On February 18, Moscow hosted the Digital Security Forum as the final event of the 13th Safer Runet Week, the main event devoted to addressing the most urgent threats related to content, software and economics, improving digital literacy, preventing incidents, and protecting the rights and freedoms of internet users. The speakers list at the forum included digital industry professionals and representatives of relevant institutions, positive content creators, researchers, education professionals, law enforcement officers, and lawyers.
Andrei Romanov, Deputy Director at the Coordination Center for TLD .RU./РФ, spoke at the opening of the Digital Security Forum. In his presentation, he shared the key takeaways from the report released by the Global Commission on the Stability of Cyberspace in November 2019 at the Paris Peace Forum and at the Internet Governance Forum in Berlin.
“The Global Commission believes that while governments used to be in charge of international peace and security, these matters can no longer be decided without other stakeholders. According to the GCSC, the stability of cyberspace means everyone can be reasonably confident in their ability to use cyberspace safely and securely, where the availability and integrity of services and information provided in and through cyberspace are generally assured, where change is managed in relative peace, and where tensions are resolved in a non-escalatory manner,” Romanov said, adding that the commission started by defining the cybersecurity system structure, proposed the basic principles and norms, and offered a number of recommendations on implementing them in order to support the stable operation of the internet.
Viktoria Bunchuk, head of Social Projects at the Coordination Center, moderated two sessions: Searching for a Positive Information Environment: New Rules, New Practices, and Teaching the Internet. The first session focused on practical steps to promote positive digital content. Topics discussed during the session included laws on positive content, age restriction notices, positive content criteria, and government support. Bunchuk gave a presentation titled Positive Digital Content Criteria and More, where she talked about problems faced by websites offering positive content. For example, quite often well-designed websites with good graphics overshadow positive content websites that have poorer graphics, resulting from the lack of resources to improve the design. “We need to foster the development of resources offering useful and safe content, but this would require a series of initiatives involving the media, socially responsible businesses and of course the state,” she pointed out. Bunchuk went on to say that the Information Security for Children Working Group under the Presidential Commissioner for Children’s Rights has drafted proposals for the Decade of Childhood plan to review government support measures targeting positive content, which is good news. In her presentation, she also set out the criteria for granting support to positive content websites.
The session Teaching the Internet focused on improving education and holding awareness campaigns on using the digital space and averting digital threats. Bunchuk said the Learn the Internet, Govern It! project offered a viable option for promoting digital literacy. She highlighted the project’s social and educational purpose, and also stressed that more people were taking part in it every year. In 2019, more than 17,500 school students competed in the Learn the Internet, Govern It! national championship, while more than 100,000 participants took part in the project overall. The Coordination Center teamed up with major IT companies as well as school and university students as part of the School of Actual Deeds project to develop 120 interactive games and 500 questions for a quiz on digital technology.
Safer Runet Week is the official Russian chapter of Safer Internet Day, an international initiative designed to raise awareness among internet experts and users on digital safety. Established in 2004, Safer Internet Day has evolved into a global initiative, and is currently observed in 80 percent of countries around the world, including in Russia.
