Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what discussions her Department has had with regulators on cybersecurity standards for emerging technologies.

Cyber security standards are a key part of the government’s approach to ensure technology is secure by design. The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) regularly participates in a variety of standards bodies including the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), ETSI, and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), alongside global industry, academia, foreign governments and regulators. This includes for emerging technology areas such as Internet of Things (IoT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI). The UK was part of the group of countries that contributed to the development of ETSI standards EN 303 645 on IOTs and EN 304 223 on AI Cyber Security, with the former being the basis for the UK’s Product Security and Telecoms Infrastructure Act to improve the security of connected devices, and enforced by the relevant regulator (Office for Product Safety and Standards).