G7 Interior Ministers coordinate against cybercrime and AI risks

The Ministers of the Interior and Security of the G7 agreed today to coordinate measures to combat sexual exploitation and abuse of minors through the Internet, and to prevent other types of cybercrimes and the risks derived from artificial intelligence (AI) generative.

The heads of the sector from the G7 countries (Germany, Canada, Italy, France, Japan, the United States and the United Kingdom) committed to strengthening collaboration in these and other areas during a three-day meeting that concluded this Sunday at the Mito city, in Ibaraki prefecture (north of Tokyo).

In the statement adopted at the end of the meeting, the ministers highlight the importance of maintaining security in cyberspace, and underline the need to “update the governance of the digital economy in accordance with shared democratic values.”

The document points out concrete principles such as transparency, security and protection against online harassment, hate and abuse, as well as respect for privacy, human rights and fundamental freedoms.

Ministers warn about “increasing dangers” in cyberspace due to child sexual abuse content and other harmful materials that can facilitate illegal and violent acts, and commit to taking further measures to protect citizens from these risks.

In line with the G7 Action Plan approved in 2021 to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse, collaboration with the information and communication technology industry is urged, and companies in this sector are called to implement a series of concrete measures.

These include the adoption of tools to protect underage users, such as blocking access by default to certain content or improving user identification and detection of harmful content processes.

Companies are also asked to collaborate more with the security forces of each territory where they operate to facilitate the arrest of users who violate legislation against the sexual exploitation of minors or child pornography.

In the same sense, they point out the “challenges” presented by emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence generative of text, photo and video, which entail potential problems for intellectual property or new computer crimes of fraud, “phishing” either “ransomware”.

The G7 ministers single out Russia and China for harboring cybercriminals responsible for intellectual property theft and various types of cyber attacks, and underline the need to strengthen international cooperation against them.

The document adopted today also points out the increase in cross-border fraud committed through social networks or telephone calls, a growing problem that also requires better coordination between the Group of Seven and other countries, according to the ministers.

In the specific session of meetings dedicated to this topic, it was highlighted that the economic damages generated by telephone or internet fraud each year amount to around 2.6 billion euros in the United Kingdom or nearly 900 million yen in the United States.