Advocacy statements

The development of artificial intelligence (AI) today is hindered by limited computational power, largely controlled by concentrated markets dominated by Big Tech. High-performance chips crucial for large AI models are further restricted through vertical integration and a centralized cloud market. As AI's economic importance grows, access to…

The use of trade secrets to enclose the data undergirding artificial intelligence (AI) systems is a dimension that remains under-explored. IT for Change and Data Privacy Brasil submitted a policy brief to the T20 which posits that the data enclosed in trade secrets by digital transnational corporations has the effect of stifling genuine…

IT for Change’s Executive Director, Anita Gurumurthy, participated in a roundtable discussion at the WSIS+20 Forum High-Level Event 2024, titled, ‘Unlocking Multistakeholder Cooperation within the UN System: Global Partnerships for Open Internet,’ on 29 May 2024. The roundtable discussion aimed to facilitate a policy conversation and offer…

IT for Change’s Executive Director, Anita Gurumurthy, participated in a panel discussion at the WSIS+20 Forum High-Level Event 2024, titled, ‘Digital Policy Perspectives’ on 30 May 2024. The panel analyzed how digital policies can foster an environment that champions both equity and inclusion, ensuring that no one is left behind. The speakers…

IT for Change, in collaboration with the Centre for Labour Studies, National Law School of India University, Bengaluru, presented to the Karnataka government a memo on creating a government-supported ride-hailing platform in the state. The memo focused on the issues and challenges faced by new entrants in digital markets like ride-hailing…

The Global Digital Justice Forum (GDJ Forum) was invited by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) to submit a civil society statement to the Chairperson and organizers of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS)+20 Forum High-Level Event 2024, which was held from 27 to 31 May 2024, co-organized by ITU, UNESCO, UNDP and…

IT for Change's Executive Director Anita Gurumurthy and Research Associate Merrin Muhammad Ashraf submitted a response to the Office of the Secretary-General's Envoy on Technology's (OSET) AI Risk Pulse Check survey as part of a horizon-scanning exercise on AI. The purpose of the Pulse check is to understand AI risks globally, as well as fine…

Our Research Assistant, Merrin Muhammed Ashraf, represented IT for Change at a virtual meeting convened by the co-facilitators of the Global Digital Compact (GDC) on 21 May 2024. The goal of the meeting was to provide an update on the GDC process while giving stakeholders the opportunity to exchange views on the Rev1 (Revised Text 1) of the…

IT for Change, in collaboration with Rishab Bailey, an independent tech policy consultant, responded to the call for public comments on the draft Digital Competition Bill, recommended by the Committee on Digital Competition Law.* The response agrees with the need for having an ex-ante framework to address digital competition. In particular, it…

The UN Secretary-General’s High-Level Advisory Body on Artificial Intelligence (AIAB) published an interim report on Governing AI for Humanity in December 2023. The initial proposal aimed to strengthen the international governance of AI by carrying out seven critical functions, which would contribute to reaching the Sustainable Development…