Within the framework of APT Young Professional and Student Programme 2019, the research competition on improvement of legal environment of digital content and social media successfully organized among young researchers and students in order to enhance their legal knowledge concerning ICT sector and cross-sector regulation and to involve their participation in policy-making processes.
The competition publicly announced from 23 September until 23 November 2019 through websites, social media, printed posters and other official sources and totally received around 30 research papers.
Dr. Bold-Erdene, Deputy Director of Science School of National University of Mongolia, Mrs. Byambasuren E, Consulting Engineer of Mongolia, Mr. Zolzaya A, Director General of Broadcasting and Digital Content Department of the CITA, Mrs. Narantsetseg B, Director of Entrepreneur, Innovation and Research Department of National IT Park and Mrs. Ariuntsetseg D, Policy Expert of Digital Environment of the CITA are worked as a referees.
After tough discussion and dialogues among participants and referees, following papers considered as best and agreed to be published and introduced to policy-making organizations.
Photo 1. Referees
Topic 1: Legal environment on digital content
1st prize: Ms. Sunderiya B, Master of School of Law, National University of Mongolia- Researches on legal regulation of digital content development
In her paper, she comprehensively considered how the concept of content, including digital content, defined in legal acts and incorporated into the legal system of Mongolia, how it could be improved, and how relevant risks and conflicts could be handled. Moreover, she provided comparative studies on current legal situation with other countries, such as Germany, which has similar legal system as Mongolia, and raised specific proposals and ideas.
Photo 2. 1st prize winner for the topic Legal environment on digital content
2nd prize: Mr. Sergelen D, Student of 2nd grade, Class of International Relations, University of Humanity- Develop soft-power policy through national digital contents
Mr. Sergelen was one of the youngest participants, and at the beginning of his presentation, he emphasized the importance of soft-power policy. In other words, he mentioned that some countries, namely America, China, Japan and Korea, are competing for their content production and development that demonstrate their culture, history, custom and unique features and noted that Mongolia also shall pay great attention on it. He took internet game market as an example for his studies and was praised by the referees for the interesting and expedient initiation. In fact, the internet game is a kind of digital content development and not only valuable as a regular market or consumer, it can not only promote history and culture of the country, but also improve its economic benefits.
3rd prize: Mr. Margad-Erdene B, Student of 3rd grade, School of Law, National University of Mongolia- Legal environment to promote digital content
This participant cited multiple sources of popular concepts and definition of digital content and emphasized that to develop this sector, the major attention shall be given to public awareness and content promotion as well as creation of new habits and attitudes on proper and great usage of those contents.
Topic 2: Challenges on social media networking and their solutions
1st prize: Ms. Soninbayar Ch, Student of 2nd grade, Class of Law, Otgontenger University (private) – Challenges and solutions of social media usage (on e-commerce example)
Photo 3. 1st prize winner for the topic Social Media Networking
Exciting others with her speech skills, she was in the forefront picking up e-commerce as her study theme, which is the most challenging issue in Mongolia and requiring prompt and effective regulation, and provided effective studies comparing with best practices of other countries.
2nd prize: Ms. Tserenduzee E, Student of 4th grade, Class of Journalism, School of Science, National University of Mongolia- Survey of student awareness on fake news
She took great appreciation from referees by conducting accurate survey among students of her peers on awareness and impact of fake news, which follows much trouble in social media networking and based on its results, made an objective assessment and proposed inventive ideas.
3rd prize: Ms. Dolgorsuren B, young Lecturer, School of ICT, Mongolian University of Science and Technology- Development of monitoring and filtering technologies in social media networks
This participant touched the issue of personal security in social networking and defined the ways to solve it based on software calculation. She showed in her presentation that it is possible to develop filtering technologies to control the social media networking and proposed technical solutions to develop software that automatically check and control digital contents using big data algorithm.
Photo 4. Winners of the competition
As a result of the conference, besides of the study and assessment of the current legal situation for digital content and social media in Mongolia, the following recommendations were circulated:
- Evaluate and assess the weakness and disadvantage of existing laws and regulations;
- Consider websites as a media and ensure their content equality (balanced content)
- Improve legal environment through developing branch-law or inserting amendment on now-existing law;
- Promote SMEs in this field and allow them to get financial support from the Government as other SMEs;
- Promote national content development, for example to develop online games with Mongolian national character and support to introduce into global market;
- Incorporate future policies with the pride and protection of our national heritage and traditions and reflect regulating provisions, if other countries use Mongolian national heritage and historical elements in their digital content.