National 2021-09-1519:23 Korea ranks 4th in 2021 International Earth Science Olympiad By Kim Bo-eunKorea ranked fourth out of 32 countries in the 14th International Earth Science Olympiad (IESO) held last month, a government foundation said this week. The annual competition for secondary school students was resumed online from Aug. 25 to 30 after last year's event was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 206 students from 32 countries took part in this year's competition.The competition is comprised of a data mining test using big data and a national team field investigation involving a presentation. Along with the competition, the event also held projects where students took part in researching environmental problems and presenting solutions to them.Kim Keum-min, a third-year student at Incheon Science High School, received an "excellent" rating in the data mining test by making it into the top 15 percentile.The excellent rating is equivalent to a gold medal. The IESO usually awards medals, but provided "excellent," "very good" and "good" ratings this year as the competition was held online.Four Korean students received the "very good" rating and three received the "good" rating in the same category. The Korea team also received two "very good" ratings and two "good" ratings in the national team field investigation.This year's competition presented questions on climate change, the COVID-19 pandemic and exploring Mars, enabling students to come up with solutions to pending issues."We will continue to support the students after the competition so that they can become key figures in the field of future science," Korean Foundation for the Advancement of Science & Creativity (KOFAC) President Cho Yul-rae was quoted as saying in a press release.

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Korea ranks 4th in 2021 International Earth Science Olympiad - koreatimes

Astronomy is a bit different from many sciences because you only have a sample size of 1. The cosmos contains everything we can observe, so astronomers cant study multiple universes to see how our universe ticks. But they can create computer simulations of our universe. By tweaking different aspects of their simulation, astronomers can see how things such as dark matter and dark energy play a role in our universe. Now, if you are willing to spring for a fancy hard drive, you can keep one of these simulations in your pocket.

The Uchuu simulation is the largest and most detailed simulation of the universe ever made. It contains 2.1 trillion particles in a space 9.6 billion light-years across. The simulation models the evolution of the universe across more than 13 billion years. It doesnt focus on the formation of stars and planets but instead looks at the behavior of dark matter within an expanding universe. The detail of Uchuu is high enough that the team can identify everything from galaxy clusters to the dark matter halos of individual galaxies. Since dark matter makes up most of the matter in the universe, it is the main driver of galaxy formation and clustering.

It takes a tremendous amount of computational power and storage to create such a detailed model. The team used over 40,000 computer cores and 20 million computer hours to generate their simulation, and it produced more than 3 Petabytes of data. Thats 3,000 Terabytes or 3 million Gigabytes for us mortals. Using high-density compression, however, the team was able to compress their results into a mere 100 Terabytes of storage.

Thats still a tremendous amount of data, but it can be stored on a single drive. For example, the Exadrive from Nimbus is a 100 Tb solid-state drive in a standard 3.5-inch form factor. Granted, it will set you back $40,000, but if you have that kind of change hiding between your couch cushions, why not use it to keep a universe in your pocket. Fortunately, if you dont have that much spare change, you can access the data online. The Uchuu team has their raw data on skiesanduniverses.org, so you can explore their virtual universe all you want.

In addition to being a detailed cosmic simulation, the Uchuu simulation can be used by researchers working on scientific data mining. As large sky surveys and more simulations are created, the data will become so large data mining will play a crucial role in astronomical research. Until that data becomes available, data miners can hone their skills on a pocket universe.

Reference: Ishiyama, Tomoaki, et al. The Uchuu simulations: Data Release 1 and dark matter halo concentrations. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 506.3 (2021): 4210-4231.

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This research was compiled by the Bourse & Bazaar Foundation for The Iran Prime.

President Ebrahim Raisi has prioritized improving Irans faltering economy. He took office in August amid a fifth wave of COVID-19 cases, recurring blackouts, and a currency depreciation. The economy subsequently contracted after five months of growth. Iran also remains under U.S. sanctions. To address these economic challenges, Raisi will need to surround himself with competent managers.

Raisis predecessor, Hassan Rouhani, staffed his economic team with several experienced technocrats who were largely apolitical. His veteran oil minister, Bijan Zanganeh, and central bank governor, Abdolnasser Hemmati, were instrumental in mitigating some of the economic damage inflicted by U.S. sanctions.

Raisis economic team, however, is mostly drawn from conservative networks, including those tied to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Many members of Raisis team were vocal critics of the Rouhani administration. Some of his appointees are relatively unknown even in Iran. Nevertheless, all of Raisis picks to lead ministries responsible for the economy were approved by Parliament, the Majles, which is dominated by conservatives.

Aside from his cabinet, Raisis economic policy will be influenced in part by his appointed advisors. These include Mohammad Mokhber, an economist and former manager of SETAD, a business conglomerate under the control of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Mokhber was appointed as first vice president. Masoud Mirkazemi, who was a trade minister and later oil minister under hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (2005-2013), was tapped to lead the Planning and Budget Office. A former IRGC commander, Mohsen Rezaei, who ran against Raisi in the 2021 presidential election, was appointed as vice president for economic affairs.

Raisis new cabinet is largely composed of men he has deemed expert, efficient and revolutionary. The emphasis on revolutionary reflects a politicisation of economic policymaking that emerged during Hassan Rouhanis presidency (2013-2021). As Iran faced multilateral and unilateral sanctions, advocates for diplomacy and the 2015 nuclear deal sought the lifting of sanctions to boost economic prospects.

But many hardliners, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, prefer to look inward to solve Irans economic problems. They promote the resistance economy model in which Iran would seek to neutralize the impact of sanctions. These lawmakers and officials favor reducing dependence on imports by raising domestic production and replacing foreign technologies with those made at home. Should imports be necessary, they support increased trade with Russia and China as opposed to Western countries, which they consider unreliable.

With Raisi in office, the proponents of the resistance economy are in control of both the legislative and executive branches. The question is to what extent they can implement the resistance economy model given its inherent limitations. As a pragmatic move, Raisis team may also push for the lifting of U.S. sanctions and reintegration into the global economy, which were priorities of the Rouhani administration. The following are profiles of Raisis cabinet ministers responsible for managing the economy.

Ehsan Khandooziwas confirmed asMinister of Economic Affairs and Finance. Born in 1980 in the northern city of Gorgan, Khandoozi holds a bachelors degree in Islamic knowledge and economics from Imam Sadeq University. He also has a masters degree and a doctorate in economics from Science and Research Branch of the Islamic Azad University. Khandoozi is an assistant professor of economics at Allameh Tabatabai University as well as the director of the Islamic Economics Group in the same university.

handoozi has served as:

secretary of the Economic Council of the Islamic Republic of Irans Broadcasting (IRIB)

director of the Center for Economic Research Parliament (2013-2018)

a member of the research council to the Tax Affairs organization

a member of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Finances think tank

economic adviser to the Secretariat of the Expediency Council

a member of the Board for Deregulation and Facilitation of Business Licenses

In 2020, Khandoozi waselectedto Parliament representing Tehran. He became the vice chairman of the Economic Committee and a member of the Transparency and Justice watch board of the Majles. As a lawmaker, Khandoozi was a vocal critic of Rouhani. He focused on tax policy, including capital gains and what to do about empty houses; reorganizing the central bank, amending the audit organization law; reforming the budget structure, and dealing with audit organizations and business licensing arrangements. He also sought amendments to the laws regarding industrial free trade zones and led a caucus focused on business and economic issues in Parliament. The following are remarks from Khandoozi on key issues:

OnU.S. sanctions:

My proposal is that the 11th Parliament establish an expert committee with representatives from relevant commissions instead of taking rushed, ad-hoc and symbolic actions [Responding to] the [U.S.] sanctions room, requires an anti-sanctions room. (June 2020)

On the2015 nuclear deal:

Experience has shown that if sanctions are lifted completely, the U.S. Treasury Department will be able to prevent us from profiting from our foreign exchange and other economic transactions by intimidating and indirectly threatening Iran's trading partners. Accordingly, and given this concern, which has been proven many times, it should be possible to verify the lifting of sanctions in the coming weeks and months by determining measurable indicators. (August 2021)

On theRaisi administrations economic priorities:

It is suggested that the governments economic headquarters control inflationary expectations in the short run and focus on controlling the exchange rate. The priority is with macroeconomic stability and preventing the decrease of public purchasing power. (August 2021)

The most important priority of the ministry of economic affairs and finance is helping create macroeconomic stability and sustainable control of inflation. Record high inflation and decrease in per-capita income has created a large gap between households income expenditure, made it harder for people to afford to eat, and jeopardized the livelihoods of different population groups. (August 2021)

Oncontrolling inflation:

From day one I will do my best for financing the fiscal deficit through non-inflationary methods, controlling the record-high liquidity growth, managing the foreign exchange market and [saying it twice to emphasize the point] managing the foreign exchange market. (August 2021)

Onfinancing the fiscal deficit:

One urgent action in the field of public finance is transiting from this years fiscal deficit with minimum macroeconomic cost. Given the economic costs of borrowing money from the Central Bank, the most important actions to be taken are: 1) demand creation for government bonds, which is easily doable and its instructions will be communicated soon; 2) facilitation of selling of governments assets,; 3) enhancing the role of the treasury in overseeing monetary operations of the Central Bank; 4) development of the debt markets; 5) diversification of Islamic financial bonds and increasing their liquidity; 6) compilation of bond issuing timetable plan, and lastly, a public debt management bill. (August 2021)

On thetax system:

Unfortunately, our tax system is known by three characteristics: a low level of tax revenue (in comparison to) GDP, high tax evasion, and the main burden of tax being on the transparent and law-abiding groups and producers. (August 2021)

OnFinancial Action Task Force (FATF) reforms:

As long as there are sanctions, reviewing and approving the FATF (reforms) will not cure the pain. Meeting the demands of the FATF makes our economic life even more difficult under sanctions. In my opinion, during these extraordinary times, the passage of these two remaining bills and the full implementation of the requirements of the FATF is not a defensible decision The FATF is a very minor issue in our economy today. It is a false premise to think otherwise as some people are constantly talking about the FATF. (March 2021)

Javad Ojiwas confirmed asMinister of Petroleum. Born in 1966 in Shiraz, some 500 miles south of Tehran, Oji has a bachelors degree in petroleum engineering from Petroleum University of Technology. He has been employed by the petroleum ministry since 1969 and worked as the Deputy Minister of Petroleum and CEO of the National Iranian Gas Company during President Mahmoud Ahmadinejads second term (2009-2013).

In replacing the wily technocrat Bijan Zanganeh, Oji brings to the job good relationships with members of the Majles. During the Ahmadinejad administration, Oji signed the second contract covering gas imports from Turkmenistan to the Sarakhs region in 2009. He also established a mechanism with Irans northeastern neighbor to exchange goods as payment for the imported gas to circumvent sanctions.

Gas export contracts with Pakistan and Iraq followed in 2010 and 2013 respectively. Oji was also responsible for implementing a targeted subsidy program to support gas transmission for the National Iranian Gas Company in December 2010.

During his long career, Oji has served as:

chairman of Iran Gas Development Engineering Company

chairman of the Board of Supervisors of Production and Gas Refineries

chairman of the Board of Directors of Petrochemical Industries Investment Holding

a member of the Board of Trustees of the University of Petroleum Industry

In 2020, Oji wassanctionedby the U.S. Treasury for serving as managing director of Sina Energy Development Company (SEDCO). SEDCO was sanctioned for being owned or controlled by Bonyad Mostazafan, a powerful foundation allegedly controlled by Supreme Leader Khamenei. The following are remarks from Khandoozi on key issues:

On theRaisi administrations plans for oil and gas:

He promised to increase oil sales and stated: Considering the political developments with China, the numbers [exports] will be much higher than the current situation. (August 2021)

We should not always seek to sell crude oil We must pursue the discussion of complementary petrochemical chain development, which will lead to both employment and income generation, and requires very low investment. (August 2021)

Onnatural gas production and diplomacy:

In the field of gas supply and consumption, operational solutions can overcome the challenge of negative gas balance. Some solutions in the gas supply sector are short-term and some are long-term. First, we must make maximum use of the unused capacity of the country's gas refineries. In the fields that supply these refineries, due to the pressure drop that has occurred for them, we can compensate for the drop in production by drilling wells and maintaining production as well as by installing pressure boosting stations and unused capacity. We can bring gas refineries back into the orbit. (June 2021)

Another solution for the gas supply issue is pursuing diplomatic efforts. We can increase the country's share in the gas trade by effectively communicating with neighboring countries, which are the world's gas leaders. It is not only the matter of gas exports, but also about gas imports, swaps, and transit. If our neighbors transit their gas through Iran, it will bring income to the country, and we can activate new capacities in the country's gas supply sector. (June 2021)

Seyyed Reza Fatemi Aminwas confirmed asMinister of Industry, Mine and Trade. Born in 1974 in the northern city of Shahroud, Fatemi Amin has a bachelors degree in electronic engineering from Ferdowsi University. He also has a masters degree in economics and social systems engineering from Iran University of Science and Technology. As of 2021, he was in the process of obtaining a doctorate in strategic knowledge management from the University of National Defense. His views on industrial and trade policy are anodyne, but he appears to support replacing imports by upgrading Irans industrial structure using subsidies for advanced technologies.

Amin has held several important executive and managerial roles, including:

deputy minister of development, planning and technology in the Ministry of Industry, Mine and Trade during Ahmadinejads second term

member of the Board of Representatives of both the Tehran and Iran chambers of commerce, industries and mines

consultant and director of investments and partnerships of Astan Qods Razavi (November 2017-March 2020), a major foundation sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury in 2021

deputy of Astan Qods Razavi (January 2019-2021)

The following are remarks by Amin on key issues:

Onunemployment:

The issue of today's unemployment is the issue of unemployment of university graduates. With basic production, mining and business work we cannot create jobs for these graduates. We have to turn to economic drivers: electrical and electronic industries, industrial machinery, and production of automobiles and transportation equipment. (August 2021)

On theautomobile industry:

In the automobile industry we do not have any technical problems. The problems are three things: no competition in industry, low production, and revising and reforming managerial and economic structures. (August 2021)

Oneconomic development:

One of my main concerns is balanced development. We must provide fair distribution of resources and opportunities for all the people of Iran. Balanced development is not just about industry, mines and trade. We should also train and improve human resources in different areas in the country. (August 2021)

On thebusiness environment:

80 percent of the problems in the business ecosystem are not beyond three issues: social insurance, tax and financing. (August 2021)

Oninflation:

Inflation is the chronic disease of the Iranian economy. Treating this disease requires two, two-and-a-half, or three years. (August 2021)

Hojjatollah Abdolmalekiwas confirmed asMinister of Cooperatives, Labor and Social Welfare. Born in 1981 in Shahr-e Rey, just south of Tehran, Hojjatollah Abdolmaleki holds a masters degree in Islamic education and economics from Imam Sadegh University as well as a doctorate in economics from the University of Isfahan. He is a faculty member of Imam Sadegh University, as well as the deputy of employment and self-sufficiency and member of the Board of Trustees of the Imam Khomeini Relief Committee. He also serves as a member of the Central Council of the Popular Front of the IRGC.

Abdolmaleki considers himself a theoretician of resistance economics. He has written eight books on resistance economics and the Islamic and Iranian models of economic development. During Ahmadinejads presidency (2005-2013), Abdolmaleki was a member of the board of directors of the Social Insurance Fund for Villagers and Nomads and was an advisor to the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Finance. He was also a Principlist candidate in the 2016 parliamentary elections, but he did not get enough votes for a seat.

Abdolmaleki has also served as:

secretary of the Economic Council of IRIB

Irans representative to the World Banks International Summit in France (2010)

secretary of the international Seminar on World Development Report 2009 (in collaboration with the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Finance and the World Bank in 2010)

director of the Encyclopedia of Islamic Economics Foundation and executor of the first edition of the encyclopedia (2011-)

The following are remarks by Abdolmaleki on key issues:

Oneconomic openness:

Based on economic openness criteria, our economy is more open than the economy of China. The thing is China has not internally sanctioned its production. It has empowered its production. We have suppressed our production based on the international atmosphere. (May 2021)

Onproduction and use of resources:

In the economic revolution of 2021, the owners of agricultural lands have the right to carry out several different activities, including industrial production, livestock, poultry breeding and fish farming and even construction. Per each percentage change of agricultural land to industrial, livestock or buildings, 12 million additional jobs will be created. (March 2021)

Onunemployment:

For 42-43 years since the Revolution we have taken several actions in the field of employment. However, at this moment do we have information on the status of employment and unemployment of our people? If we enter a national ID, can we find out if the corresponding person is employed or unemployed? If theyre unemployed, are they job seeking? If theyre job seeking, which experiences and skills do they have and which job are they suited for? And if they do not have skills, which kind of skills are they talented and gifted in? No, we do not have this information, therefore we cannot properly make plans. (August 2021)

Aliakbar Mehrabianwas confirmed asMinister of Energy. Born in 1969 in Khansar, about 120 miles south of Tehran, Aliakbar Mehrabian has a bachelors degree in civil engineering from Iran University of Science and Technology and a master's degree in economics from the University of Tehran. As of 2021, Mehrabian was pursuing a doctorate in Economics at the Sciences and Research Branch of Azad University in Tehran. His thesis was on the impact of removal of electricity tariffs on economic growth and household welfare with a resilience economics approach. Mehrabian has expressed strongly protectionist views, perhaps buoyed by his success at increasing domestic production in industries under his purview.

His managerial and executive experiences include serving as:

minister of Industry, Mine and Trade during Ahmadinejads presidency

special assistant to president Ahmadinejad and executor of the Mehr Mandegar project (with the aim of implementing hundreds of large projects, especially dams, power plants, water supply, petrochemical refineries, railways, ports, etc.)

chairman of the Working Group for supporting production of domestic goods.

Mehrabian was also an advisor to Ahmadinejad when he was the mayor of Tehran in the early 2000s. During Mehrabian's tenure as minister of Industry, Mine and Trade (2007 to 2011), Irans crude steel production capacity doubled in a staggering leap. Steel production increased by 41 percent. The clinker and cement industry also recorded unprecedented growth. Cement production capacity increased 66 percent from 2007 to 2012. The following are remarks by Mehrabian on key issues:

Onself-sufficiency:

Today, we are perfectly self-sufficient in many strategic industries, and we dont need imports anymore. (January 2011)

Onplans for utilities:

Based on the four-year plan and vision in collaboration with different sectors and the private sector, we can add 40,000 megawatts to the countrys electricity capacity. (August 2021)

Based on the compiled plan, the level of utilization of rural drinking water, which is currently below 75 percent, will increase to more than 90 percent after four years. (August 2021)

Based on the latest data, 166 sewage/wastewater treatment plants are active in the country. Therefore, we are trying to increase this number by 50 percent in the next four years. (August 2021)

Issa Zarepourwas confirmed asMinister Information and Communication Technology. Born in 1979 or 1980 in the western city of Eslamabad-e Gharb, Zarepour has a bachelors degree in computer engineering from Razi University and a masters degree in computer engineering (software) from Sharif University of Technology. He is one oftwoof Raisis ministers who have earned degrees abroad. Zarepour completed his doctorate at the School of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of New South Wales in Australia. He holds two postdoctoral degrees in the field of computer networks.

Policies set by the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology have a significant impact on the development of Irans digital economy. Zarepours predecessor, Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi, had a reputation for being pro-business. Under Azari Jahromi, the ministry supported the development of a startup ecosystem and the digitalization of major industries. To facilitate growth, Jahromi opposed filtering of social media platforms, which are a major channel for e-commerce in Iran.

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Introducing the New Leaders of Iranian Economic Policy Bourse & Bazaar Foundation - Bourse & Bazaar

The U.K. government has announced a consultation on plans to shake up the national data protection regime, as it looks at how to diverge from European Union rules following Brexit.

Its also a year since the U.K. published a national data strategy in which said it wanted pandemic levels of data sharing to become Britains new normal.

The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCPS) has today trailed an incoming reform of the information commissioners office saying it wants to broaden the ICOs remit to champion sectors and businesses that are using personal data in new, innovative and responsible ways to benefit peoples lives; and promising simplified rules to encourage the use of data for research which benefits peoples lives, such as in the field of healthcare.

It also wants a new structure for the regulator including the creation of an independent board and chief executive for the ICO, to mirror the governance structures of other regulators such as the Competition and Markets Authority, Financial Conduct Authority and Ofcom.

Additionally, it said the data reform consultation will consider how the new regime can help mitigate the risks around algorithmic bias something the EU is already moving to legislate on, setting out a risk-based proposal for regulating applications of AI back in April.

Which means the U.K. risks being left lagging if its only going to concern itself with a narrow focus on bias mitigation, rather than considering the wider sweep of how AI is intersecting with and influencing its citizens lives.

In a press release announcing the consultation, DCMS highlights an artificial intelligence partnership involving Moorfields Eye Hospital and the University College London Institute of Ophthalmology, which kicked off back in 2016, as an example of the kinds of beneficial data sharing it wants to encourage. Last year the researchers reported that their AI had been able to predict the development of wet age-related macular degeneration more accurately than clinicians.

The partnership also involved (Google-owned) DeepMind and now Google Health although the governments PR doesnt make mention of the tech giants involvement. Its an interesting omission, given that DeepMinds name is also attached to a notorious U.K. patient data-sharing scandal, which saw another London-based NHS Trust (the Royal Free) sanctioned by the ICO,in 2017, for improperly sharing patient data with the Google-owned company during the development phase of a clinician support app (which Google is now in the process of discontinuing).

DCMS may be keen to avoid spelling out that its goal for the data reforms aka to remove unnecessary barriers to responsible data use could end up making it easier for commercial entities like Google to get their hands on U.K. citizens medical records.

The sizeable public backlash over the most recent government attempt to requisition NHS users medical records for vaguely defined research purposes (aka the General Practice Data for Planning and Research, or GPDPR, scheme) suggests that a government-enabled big-health-data-free-for-all might not be so popular with U.K. voters.

The governments data reforms will provide clarity around the rules for the use of personal data for research purposes, laying the groundwork for more scientific and medical breakthroughs, is how DCMS PR skirts the sensitive health data sharing topic.

Elsewhere theres talk of reinforc[ing] the responsibility of businesses to keep personal information safe, while empowering them to grow and innovate so that sounds like a yes to data security but what about individual privacy and control over what happens to your information?

The government seems to be saying that will depend on other aims principally economic interests attached to the U.K.s ability to conduct data-driven research or secure trade deals with other countries that dont have the same (current) high U.K. standards of data protection.

There are some purely populist flourishes here too with DCMS couching its ambition for a data regime based on common sense, not box ticking and flagging up plans to beef up penalties for nuisance calls and text messages. Because, sure, who doesnt like the sound of a crackdown on spam?

Except spam text messages and nuisance calls are a pretty quaint concern to zero in on in an era of apps and data-driven, democracy-disrupting mass surveillance which was something the outgoing information commissioner raised as a major issue of concern during her tenure at the ICO.

The same populist anti-spam messaging has already been deployed by ministers to attack the need to obtain internet users consent for dropping tracking cookies which the digital minister Oliver Dowden recently suggested he wants to do away with for all but high risk purposes.

Having a system of rights wrapping peoples data that gives them a say over (and a stake in) how it can be used appears to be being reframed in the governments messaging as irresponsible or even non-patriotic with DCMS pushing the notion that such rights stand in the way of more important economic or highly generalized social goals.

Not that it has presented any evidence for that or even that the U.K.s current data protection regime got in the way of (the very ample) data sharing during COVID-19 While negative uses of peoples information are being condensed in DCMS messaging to the narrowest possible definition of spam thats visible to an individual never mind how that person got targeted with the nuisance calls/spam texts in the first place.

The government is taking its customary cake and eat it approach to spinning its reform plan claiming it will both protect peoples data while also trumpeting the importance of making it really easy for citizens information to be handed off to anyone who wants it, so long as they can claim theyre doing some kind of innovation, while also larding its PR with canned quotes dubbing the plan bold and ambitious.

So while DCMS announcement says the reform will maintain the U.K.s (currently) world-leading data protection standards, it directly rows back saying the new regime will (merely) build on a few broad-brush key elements of the current rules (specifically it says it will keep principles around data processing, peoples data rights and mechanisms for supervision and enforcement).

Clearly the devil will be in the detail of the proposals which are due to be published tomorrow morning. (Update: The consultation document is now on DCMS website and can be found here; the consultation runs until November 19.) So expect more analysis to debunk the spin soon.

But in one specific trailed change DCMS says it wants to move away from a one-size-fits-all approach to data protection compliance and allow organisations to demonstrate compliance in ways more appropriate to their circumstances, while still protecting citizens personal data to a high standard.

That implies that smaller data-mining operations DCMSs PR uses the example of a hairdressers but plenty of startups can employ fewer staff than the average barbers shop may be able to expect to get a pass to ignore those high standards in the future.

Which suggests the U.K.s high standards may, under Dowdens watch, end up resembling more of a Swiss Cheese

The man who is likely to become the U.K.s next information commissioner, New Zealands privacy commissioner John Edwards, was taking questions from a parliamentary committee earlier today, as MPs considered whether to support his appointment to the role.

If hes confirmed in the job, Edwards will be responsible for implementing whatever new data regime the government cooks up.

Under questioning, he rejected the notion that the U.K.s current data protection regime presents a barrier to data sharing arguing that laws like GDPR should rather be seen as a how to and an enabler for innovation.

I would take issue with the dichotomy that you presented [about privacy vs data-sharing], he told the committee chair. I dont believe that policymakers and businesses and governments are faced with a choice of share or keep faith with data protection. Data protection laws and privacy laws would not be necessary if it wasnt necessary to share information. These are two sides of the same coin.

The UK DPA [data protection act] and UK GDPR they are a how to not a dont do. And I think the UK and many jurisdictions have really finally learned that lesson through the COVID-19 crisis. It has been absolutely necessary to have good quality information available, minute by minute. And to move across different organizations where it needs to go, without friction. And there are times when data protection laws and privacy laws introduce friction and I think that what youve seen in the UK is that when it needs to things can happen quickly.

He also suggested that plenty of economic gains could be achieved for the U.K. with some minor tweaks to current rules, rather than a more radical reboot being necessary. (Though clearly setting the rules wont be up to him; his job will be enforcing whatever new regime is decided.)

If we can, in the administration of a law which at the moment looks very much like the UK GDPR, that gives great latitude for different regulatory approaches if I can turn that dial just a couple of points that can make the difference of billions of pounds to the UK economy and thousands of jobs so we dont need to be throwing out the statute book and starting again there is plenty of scope to be making improvements under the current regime, he told MPs. Let alone when we start with a fresh sheet of paper if thats what the government chooses to do.

TechCrunch asked another Edwards (no relation) Newcastle Universitys Lilian Edwards, professor of law, innovation and society for her thoughts on the governments direction of travel, as signalled by DCMS pre-proposal-publication spin, and she expressed similar concerns about the logic driving the government to argue it needs to rip up the existing standards.

The entire scheme of data protection is to balance fundamental rights with the free flow of data. Economic concerns have never been ignored, and the current scheme, which weve had in essence since 1998, has struck a good balance. The great things we did with data during COVID-19 were done completely legally and with no great difficulty under the existing rules so that isnt a reason to change them, she told us.

She also took issue with the plan to reshape the ICO as a quango whose primary job is to drive economic growth pointing out that DCMS PR fails to include any mention of privacy or fundamental rights, and arguing that creating an entirely new regulator isnt likely to do much for the public trust thats seen as declining in almost every poll.

She also suggested the government is glossing over the real economic damage that would hit the U.K. if the EU decides its reformed standards are no longer essentially equivalent to the blocs. [Its] hard to see much concern for adequacy here; which will, for sure, be reviewed, to our detriment prejudicing 43% of our trade for a few low value trade deals and some hopeful sell offs of NHS data (again, likely to take a wrecking ball to trust judging by the GPDPR scandal).

She described the goal of regulating algorithmic bias as applaudable but also flagged the risk of the U.K. falling behind other jurisdictions which are taking a broader look at how to regulate artificial intelligence.

Per DCMS press release, the government seems to be intending for an existing advisory body, called the Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation (CDEI), to have a key role in supporting its policymaking in this area saying that the body will focus on enabling trustworthy use of data and AI in the real-world.However it has still not appointed a new CDEI chair to replace Roger Taylor with only an interim chair appointment (and some new advisors) announced today.

The world has moved on since CDEIs work in this area, argued Edwards. We realise now that regulating the harmful effects of AI has to be considered in the round with other regulatory tools not just data protection. The proposed EU AI Regulation is not without flaw but goes far further than data protection in mandating better quality training sets, and more transparent systems to be built from scratch. If the UK is serious about regulating it has to look at the global models being floated but right now it looks like its main concerns are insular, short-sighted and populist.

Patient data privacy advocacy group MedConfidential, which has frequently locked horns with the government over its approach to data protection, also queried DCMS continued attachment to the CDEI for shaping policymaking in such a crucial area pointing to last years biased algorithm exam grading scandal, which happened under Taylors watch.

(NB: Taylor was also the Ofqual chair, and his resignation from that post in December cited a difficult summer, even as his departure from the CDEI leaves an awkward hole now )

The culture and leadership of CDEI led to the A-Levels algorithm, why should anyone in government have any confidence in what they say next? said MedConfidentials Sam Smith.

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UK dials up the spin on data reform, claiming simplified rules will drive responsible data sharing - TechCrunch