"We highlight the societal benefits of digital development"

Data Digital inclusion Digital services eHealth Innovation Integrity Welfare technology

Three questions to Pär Nygårds, industry policy expert at IT&Telecom

Tell me, what do you actually do at work?

- I hold together all the issues related to the development of new digital services and how the internet is used in society. For example, how legislation and market conditions affect companies delivering different types of online services, or the opportunities for developing innovative services based on open data.

What are your most important issues right now?

- With the use of IT and digital services constantly increasing and their impact on society growing, this is a major area to monitor. To make it easier to keep up with changes in the industry's market conditions, we will shortly be launching a policy newsletter exclusively for our member companies.

- Few have missed the many conflicts that have arisen and continue to arise between the internet industry and various copyright stakeholders over everything from file sharing to rights conflicts. We are therefore participating in a government inquiry into how the rights market can be made to work better. If we can achieve improvements in this area, it will be easier for companies to develop new, consumer-oriented digital media services.

- Another current issue is the need to highlight the companies that develop services based on open data. In connection with a new EU directive on access to publicly owned information becoming Swedish law, we in the IT&Telecom Companies' Open Data Council will in various ways highlight the social benefits in the form of growth and new jobs that the open data industry creates.

How can I as a member get involved in your issues?

- All members are welcome to participate in the Open Data Council. There we work together with our member companies on everything from making the benefits of open data visible to influencing various regulatory issues.

- If you are interested in internet policy issues such as copyright, privacy or the development of the EU's digital single market, we have several ongoing projects that I am happy to tell you more about - call or email me and I will tell you more!