines the
universal rights of citizens and the responsibilities of different entities
(the state, the private sector, and the civil society) in form of more detailed
subprinciples, in order to implement the five fundamental principles dealt in
Chapter 1.
The provisions included in Chapter 2, "Guarantee of freedom and rights
in digital environment" are as follows: "Guarantee of digital
accessibility," for example, equitable access to kiosks and other digital
services for everyone, "Guarantee of access and control over personal
information," for example, securing rights to access, revise, delete, and
transfer of one's own personal information, and "Guarantee of digital
worker's rights," related to platform labor and remote work.
The provisions included in Chapter 3, "Guarantee of fair access to
and equitable opportunities in the digital" are as follows:
"Protection of digital properties," which means that properties in
digital forms, such as data and contents, deserve legal and policy-level
protection, and "Enhancement of digital literacy" to resolve digital
disparities.
The provisions included in Chapter 4, "Building a safe and
trustworthy digital society," an underlying premise to the digital society
of mutual prosperity, are as follows: "Response system to digital
threats," which requires that digital threats be managed through
systematic structures, and "ethical development and utilization of digital
technologies."
The provisions included in Chapter 5, "Promotion of digital
innovation based on autonomy and creativity" are as follows: "Revision
of regulatory framework" to dismantle outdated regulations that do not fit
with digital environment, and "Support for digital innovation," such
as cultivation of expert workforce and research and development (R&D) investment.
Finally, the provisions included in Chapter 6, "Advancement of the
well-being for all humankind" are designed to correspond to the
connectivity and immediacy of digital technologies' international facet. In
detail, it is stipulated that the international community must put concerted
effort for "the establishment of international digital norms" and
"resolution of digital disparities between nations."
The government plans to use the "Digital Bill of Rights" as a standard
to address the challenges in the era of deepening digitalization, and to revise
specific existing laws and regulations. In particular, MSIT will support the
smooth amendment of new legislations in preparation for the coming digital era,
such as "AI Act" and "Digital Inclusivity Act." MSIT will
also support in adjusting policies and institutions across relevant ministries
in accordance with the "Digital Bill of Rights" through the execution
of the "Deepening Digitalization Response Survey."
Additionally, the government will keep its effort to take a leading role
in global discussions for the establishment of digital norms, in this situation
where the global competition for securing normative leadership in AI and the
digital is fierce. By actively participating in discussion on AI and digital
norms and governance with international organizations* such as UN and the
Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the United
States, and the United Kingdom, the government will incorporate contents of the
"Digital Bill of Rights" in the international discourse.
* UN Global
Digital Compact (GDC) Asia-Pacific regional meeting (October 16-17, South
Korea), OECD Digital Rights Workshop (November 6)
Minister Lee Jong Ho of Science and ICT stated that, "Korea's
announcement of the "Digital Bill of Rights" is an expression of
confidence that we could proudly present to the world the global-level
normative order." He further stated, "MSIT is committed to setting
the global normative order in the digital age. Just as the United Kingdom was
in the Industrial Revolution and the United States in the Information
Revolution, Korea will strive to become a pioneering nation in the era of
deepening digitalization."
For further information, please contact the Public
Relations Division (Phone: +82-44-202-4034, E-mail: msitmedia@korea.kr)
of the Ministry of Science and ICT.
Please refer to the attached PDF.