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AI value alignment must be subject to public deliberation, not decided by developers alone

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Arguments for

Democratic legitimacy

Because AI will shape societies and embodies ethical choices, proponents argue its bounds, defaults, and moral assumptions cannot be set behind closed doors by companies or developers. They say leaving those choices to a few would impose a private moral vision on everyone else and lacks democratic legitimacy.

You should not expect the most powerful people in the world using the most powerful technology ever conceived in a way that is inscrutable to the public to turn out well, and you should see that dynamic as fundamentally inconsistent with a democratic republic.

Dean W. Ball · Jul 28, 2026 · full quote
We cannot be satisfied with merely calling for the moralization of machines — the so-called “alignment” of AI with human values — without also having the courage to insist on a further condition: the possibility of openly discussing the ethical frameworks involved and subjecting …

Pope Leo XIV · May 15, 2026 · full quote
The future of AI and the fate of humanity must not be decided behind closed doors in Silicon Valley by billionaires seeking to maximize their power and profit. It must be decided by workers, parents, teachers, artists, scientists, communities and the American people.

Bernie Sanders · Jun 18, 2026 · full quote
The potential and peril of AI were too significant, too far-reaching and too consequential to be left to a few.

Annalena Baerbock · Jul 6, 2026 · full quote
But the governance of the most powerful systems, as well as decisions regarding their deployment, must have strong public oversight. We believe people around the world should democratically decide on the bounds and defaults for AI systems. Second, we believe it would be unintuit…

Sam Altman · 2023 · full quote

Affected voices matter

Since AI affects workplaces, healthcare, education, accessibility, and childhood, supporters say the people living with its consequences should help shape how it is designed, used, and governed. They emphasize meaningful roles for workers, patients, children, people with disabilities, and citizens generally.

The third is participation: the principle that Canadians should actively shape how AI is used in their lives, their workplaces, and their communities. That means individuals deciding when and how AI belongs in their daily lives. It means workers and professionals helping shape ho…

Government of Canada · Jun 8, 2026 · full quote
To deliver on the promise of technology to enhance lives, inside and out of the workplace, AI must be designed, governed and negotiated by and for workers. Our guiding principle is simple: change must be done with working people, not to them.

Paul Nowak · May 29, 2026 · full quote
Artificial intelligence has the potential to be one of the most transformative accessibility tools of our generation. But innovation alone is not enough. As the Government of Canada implements its new AI Strategy, accessibility must be built in by design, not added as an aftertho…

Christopher T. Sutton · Jun 8, 2026 · full quote
The AI Commission puts patients’ voices at the centre, bringing too often unheard perspectives from the margins into the heart of decision-making. This means patient experience directly shapes how these technologies are developed, regulated and used in practice.

Henrietta Hughes · Jun 11, 2026 · full quote
Think also of children's rights to expression, participation, education, and information in a digital age, all of which they are calling for actively, and their voices must also be heard, even if not quite in this room today.

Sonia Livingstone · Jul 7, 2026 · full quote
For Germany, a multi-stakeholder approach is a necessity. Industry, academia, and civil society, especially from underrepresented regions, must have a meaningful seat at the table. This approach must also include those who will feel the impact of AI most directly: workers, learne…

Karsten Wildberger · Jul 7, 2026 · full quote

Global co-authorship

Many quotes extend the argument beyond national publics, saying AI rules should not be written by a few dominant actors and then applied to everyone else. Countries and communities outside today's centers of power should be able to govern systems in ways that reflect their own languages, institutions, and development priorities.

Second, global AI governance must be inclusive and representative. Standards and regulatory frameworks solutions should not be developed by a few and applied to many.

Government of Bangladesh · Jul 7, 2026 · full quote
The architecture of the AI age is being drawn right now, and more than half the world’s nations are not holding the pen. What we face is more than an implementation gap. It is a question of equity and of who shapes the rules of the AI age, and who must simply live by them.

Deemah AlYahya · Jul 8, 2026 · full quote
Those furthest from today's centers of power must be co-authors of this future, with a meaningful role in building the infrastructure, shaping the rules, and sharing fairly in the value created.

Halla Tómasdóttir · Jul 7, 2026 · full quote
Every country is involved in the AI value chain, whether through data, critical minerals, labour, markets, compute, or cloud capacity. And that means that all should have a meaningful stake in shaping and benefiting from AI. Otherwise, AI will deepen inequalities rather than help…

Volker Türk · Jul 7, 2026 · full quote
Countries should not only receive AI systems delivered elsewhere, they must also be able to build, adopt, evaluate, and govern systems that reflect their own languages, institutions, cultural context, and development priorities.

Government of Philippines · Jul 6, 2026 · full quote
Romania believes that AI race not— should not be settled only by those who train the most capable front models. Romania pleads for an approach that balances opportunity with risk and that keeps the door open for every country to be co-authors of this age, not their spectators.

Romanian National Authority for Management and Regulation in Communications · Jul 7, 2026 · full quote

Accountability builds safety

Supporters link public deliberation to concrete oversight tools such as independent audits, disclosure of testing limits and failures, and meaningful human oversight. In this view, standards set by a few actors are neither fully accountable nor fully safe, and transparency is necessary for public trust.

A safety standard that is set by a few is not accountable and it is not safe.

Rebecca Finlay · Jul 7, 2026 · full quote
SB 315 is the strongest AI safety law in the country. It builds on the frameworks California and New York have already passed and goes one step further by requiring independent audits, so the public doesn't have to take AI companies at their word. Illinois has set the new standar…

Sunny Gandhi · Jul 6, 2026 · full quote
Safety claims must be accompanied by the conditions under which systems were tested, known limitations and failure rates disaggregated by language, gender, disability, region, skin tone, and more. Disclosure of training data provenance must be standard. We cannot hold a system ac…

Shumaila Husseini Shahani · Jul 7, 2026 · full quote
A human-centric approach focusing on the needs and perspectives of human beings must remain at the heart of AI development and use, ensuring that people and their rights remain central throughout the lifecycle of AI systems. At the same time, AI governance must remain inclusive a…

Government of Czechia · Jul 7, 2026 · full quote
Frontier model AI systems have the potential to be used for many good things. However, due to their massive computing power, they also could cause catastrophic events, such as cyberattacks or the system evading control by developers or users. In the absence of federal oversight o…

Kwame Raoul · Jul 6, 2026 · full quote
Public input is critical to ensuring that powerful AI serves humanity’s interests.

Anthropic · Jun 12, 2026 · full quote

Shared governance capacity

Another line of argument is institutional: AI governance is too consequential and technically complex for any one sector to handle by itself. Governments, industry, civil society, researchers, and the technical community are described as bringing different kinds of knowledge needed to define and steward AI collectively.

Resolving these questions obviously cannot and should not be left to technologists alone. It requires every part of society to come together to help define this new chapter.

Demis Hassabis · Jul 14, 2026 · full quote
We do need an approach that is inclusive, that makes room for every government in the world, as well as multi-stakeholder conversations as were happening right now today. Government cannot act alone. The private sector cannot act alone.

Brad Smith · Jul 7, 2026 · full quote
AI governance cannot be written by governments or technology companies alone. Civil society, researchers, and the technical community bring knowledge that we lack. And it's our task to give this multi-stakeholder real seats at the real table.

Billemijn Aerts · Jul 7, 2026 · full quote
When we have seen success in digital cooperation at the global level, that has been when governments, civil society, the technical community, academia, the private sector, and international organizations have worked together. AI governance should build on that, not replace it.

Association for Progressive Communications · Jul 7, 2026 · full quote
AI governance is a shared responsibility. No single institution can meet this challenge alone. By combining our mandates, expertise, and global networks, and by engaging governments, the private sector, academia, and civil society, we can help bridge capacity gaps and ensure that…

UNESCO · Jul 6, 2026 · full quote
Realizing these goals requires a multistakeholder approach including elected officials, government workers, civil society, academia, and industry.

Partnership on AI · Feb 2026 · full quote

Middle ground

Values and expertise

Several supporters draw a division of labor: democratic processes should set public values, priorities, and boundaries, while experts translate those choices into technical implementation and safety frameworks. On this view, public deliberation is not a substitute for expertise but a way to direct it.

Representative AI Governance is not a replacement for expertise, but instead channels experts to focus on the issues most critical to the public. In this governance arrangement, the public defines the values and the priorities and experts provide the technical implementation.

Kris Rose · Jun 17, 2026 · full quote
As AI capabilities continue to advance, we believe effective safety frameworks should continue to be developed through democratic institutions, informed by technical expertise and broad stakeholder input, to promote accountability and public trust.

Chris Lehane · Jun 2, 2026 · full quote
key decisions about AI are made via democratic processes and with egalitarian principles, and not just made by AI labs.

Sam Altman · 2026 · full quote
AI governance cannot be written by governments or technology companies alone. Civil society, researchers, and the technical community bring knowledge that we lack. And it's our task to give this multi-stakeholder real seats at the real table.

Billemijn Aerts · Jul 7, 2026 · full quote

Meaningful participation

Some quotes focus on process design, arguing that participation matters only if it shapes agendas, evidence, recommendations, and implementation rather than serving as a ritual of consultation. They call for concrete institutional pathways that connect public deliberation to standards, oversight, and proof that principles are being carried out.

First, we need to treat public participation as a source of evidence. Participation does not just mean collecting or representing views, but making sure that those views shape agendas, evidence priorities, and recommendations.

Gaia Marcus · Jul 7, 2026 · full quote
Ultimately, meaningful inclusion in AI governance is measured not by participation alone, but by influence.

Government of Egypt · Jul 6, 2026 · full quote
Leaders of the emerging AI governance architecture must build political will for participation and commit to creating ‘docking points’ that provide space to hear, consider and engage with evidence from public deliberations across the world.

Citizens' Track on AI · Jul 6, 2026 · full quote
A commitment is needed to embed public participation into the architecture of AI governance. This will link bottom-up capacity building and deliberation with top-down global fora: driving more responsive and inclusive governance decisions while mobilising local communities as all…

Citizens' Track on AI · Jul 6, 2026 · full quote
The world does not need more AI principles. It needs a common way to prove they're being implemented.

Paula Bragantes Zamora · Jul 7, 2026 · full quote

Insights

Many quotes frame public deliberation as multi-stakeholder governance involving governments, civil society, academia, labor, and industry, not public opinion alone.
A recurring distinction is between setting values democratically and implementing them technically, with expertise presented as necessary but not sufficient.
Across the quotes, inclusion is often defined as actual influence over agendas, standards, and oversight, not just being consulted.
The case for broader participation is made at several levels at once: local communities and workers, national citizens and parliaments, and countries outside current centers of power.
Several voices from AI companies or the technical sector also endorse stronger democratic or public oversight, not only government or civil-society actors.

In the provided quotes, speakers from governments, industry, civil society, academia, labor, and faith communities largely converge on the view that AI values should not be set by developers alone. The main live questions in this sample concern institutional design: how to combine public authority with technical expertise, how to make participation consequential rather than symbolic, and how to extend that participation across countries and communities likely to bear AI's effects.

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Results (195 votes):

Total (195 votes)

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For (192)

Dean W. Ball
Author of Hyperdimensional

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votes For and says:

You should not expect the most powerful people in the world using the most powerful technology ever conceived in a way that is inscrutable to the public to turn out well, and you should see that dynamic as fundamentally inconsistent with a democratic...
more AI Verified source (Jul 28, 2026)

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Raphael Warnock
U.S. Senator from Georgia.

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votes For and says:

As artificial intelligence continues to become a larger part of our society, we need to be clear eyed about addressing the potential problems and perils of this technology. That is why I am joining Senator Cruz in addressing AI’s implications for hum...
more AI Verified source (Jul 23, 2026)

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Ted Cruz
U.S. Senator from Texas and Chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee.

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votes For and says:

Emerging technologies have the potential to improve everyday life and strengthen America’s position on the global stage. But as these technologies continue to evolve, we should carefully consider the ethical questions they raise and ensure human dign...
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Xi Jinping
President of the People's Republic of China.

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votes For and says:

We must shape the values of AI with humanity’s common values, and make good use of AI technologies to increase understanding, tolerance, exchanges, and sharing among all civilizations.
AI Verified source (Jul 17, 2026)

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Demis Hassabis
Nobel laureate, AI Researcher and CEO of DeepMind

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votes For and says:

Resolving these questions obviously cannot and should not be left to technologists alone. It requires every part of society to come together to help define this new chapter.
AI Verified source (Jul 14, 2026)

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A Citizens' Track on AI Governance
Global civil-society initiative promoting community assemblies and citizen deliberation in AI governance.

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votes For and says:

Ultimately, all AI governance processes at local, national and global level should have a clear citizens’ track.
AI Verified source (Jul 31, 2026) 1 of 2

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Alondra Nelson
Harold F. Linder Professor at the Institute for Advanced Study; former Acting Director of the White House OSTP

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votes For and says:

The People-First Chatbot Act responds in a forceful way to the concerns many Americans rightly have about this powerful technology as generative AI has moved from novelty to infrastructure over the last four years. The bill's boldness rests on a care...
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Chris Hinchliff

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These big debates are why the Government must embed ongoing public and democratic oversight of the AI transition and legislate for community benefit where infrastructure is built, including a share of the value created locally.
AI Verified source (Jul 8, 2026)

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Deemah AlYahya
Secretary-General of the Digital Cooperation Organization.

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votes For and says:

The architecture of the AI age is being drawn right now, and more than half the world’s nations are not holding the pen. What we face is more than an implementation gap. It is a question of equity and of who shapes the rules of the AI age, and who mu...
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Iqbal Mohamed
UK Member of Parliament for Dewsbury and Batley; former pharmaceutical regulatory professional.

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votes For and says:

A handful of companies run by men answerable to no electorate and standing before no constituents are making decisions right now that will shape healthcare, education, employment, childhood and the economy more than most Acts of this Parliament ever ...
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Neil Duncan-Jordan
UK Member of Parliament for Poole.

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It must make the world fairer, not more unequal, and it should give UK citizens a meaningful say in decisions that will affect their lives.
AI Verified source (Jul 8, 2026)

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James Frith
UK Member of Parliament and Parliamentary Secretary in the Cabinet Office.

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votes For and says:

We must collectively decide how we build a better society in an AI-enabled world. AI must serve us, and not the other way round.
AI Verified source (Jul 8, 2026)

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Concordia AI
AI safety and governance social enterprise with offices in Beijing and Singapore.

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True international cooperation means ensuring that red lines and safety standards are developed inclusively, representing the voices of everyone at the table.
AI Verified source (Jul 7, 2026)

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International Electrotechnical Commission
International standards organization for electrical, electronic, and related technologies.

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votes For and says:

The value of our systems lies in who takes part in it. International organizations, industry, national governments, the private sector, academia, civil society— they all have a voice around the table, and they have a voice in developing international...
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Jalekim Kakkar
Executive Director of the Centre for Communication Governance at National Law University Delhi.

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votes For and says:

We need to replace the onus back on platforms, companies, also governments, parliamentarians, and regulators to set up systems that really truly work safely while allowing for children's autonomy and growth and development.
AI Verified source (Jul 7, 2026)

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Sonia Livingstone
Professor of Social Psychology at the London School of Economics and member of the UN Independent International Scientific Panel on AI.

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Think also of children's rights to expression, participation, education, and information in a digital age, all of which they are calling for actively, and their voices must also be heard, even if not quite in this room today.
AI Verified source (Jul 7, 2026)

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Esther Egobamien-Mshelia
Member of the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).

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votes For and says:

CEDAW tools, including its General Recommendation No. 40, also remind us that women must participate fully and equally in the design, governance, and oversight of AI systems.
AI Verified source (Jul 7, 2026)

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Shumaila Husseini Shahani
Policy and advocacy lead at Tech Global Institute, a policy lab focused on equity and accountability in technology governance.

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votes For and says:

Safety claims must be accompanied by the conditions under which systems were tested, known limitations and failure rates disaggregated by language, gender, disability, region, skin tone, and more. Disclosure of training data provenance must be standa...
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International Development Law Organization
Intergovernmental organization that promotes the rule of law and sustainable development.

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votes For and says:

Human rights and the rule of law must underpin the development and deployment of AI digital technologies, notably in the justice sector. AI systems must be designed in a way that expands access, serves people's needs, and prevents new forms of exclus...
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Anna Åsling
UN representative for the Global Forum for Media Development.

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votes For and says:

We need one public digital infrastructure, including cloud services, that are accessible, affordable, non-discriminatory, and human rights compliant by design, driven by communities including media in the public interest.
AI Verified source (Jul 7, 2026)

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Ulises Canzola
Special Representative for Emerging Technologies of Mexico.

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We should talk about governance, but rather the adoption of a new social contract, not only in the international context but also in national context.
AI Verified source (Jul 7, 2026)

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Philippe Paullier
Assistant Secretary-General, United Nations Youth Office.

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votes For and says:

Young people are the most active users of artificial intelligence. They're actually most of the innovators and the creators within some of these huge AI technology firms, but almost always they are not the decision makers, and they will live the long...
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Roberto Viola
Director-General for Communications, Networks, Content and Technology at the European Commission.

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Moreover, effective and inclusive multistakeholder participation is essential to ensuring sufficient opportunities for meaningful exchanges but also for translating discussions into improved cooperation – not only at this Dialogue but as a key princi...
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Government of Bangladesh
National government of Bangladesh, speaking through its delegation at the UN Global Dialogue on AI Governance in July 2026.

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votes For and says:

Second, global AI governance must be inclusive and representative. Standards and regulatory frameworks solutions should not be developed by a few and applied to many.
AI Verified source (Jul 7, 2026)

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Franco Giandana Di Gena
Policy analyst at Access Now.

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votes For and says:

It calls for recognizing lived experiences and community knowledge as expertise and ensuring those most affected have influence over AI governance.
AI Verified source (Jul 7, 2026)

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European Union
Political and economic union

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votes For and says:

Moreover, effective and inclusive multistakeholder participation is essential to ensuring sufficient opportunities for meaningful exchanges but also for translating discussions into improved cooperation – not only at this Dialogue but as a key princi...
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DiploTech Solutions
Digital-governance organization advocating inclusive, multi-stakeholder AI policy.

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votes For and says:

True inclusion requires concrete capacity building through a global AI capacity fund, and decentralized tri-sectoral diplomatic hubs where diplomats, private innovators, and civil society co-design policy.
AI Verified source (Jul 7, 2026)

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Government of Somalia
National government of Somalia, speaking through its Minister of Communication and Technology at the UN Global Dialogue on AI Governance.

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Somalia welcomes the convening of this timely and important inaugural Global Dialogue on AI Governance. We commend the United Nations for creating an inclusive platform where all member states can contribute to shaping the future of AI.
AI Verified source (Jul 7, 2026)

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Shahza Fatima Khawaja
Pakistan's Minister of Information Technology and Telecommunication.

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votes For and says:

First, inclusion is a voice in writing the rules. Norms, standards, and interoperability frameworks must be authored by both those already at the summit and those who've just started climbing.
AI Verified source (Jul 7, 2026)

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Yoichi Iida
Advisor at Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications and visiting professor at the University of Tokyo.

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The Code of Conduct provides a voluntary framework for those organizations to assess and mitigate risks, and also to disclose relevant information on their risk management. So these frameworks are the very ambitious a multi-stakeholder approach for c...
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