What’s in the news?

• India, Brazil, and South Africa, which have together formed the tripartite IBSA Forum, may play a prominent role in the process of reforming digital governance, at a time when digital geopolitical tensions are showing no signs of easing, according to the Geneva-based DiploFoundation.
• In its report it said that the first tangible results from IBSA’s digital momentum could be expected during India’s G-20 presidency, which, among others, will promote ‘a new gold standard for data’.
• Observing that digitalisation is driving growth in the IBSA economies, the Foundation says that India is the leader among them, with a “vibrant digital economy”.
• But digitalisation also tends to exacerbate major societal tensions that these countries face, including the digital divide, and the need to have digital governance that will reflect local cultural, political, and economic specificities.
• On the issue of data and sustainable development, the Foundation says that India’s G-20 presidency aims for strategic leadership with practical initiatives such as a self-evaluation of nations’ data governance architecture; modernisation of national data systems to regularly incorporate citizen voices and preferences; and transparency principles for governing data.
• The report states that from submarine cables to satellites, digital geopolitical tensions remain stressed in 2023, especially between the United States and China. It lists three main areas of tension: interplay between digital interdependence and sovereignty; infrastructure geopolitics; and data flows in emerging geopolitics. 

https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/ibsa-can-play-prominent-role-in-reforming-digital-governance/article66599285.ece