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Improving Technical Security 21 June 2016

Innovations at the edge of the OECD's Ministerial Meeting in Cancun

By Carl GahnbergDirector, Policy Development & Research

The week of the OECD’s ministerial meeting has gotten off to a promising start as more than 170 young students from Mexico and the broader region have gathered for the pre-ministerial hackathon, putting into practice the spirit of innovation and collaboration that defines the digital society.

Organized by the Business and Industry Advisory Committee to the OECD (BIAC) and sponsored and supported by organizations and members of the Internet Technical Advisory Committee to the OECD ( ITAC), the hackathon is focused on app development centered around 4 themes:

  • Cultural Heritage
  • Smart City
  • Social Inclusion
  • Entrepreneurship

Working throughout the night, the teams will present their apps tomorrow afternoon, pitching their accomplishments before a jury with members from government, business and the technical community. Aside from awards to the winning team in each of the 4 themes, there will also be prizes from the co-sponsoring organizations, such as the award sponsored by IEEE for Value Ethical Design, or the best app addressing “Security in the Smart Home”, sponsored by Intel.

As a hands-on creative micro-cosmo within the ministerial week, the event highlights the vast potential that digital solutions can contribute to address challenges and promote opportunities in the digital society – one of the central pillars in the week’s discussions.

It is also a clear and practical illustration to the policy makers that have gathered here this week of the benefits of an open Internet, where permissionless innovation at the edges of this network of networks is the driving force of economic and social prosperity in the 21st century.

This is a message at the heart of ITAC’s contribution to the meeting this week, and a centerpiece of the Internet’s potential to promote a sustainable development of economic growth that is inclusive of all.

Disclaimer: Viewpoints expressed in this post are those of the author and may or may not reflect official Internet Society positions.

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