State Dept. Advisory Group Proposes ‘Collaboration Group’ to Coordinate International Disaster Response
A State Department advisory group recommended establishing an informal “collaboration group” to allow governments and private companies to work together during an international disaster. The Advisory Committee on International Communications and Information Policy (ACICIP) offered its recommendations at the State Department Thursday, as other officials reported developments of various communications working groups, and Yahoo spoke of its approach to international human rights concerns.
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The collaboration group would be a centralized body to coordinate responses during and after global disasters. ACICIP proposed the group would establish a key contacts database and determine reliable alert methods; establish a mechanism for cross credentialing and verification of response personnel; and document and share plans for pre-positioned equipment and personnel. It would also share training curriculum and a certified personnel database to support global preparation and responses; initiate discussions to share operational expertise and discuss regulatory impacts; and establish memoranda of understanding where required to enable collaboration during response. After a disaster, the group would collect feedback, develop corrective actions, and determine if activities that supported effective collaboration are repeatable.
Ebele Okobi, director of the business and human rights program at Yahoo, spoke of the problems Yahoo and other information, communications and technology (ICT) companies face in countries that have human rights issues. The primary problems arise when governments are “too visible,” and interested in getting data about individuals, Okobi said. The challenge for companies like Yahoo is how to ensure human rights given economic realities and varying “human rights landscapes” and laws around the world, she said.
In addition to the “usual suspects” of China and Middle East countries, she said Yahoo faces this issue everywhere in the world. When Yahoo sets up operations in a country, its human rights program conducts “impact assessments” to determine best data practices. In Vietnam, for instance, the group contributed to decisions regarding where to store the data, how much access to grant, and “escalation paths” in case of problems, Okobi said. “If a government makes a demand, those employees can be very much at risk."
John Spilsbury, State Department director of bilateral affairs, spoke of obstacles to international business development in India. It became clear after a June 7 U.S.-India ICT Working Group meeting that new Indian regulations will “pose a direct challenge to our export goals and to the existing business models” used by U.S. companies in India, he said. A set of regulations approved by the Indian Cabinet will establish a local preference in government procurement of ICT equipment and services. “A particularly troubling aspect” is that India is not constrained by World Trade Organization obligations on procurement, and it also applies to procurement of electronic products that “have security implications for the country,” Spilsbury said. This could lead to uncertainty, and the potential that the new regulations could cover electronic procurements related to telecom infrastructure, he said.