Key conclusions
Digitalization is so omnipresent it has become an addiction
“Digital addiction has reached unprecedented levels and continues to grow. We’re talking about an addiction on the part of most of us to the Internet and the digital environment, and it’s especially dangerous when it comes to children ..., this digital addiction is also a danger for the dependence it creates in the government’s administrative system. Nowadays, the digital system handles air traffic and railway routes, supplies heat and water to homes, and controls the state accounting and control system. Most of us can’t even imagine life without the services we’ve grown used to that change our lives and make them easier,” Aleksandr Khinshtein, Chairman of the Committee of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation on Information Policy, Information Technology and Communications.
“Obviously, it's already an integral part of our lives, but what we’re talking about is a ridiculous digital obesity. It’s really overkill. And those stepping up to defend it would appear to be adults defending their own digital addictions. They can’t imagine themselves without a smartphone,” Igor Ashmanov, General Director, Kribrum; Managing Partner, Ashmanov and Partners.
The popularity of social media continues to increase and needs quality content
“The internet and the digital world have now become inseparable parts of our lives. Consumption patterns are changing, new influencers are emerging. This can’t be ignored, but now we have an opportunity to expand the information bubble by looking to content focussed on education and development,” Marina Krasnova, General Director, VKontakte.
“Social networks are a medium; it’s the content that presents a slightly different problem. We can travel by sky, land, and sea. There are rules in place for doing so, and they’re clear. That’s not the case when it comes to the centralization of the information environment. We need a clear system of coordinates,” Valentina Barabanshchikova, Head of the Department of Psychological Work, Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation.
PROBLEMS
A lack of digital solutions could leave people helpless
“There’s always a downside to convenience. I think about a digital apocalypse following a gigantic worldwide disruption in service, a complete network shutdown, at least of the internet, and maybe even all communication services, and people will be left with a sense of utter helplessness. The consequences will be serious and negative, not in terms of our existence and our dependence on our phones, but in terms of how long it will take us to get planes back up in the air and trains running again,” Aleksandr Khinshtein, Chairman of the Committee of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation on Information Policy, Information Technology and Communications.
“It would take just one day to shut down almost all the phones in the country. The real cyber war has yet to begin, and the more dependent we are, the greater the danger. So digital hygiene is a necessity for all of us, for the market and the state,” Igor Ashmanov, General Director, Kribrum; Managing Partner, Ashmanov and Partners.
Cybercrime is on the rise and personal data could become an object of trade
“We have problems with cybercrime and crime related to information technology. More than a quarter of all registered crimes are committed with the help of ITT (information and telecommunication technologies). And there are crimes related to personal data breaches. It’s also a question of protecting people from negative manifestations of the digital environment, like bullying, or to be more precise, cyberbullying, death groups, spam, and so on,” Aleksandr Khinshtein, Chairman of the Committee of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation on Information Policy, Information Technology and Communications.
“Personal user data mustn’t become an object of trade or a new market. Personal data, and even more so biometric data, isn’t just the new oil, as they say, it is a matter of protecting the individual himself,” Aleksandr Khinshtein, Chairman of the Committee of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation on Information Policy, Information Technology and Communications.
The adoption of artificial intelligence goes hand in hand with ethical issues
“Breakthroughs in artificial intelligence are giving rise to ethical questions. How can we ensure that human beings are not taken hostage by these technologies? ... Artificial intelligence is now beginning to replace humans. What can we do to ensure that people remain in control, that they retain their right to control the new technologies and aren’t forced to switch places with them?” Aleksandr Khinshtein, Chairman of the Committee of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation on Information Policy, Information Technology and Communications.
Social media facilitates self-expression and brings us together with those of like mind, but the quality of the content is often poor
“The most important thing about social networks is the way you can express yourself and find others who are of a like mind. We are creating technologies that make it possible for ordinary users to compete with seasoned veterans for audiences. They make up communities for every topic under the sun,” Marina Krasnova, General Director, VKontakte.
“Social networks create a venue where people can socialize and show off what they want to, but for some reason the things they choose to show off aren’t very nice. They gather people of their own kind around them. I would say that a certain percentage of the people who start living on social media end up becoming marginalized,” Mikhail Kovalchuk, President, National Research Centre ‘Kurchatov Institute’.
“A social network is, after all, a medium that leads to disassociation. It pulls people apart into these very marginal thematic capsules where their fixations are only further reinforced,” Igor Ashmanov, General Director, Kribrum; Managing Partner, Ashmanov and Partners.
SOLUTIONS
Personal and biometric data needs national level protection
“It is essential that personal data, especially biometric data, be kept in state information systems. We are now faced with the task of creating a national unified biometric system,” Aleksandr Khinshtein, Chairman of the Committee of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation on Information Policy, Information Technology and Communications.
Companies working together to address ethical issues
“Business is willing to be a part of many aspects of the ethical conversation. Last autumn, Russia’s biggest companies signed the country’s first code of ethics for artificial intelligence,” Aleksandr Khinshtein, Chairman of the Committee of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation on Information Policy, Information Technology and Communications.
Digital hygiene needs to be taught from childhood
“If we can focus on people and guide them through a frame of reference, we’ll get where we need to go. We will create internal regulators to keep them safe and prevent problems from arising on the internet and social media,” Valentina Barabanshchikova, Head of the Department of Psychological Work, Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation.
“We need to teach digital hygiene. Yulia Shoigu, Valentina Barabanshchikova, and I actually participated in the creation of a new Health and Wellness course for schools and talked specifically about digital hygiene, as we continue to do now,” Igor Ashmanov, General Director, Kribrum; Managing Partner, Ashmanov and Partners.
