Digital Cooperation Organization to Hold 3rd General Assembly in Bahrain 

Bahrain will host the 3rd General Assembly of the Digital Cooperation Organization (DCO) on Wednesday. (SPA)
Bahrain will host the 3rd General Assembly of the Digital Cooperation Organization (DCO) on Wednesday. (SPA)
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Digital Cooperation Organization to Hold 3rd General Assembly in Bahrain 

Bahrain will host the 3rd General Assembly of the Digital Cooperation Organization (DCO) on Wednesday. (SPA)
Bahrain will host the 3rd General Assembly of the Digital Cooperation Organization (DCO) on Wednesday. (SPA)

Bahrain will host the 3rd General Assembly of the Digital Cooperation Organization (DCO) on Wednesday.

Chaired by Bahrain’s Minister of Transportation and Telecommunications and DCO Chair of the Council Mohammed bin Thamer Al Kaabi, the event will discuss the organization's plans and initiatives aimed at promoting digital prosperity.

In a statement, DCO said ministers and officials representing the 15 DCO Member States and DCO's Secretary-General Deemah AlYahya, high-level delegations from partners and observers, representatives from guest countries and international organizations will attend the event.

They are expected to discuss strategic initiatives to foster global digital cooperation, shed light on the status of the digital economy and ways to overcome challenges faced in achieving inclusive and sustainable growth in this vital sector.

Bharani Minister Mohammed Al Kaabi said: "We are honored to host the 3rd General Assembly of the DCO, bringing together Member States and distinguished guests to discuss achievements and kick off new initiatives that aim to achieve digital prosperity and growth."

Through joint international action and fruitful cooperation, the General Assembly will seek to promote inclusive and sustainable growth of digital transformation and maximize all countries' gains from the opportunities and initiatives available to develop the digital economy, he added.

As a founding member of the DCO, Bahrain is committed to sharing its knowledge and expertise that has contributed to enhancing its economic growth, he stated.

During Bahrain's 2023 presidency, Qatar and Bangladesh joined the DCO as new Member States. Manama also launched the Digital Prosperity Awards to encourage cooperation and facilitate innovation and digital transformation among Member States.

Secretary-General AlYahya emphasized the importance of holding the General Assembly in Manama, saying: "Digital cooperation is essential for harnessing the benefits arising from the opportunities presented by the digital economy.”

“The 3rd General Assembly will serve as a strategic platform for the participation of Member State governments, the private sector, and civil society in drawing a roadmap for the current year. This includes addressing growing challenges and exploiting opportunities to facilitate digital prosperity for all,” she stated.

She added that she was looking forward to meeting with all representatives from DCO members observers, partners, and guests in Manama to review 2023 DCO achievements and to discuss 2024 initiatives, serving to propel the organization toward accomplishing the goals outlined in its 2030 Strategic Roadmap.

The General Assembly will explore the growth of markets and their impact on the digital economy; the value of data as a strategic resource in the digital age and how to use it effectively to achieve growth; and ways to achieve a sustainable digital economy contributing to improving the quality of life and emphasizing the pivotal role of humans as an essential element in the development process.

The General Assembly will discuss the DCO's plan for 2024 and new initiatives that it will implement as part of its 2030 Strategic Roadmap to advance global digital cooperation towards an inclusive and sustainable digital economy. It will also discuss financial and administrative reports submitted by the organization's General Secretariat.

The previous DCO General Assembly was held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in February 2023. The DCO brings together ministries of communications and information technology from 15 countries: Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Cyprus, Djibouti, Gambia, Ghana, Jordan, Kuwait, Morocco, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar and Rwanda.

Together, DCO Member States represent more than $3.3 trillion in GDP and a market of nearly 800 million people, more than 70% of whom are under the age of 35.



US Defends Law Forcing Sale of TikTok App

This photograph taken in Mulhouse, eastern France on October 19, 2023, shows the logo of the social media video sharing app TikTok reflected in mirrors. (AFP)
This photograph taken in Mulhouse, eastern France on October 19, 2023, shows the logo of the social media video sharing app TikTok reflected in mirrors. (AFP)
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US Defends Law Forcing Sale of TikTok App

This photograph taken in Mulhouse, eastern France on October 19, 2023, shows the logo of the social media video sharing app TikTok reflected in mirrors. (AFP)
This photograph taken in Mulhouse, eastern France on October 19, 2023, shows the logo of the social media video sharing app TikTok reflected in mirrors. (AFP)

The Justice Department late Friday filed its response to TikTok's civil suit aimed at derailing a law that would force the app to be sold or face a US ban.

TikTok's suit in a Washington federal court argues that the law violates First Amendment rights of free speech.

The US response counters that the law addresses national security concerns, not speech, and that TikTok's Chinese parent company ByteDance is not able to claim First Amendment rights here.

The filing details concerns that ByteDance could, and would, comply with Chinese government demands for data about US users or yield to pressure to censor or promote content on the platform, senior justice department officials said in a briefing.

"The goal of this law is to ensure that young people, old people and everyone in between is able to use the platform in a safe manner," a senior justice department official said.

"And to use it in a way confident that their data is not ultimately going back to the Chinese government and what they're watching is not being directed by or censored by the Chinese government."

The response argues that the law's focus on foreign ownership of TikTok takes it out of the realm of the First Amendment.

US intelligence agencies are concerned that China can "weaponize" mobile apps, justice department officials said.

"It's clear that the Chinese government has for years been pursuing large, structured datasets of Americans through all sorts of manner, including malicious cyber activity; including efforts to buy that data from data brokers and others, and including efforts to build sophisticated AI models that can utilize that data," a senior justice department official said.

TikTok has said the demanded divestiture is "simply not possible" -- and not on the timeline required.

The bill signed by President Joe Biden early this year set a mid-January 2025 deadline for TikTok to find a non-Chinese buyer or face a US ban.

The White House can extend the deadline by 90 days.

"For the first time in history, Congress has enacted a law that subjects a single, named speech platform to a permanent, nationwide ban, and bars every American from participating in a unique online community with more than one billion people worldwide," said the suit by TikTok and ByteDance.

- TikTok shutdown? -

ByteDance has said it has no plans to sell TikTok, leaving the lawsuit, which will likely go to the US Supreme Court, as its only option to avoid a ban.

"There is no question: the Act will force a shutdown of TikTok by January 19, 2025," the lawsuit said, "silencing (those) who use the platform to communicate in ways that cannot be replicated elsewhere."

TikTok first found itself in the crosshairs of former president Donald Trump's administration, which tried unsuccessfully to ban it.

That effort got bogged down in the courts when a federal judge temporarily blocked Trump's attempt, saying the reasons for banning the app were likely overstated and that free speech rights were in jeopardy.

The new effort signed by Biden was designed to overcome the same legal headaches, and some experts believe the US Supreme Court could be open to allowing national security considerations to outweigh free speech protection.

"We view the statute as a game changer from the arguments that were in play back in 2020," a senior justice department official said.

There are serious doubts that any buyer could emerge to purchase TikTok even if ByteDance would agree to the request.

Big tech's usual suspects, such as Facebook parent Meta or YouTube's Google, will likely be barred from snapping up TikTok over antitrust concerns, and others could not afford one of the world's most successful apps used by about 170 million people in the United States alone.