CMU faculty selected for UN-led working group on DPI safeguards

Assane Gueye and Giulia Fanti have been selected by the United Nations Office of the Secretary-General Envoy on Technology to be part of a working group for the DPI Safeguards initiative.

According to the UN office, the DPI Safeguards initiative is a multi-stakeholder process bringing together diverse voices to develop a safeguards framework to guide digital public infrastructure (DPI) design and implementation around the world. The initiative aims to ensure that future DPI initiatives prioritize safety and security for all users. By setting the standard as a global community, countries can collectively increase trust, accelerate the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, and potentially impact hundreds of millions of lives.

The initiative was launched in September 2023 and the working group members were announced today. The framework, created by the working groups, will be presented during the UN’s Summit of the Future in September 2024.

Gueye, associate professor at Carnegie Mellon University Africa, and Fanti, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering, are co-directors of the Upanzi Network and CyLab-Africa.

From the experts

Assane Gueye

"Technology has significantly helped to improve lives. However, it also has put certain populations more at risk globally—and more particularly in Africa.

DPI will play a major role in the continent's digital transformation and it is important to make sure that they are designed, implemented, and operated to reduce unanticipated risks."

Giulia Fanti

"As public infrastructure becomes increasingly digital and interoperable, it is essential to consider privacy and security risks from the start, to lay the foundations for responsible development and deployment."

Learn more

• Read the press release from the United Nations Office of the Secretary-General Envoy on Technology which announces the working group members
• Explore the working group members, including Carnegie Mellon’s Gueye and Fanti
• Read an OpEd from Amandeep Gill, the secretary-general's envoy on technology. In the piece, Gill explains why safe DPI is important to maximize benefits and mitigate risks for a safer digital future for all.