Australian software tech company, Atlassian, has recently released 8 guiding principles for sound tech policy.
In light of COVID-19, many businesses and organisations have had to reassess their operation. Technology has immediately immersed itself with everyday practices, posing a variety of regulatory and legislative risks. This has resulted in governments and policymakers struggling to keep up with developments in legal tech, financial tech, cryptocurrency, and a whole lot more.
Atlassian is of the opinion that there needs to be a guiding framework to properly integrate technology with modern society. As such, it has proposed 8 guiding principles that “should be considered and tested before passing laws.” These tech policy considerations can be summarised as follows:
1) Have clear objectives – This involves accurately defining the playing field and understanding how policy and law will solve upcoming problems.
2) Understand the use of technology – Before formulating laws, have a concrete understanding of how the technology operates and engage with leading parties.
3) Use regulation “as a scalpel and not a sledgehammer” – Any policy and law must not destabilise the technology sector but rather harmonise it with existing practices.
4) Engage in consultation with stakeholders to recognise technology’s impact on certain parties – Limit burdens on users through prior consultation.
5) Operate on a transparent basis – Technology may be complicated, but regulation should not be. Engage in fair procedures and processes with frequent engagement and insight from stakeholders.
6) Analyse this regulation on a broader scale rather than targeting dominant players – Not every company is Google and thus not deserve to be constrained to the same degree.
7) Since technology operates internationally, recognise how regulation may impact the global digital economy – Take in a holistic view before creating regulation that provides more burden than benefit (for example the Google and the News Media Bargaining Code controversy).
8) Utilise new laws as a framework rather than a ceiling – As tech continues to evolve, build a foundation that is fair and reliable and offers future growth and development.
It is fantastic to see Atlassian take these steps to build discourse over what will inevitably occur in the future. We must consider policy and regulatory issues for technology now so that we can best prepare ourselves for new technology that is always inevitably just around the corner.
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