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Ransomware: a Crisis in Need of a Global Response

Michael Daniel Opinions

Ransomware has become a lucrative money-making enterprise for criminals and a useful tool for some nations, with consequences for national security, economic prosperity, and public health and safety. Its global nature means that individual countries or organizations cannot successfully thwart this threat alone—it will require complex, sustained, joint, collaborative international action. A U.S. politician once said, “All politics is local.”  …

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The Global Rush for Standards in Blockchain

Anna-Maria Osula Commentary

The European Union aspires to become a leader in producing, adopting and governing new digital technologies such as blockchain and Distributed Ledger technologies (DLT). One strategically important step to achieving this goal is taking a leading role in shaping the rules and standards governing these technologies. Without a strong foothold in setting standards; the EU’s role as an innovative and competitive …

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The Geopolitics of Standardisation

Paul Timmers Commentary

As cybersecurity threats put sovereignty at risk, digital standardisation is getting caught in the maelstrom of geopolitics. The 5G debate – the “geopolitical moment” in the digital transition – showed that most governments largely ignored standardisation at their peril. What is needed is a revised governance of standardisation that is fit for global collaboration and that respects sovereignty. The Financial …