Markdown Version | Session Recording

Session Date/Time: 21 Mar 2025 08:00

hrpc

Summary

This session of the Human Rights and Protocol Considerations (HRPC) research group featured two presentations followed by a Q&A session. The first presentation, by Maxigas, covered indigenous 5G networks in India and their potential for non-aligned technological development. The second presentation, by Anita, focused on the ethical considerations of India's Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) in the context of public health. The discussions revolved around the risks and opportunities presented by 5G technologies, the implications of digital public infrastructure on human rights, and the importance of considering use cases and social movements when designing technology.

Key Discussion Points

• Indigenous 5G Networks in India:
  • Potential for non-aligned technological trajectory, avoiding geopolitical dependencies.
  • Current status: strong industrial policy driving development; experimental deployments but no mass deployment.
  • Risks: implementation and deployment may overlook influence of Chinese actors in standards drafting; potential for government control through network slicing and location tracking.
  • Opportunities: community networks managing their own network slices; privacy-enhancing technologies like rotated user identities.
• Ethical Considerations of India's ABDM:
  • Lack of an effective rule of law framework for health data.
  • Privacy by design translating into data-blind consent managers and data exchange.
  • Concerns about predatory downstream data practices and data breaches.
  • Potential for commoditization of health data and insurance-led models.
  • Interference with individual and collective autonomy due to mandatory registration and limited choices.
  • Misuse of interoperability for predatory markets.
  • The effects of technical designs on the lived experience of public health access.
• General Concerns:
  • The term indigenous technology has a confusing mismatch in the context of nation-scale industry policies.
  • The importance of use cases of technology in understanding its most important grass root consequences.

Decisions and Action Items

• None

Next Steps

• Continue the discussion on the HRPC mailing list.
• Further research on the human rights implications of 5G technologies and digital public infrastructure.
• Consider use cases and engage with communities when designing protocols and technical standards.