The Growing Tech Focus of the Quad
by Rakeswari Pillai Rajagopalan
July 10, 2022
Introduction:
(Eurasia Review) The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue or the Quad, which includes Australia, India, Japan, and the United States, appears to be taking a particular interest on critical and emerging technologies. From their first summit meeting in March 2021, the focus on technology has been growing.
The March 2021 joint statement stated that the four countries “will begin cooperation on the critical technologies of the future to ensure that innovation is consistent with a free, open, inclusive, and resilient Indo-Pacific.” Further, they noted that the Quad will “launch a critical- and emerging-technology working group to facilitate cooperation on international standards and innovative technologies of the future,” with the Quad efforts focusing on four aspects: “technical standards, 5G diversification and deployment, horizon-scanning, and technology supply chains.”
The subsequent September 2021 meeting of the Quad leaders elaborated on the tech agenda, stating that the Quad countries will work together on emerging technologies, space, and cybersecurity. The buzzwords the Quad used were openness, access and security of the entire tech ecosystem, shared democratic values and respect for universal human rights. Pushing this agenda forward, the Quad countries in September 2021 issued a statement of principles on technology design, development, governance, and use that will lead the region and beyond to responsible, open, and high standards of innovation. Three key principle were highlighted: support for universal values; building trust, integrity, and resilience; and fostering healthy competition and international collaboration to advance the frontier of science and technology.
Elaborating on these, the principles noted the importance of technology development while keeping the sanctity of universal values, including “respect for freedom of expression and privacy,” promoting technology development and usage in line with shared values, including “the autonomy, agency, and dignity of individuals,” and that technology development should be driven by “an equitable and inclusive process that neither involves nor results in unfair discriminatory action.” The principles also noted that “technology should not be misused or abused for malicious activities such as authoritarian surveillance and oppression, for terrorist purposes, or to disseminate disinformation.”
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https://www.eurasiareview.com/1007202 ... nalysis/
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