New Delhi [India], May 5 (ANI): Public policy think-tank CUTS International said on Thursday that it has signed agreements with the Australian Risk Policy Institute and the International Institute of Information Technology, Bangalore, to develop an ethical framework for 6G technology.

CUTS International said it has bagged a grant under the second round of the Australia-India Cyber and Critical Technology Partnership (AICCTP) programme coordinated by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade for its project 'Ethical 6G - Identifying Elements of an Ethical Framework for 6G and Creating Opportunities for India and Australia'.

The purpose of the AICCTP is to encourage and strengthen practical cooperation and collaboration between the two countries in order to shape a global technology environment that reflects a shared vision of an open, free, and rules-based Indo-Pacific.

Congratulating the grant recipients funded under the second round of the AICCTP, Australia's High Commissioner to India, Barry O'Farrell, tweeted: "The AICCTP is an Aus$ 2.7 million initiative that contributes to Australia's priorities to promote a stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific."The programme promotes Australian and Indian organisations working together to contribute to the global development of ethical standards around critical and emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, next-generation telecommunications, Internet of Things, quantum, synthetic biology, blockchain, and big data.

According to Pradeep Mehta, Secretary General, CUTS International, "Bilateral cooperation in cyberspace and technology is a critical pillar for strengthening India-Australia's comprehensive strategic partnership and will contribute to the larger objective of a stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific.""The AICCTP grant strengthens and furthers the goals of collaboration between India and Australia outlined under the Australia-India Framework Arrangement on Cyber and Cyber-Enabled Critical Technology Cooperation, and the India-Australia Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement", he added.

The project aims to actualise practical cooperation and collaboration between India and Australia on developing critical telecommunication technologies, specifically 6G, to create an enabling environment in India and Australia for their contributions to 6G standard making and to strengthen understanding of an ethical framework.

While many countries are still in the process of deploying the Fifth Generation (5G) telecommunication technology, some movements on the 6G standard making have begun. In this context, countries like India and Australia can take early steps and enjoy the first-mover advantage, CUTS International said in a statement.

"6G communication systems augmented by Artificial Intelligence, that connect humans and machines more intimately, need to be carefully deployed with appropriate ethical controls for appropriate deployment. We at IIITB, are glad to be an academic partner with CUTS in this project to define the landscape for 6G systems in India, Australia, and the entire Indo-Pacific region", said Professor V Sridhar of the International Institute of Technology, Bangalore.

Tony Charge, President, ARPI, said, "ARPI is very pleased to partner with CUTS International to develop an ethical framework for 6G, under the Australia-India Cyber and Critical Technology Partnership program. This is a great opportunity for a bilateral approach to integrate effective data management with user and device protection against vulnerabilities which would otherwise detract from 6G innovation." (ANI)