Transatlantic Tech Talks is a three part mini-series on the Undercurrents podcast feed, produced with the support of Microsoft, which explores the state of international cooperation on digital governance between the United States, the UK and Europe. As technological innovation accelerates, and new digital tools and business models arise, governments are working to develop a framework of regulations to safeguard the rights and interests of their citizens. Not all stakeholders agree, however, on the best way to achieve this. While some advocate a ‘digital cooperation’ approach based on transparency and data-sharing, others are more concerned with maintaining ‘digital sovereignty’.
In this second episode, we explore the issue of digital technical standards, the rules and parameters which govern the development of technologies and ensure interoperability between countries and businesses. Isabella Wilkinson speaks to Emily Taylor, Bilel Jamoussi and Richard Wingfield, who explain why digital technical standards are so vital to the digital economy, and why they are increasingly coming under threat.