Status:
IGF Theme(s) for workshop: Access and Diversity
Main theme question address by workshop: Question 9: Mobile access: what it takes to create opportunities for entrepreneurs, youth and developing country stakeholders?
Concise description of the proposed workshop:
The proliferation of internet-connected mobile devices, coupled with the ability to access and understand data and to communicate with people in real-time, can help fuel economic growth and deliver social goods. These developments offer significant opportunities to help individuals obtain better access to a broad range of increasingly crucial services including transport, healthcare, education and banking.
Location technologies and the data they create are increasingly being used to produce a wave of opportunities that are touching people’s lives around the globe. For example, new mobile and web applications recently deployed during natural disasters such as the historic floods in Australia demonstrated how crowd-sourced social intelligence provided by Ushahidi enabled emergency social data to be integrated into crisis response in a meaningful way.
In Africa, mobile data from nomadic movements has been used to help track and control the spreading of diseases and ensure delivery of crucial medical supplies. In Holland, the tracking of traffic patterns based on mobile phone positions enables the optimisation of vehicle routes, schedules and capacity, driving efficiency and a better allocation of resources.
While the promise of more informed and ‘connected’ consumers and citizens is significant, a key challenge for the industry is how to manage users’ legitimate privacy concerns arising from the exponential growth and use of data about them, including location data. Another challenge is the potential of information overload and overconsumption which would require organisations of all sizes to invest in tools that enable filtering, analysis and actions based on the gathered data to benefit the social and the public good. The objectives of this workshop are to:
(a) Discuss how these (privacy and informational) challenges are addressed in the context of using mobile data for economic and social good
(b) Share best practices and foster dialogue on how policy makers can incentivise innovation and enable growth in services that use mobile data gathered from informed consumers and citizens. What kind of legal and regulatory framework can strike the right balance between innovation and privacy?
Background Paper:
Name of the organiser(s) of the workshop and their affiliation to various stakeholder groups:
- Natasha Jackson: Head of Content, GSMA and Board member of the Family Online Safety Institute (FOSI)
- Pat Walshe: Director of Privacy, GSMA, Member British Computer Society, International Association of Privacy Professionals
Have you, or any of your co-organisers, organised an IGF workshop before?: Yes
Please provide link(s) to workshop(s) or report(s):
Provide the names and affiliations of the panellists you are planning to invite:
[Final details will be updated once the workshop and speakers are confirmed]
For this workshop, we would propose to invite a panel of 5 participants (including the moderator) which could represent the following stakeholder categories:
• Panel Moderator: Ambassador David Gross, Partner, Wiley Rein LLP (confirmed)
• A representative from GSMA: Pat Walshe, Director of Privacy (confirmed)
• A representative from a mobile operator A representative from a mobile application developer
• A representative from an online sector company
The GSMA is working to address mobile privacy related challenges and is also committed to helping establish and shape a culture that respects and protects the privacy of users across the mobile ecosystem. Its work is coordinated through the GSMA Mobile Privacy Initiative. Through this Initiative the GSMA has been working closely with Industry stakeholders, Regulators, Governments and NGOs globally.
The GSMA also leads a number of other initiatives aimed at the developing world for example:
(i) a programme dedicated to promoting “Mobile Money for the Unbanked”, a sustainable, scalable approach to providing convenient and affordable financial services to people who do not have a formal bank account but have access to a mobile phone.
(ii) the mHealth programme: Developing global thought leadership in key mobile health areas to help accelerate the adoption and integration of mobile technologies with healthcare
(iii) the “Development Fund” programme that helps drive commercial mobile services for underserved people in emerging markets.
(iv) mEducation: Accelerating the adoption of mobile education solutions; in particular the use of portable devices with mobile connectivity - smartphones, e-Readers and tablets, in mainstream education settings
Name of Remote Moderator(s):
Yiannis Theodorou, Regulatory Policy Manager, GSMA