Digital Public Infrastructure
Contents
Full Title or Meme
Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) is made up of secure and interoperable digital systems that enable the delivery of public services. DPI represents a potentially transformative force that can shape societies worldwide, making them safe, stronger and more inclusive.
- https://safedpi.gitbook.io/safeguards/working-group-documents/reports DPI Safeguards First Interim Report] 2024-04-29 This first Interim Report serves as a foundation for gathering multi-stakeholder feedback. The report is derived from an extensive consultative process and presents early findings on the opportunities presented by DPI and notes the urgent need for guardrails. It presents an actionable framework to guide implementation that purposely avoids potential pitfalls. The report also identifies next steps and timelines for developing the Universal Safeguards for DPI.
- https://www.dpi-safeguards.org/wg-members Working Group Members]
About this Interim Report
This Interim Report is compiled based on extensive research conducted by 44 experts and practitioners in the field of Digital Public Infrastructure and associated transformations.
For questions, feedback or clarification, contact: dpi-safeguards@un.org.
Introduction
Key Priorities of Digital Cooperation Achieving universal connectivity by 2030
- Promoting digital public goods to create a more equitable world
- Ensuring digital inclusion for all, including the most vulnerable
- Strengthening digital capacity building
- Ensuring the protection of human rights in the digital era
- Supporting global cooperation on artificial intelligence
- Promoting trust and security in the digital environment
- Building a more effective architecture for digital cooperation
Trust and equity are key to how DPI can be leveraged to build a safe and inclusive society. Given the fundamental role DPI can play in delivering public services, it is essential that these services benefit all people in a safe and equitable manner, while ensuring that no rights or privileges are degraded or retrogressive measures adopted. To uphold this, the proper actions needed to build a safe and inclusive society should be embedded across all stages of the DPI life cycle, and integrated into all associated legal and regulatory frameworks and governance mechanisms.
Inclusion as a catalyst for equity
Equity has multiple facets. It implies fair and inclusive access to DPI. The aim is not just to make technology available to everyone; it is about tailoring it to be scalable (up or down) and people-friendly, so that engaging with DPI becomes a seamless experience for all, irrespective of background or resources. Equity underpins all Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), hence a focus on equity through the DPI life cycle can accelerate achievement of the SDGs. Ultimately, this means ensuring that the disadvantaged and the most vulnerable people can reap the benefits of inclusive and sustainable development. Inclusivity is essential for fostering equity. It can manifest through design choices that solve problems related to identification or biometric failure, for instance. Similarly, inclusivity should be woven into policies that mandate bias-assessment in service or product delivery. Inclusivity can also be used to incentivize awareness and digital literacy outreach. For marginalized individuals and communities who rely on a government safety net for basic necessities, the consequences of exclusion can be particularly severe and exacerbate existing inequalities.
The DPI Opportunity
The benefit of DPI opportunities also hinges on design and implementation that mitigates any unintended consequences, particularly impacting vulnerable and marginalized populations. By proactively addressing potential risks, it is possible to navigate the complexities of DPI acceleration while fostering safe, inclusive and sustainable outcomes for all.
An Urgent Need for Guardrails
Although DPI has the potential to enable inclusive economic growth and accelerate progress towards SDGs, DPI still poses several risks that may impede progress or cause harm. Improperly or inappropriately designed and implemented DPI may result in risks at all scales of social organization: individual, community (geographical, social etc.), institutional, regional, national and global. Risks to individuals and communities differ according to factors that include, but are not limited to race, ethnicity, gender and disabilities.
Human Rights Violations
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) establishes a common standard of rights for all. These include civil, political, economic, social, and cultural rights. Improperly designed and implemented DPI systems, including the associated governance mechanisms, have been found to present risks of human rights violations including discrimination, exclusion, interference with privacy, and limited or no access to justice and the rule of law.
Market Distortions
Concentration of market power among a few actors may cause harm from and limit the benefits of DPI, for example by limiting sovereignty, services, and consumer protection. The harms of market distortion are most felt in the absence of protection mechanisms.
Actionable Framework
Mitigating and Managing Risks
5.2 Harmonizing Principles A bias for in-country implementation is at the heart of this initiative. The risk categories identified above need to be mitigated, and residual risks need to be managed proactively in the context of each country and its sociopolitical environment. For this to be effective, a set of principles (foundational and operational) are essential to align systemic action by all stakeholders in a holding environment that creates trust and multi-stakeholder responsiveness during implementation.
