58 Commission's Major Activities I. Promoting human rights in an information society ● Survey on the collection and use of bioinformation On 24 January, the Commission held a meeting to discuss the results of a survey on the collection and use of bioinformation. Because of their unique and invariable properties, bioinformation can be useful for personal identification and tailored services. However, when it is leaked or stolen, or exploited for surveillance or commercial purposes, bioinformation can lead to infringement of personal rights and interests. While internationally, the trend is to regulate bioinformation as “sensitive information,” Korea does not yet have clear regulations governing the collection, use, and provision of bioinformation. There is also a lack of mechanisms to protect the properties of bioinformation. Participants discussed trends in bioinformation collection and use, issues, and urgent need for institutional improvement given the increasing use of bioinformation such as fingerprints and iris signatures, and health information. ● Participation in the United Nations Internet Governance Forum 2017 The Commission participated in the Internet Governance Forum 2017 held in Geneva, Switzerland from 18 to 22 December. The IGF is a global multi-stakeholder platform of the United Nations with participants from national institutions, civil society, academia, and international organizations. It facilitates discussions of future directions for Internet governance, and protection and promotion of human rights in information societies. It is a recognized platform for dialogue on the topic of human rights in an information society. Attended by 500 or so participants, the forum was held on the theme “Shape your Digital Future.” Participants discussed various aspects of the digital future, including the utility of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (the implications of big data and artificial intelligence), potential human rights violations, privacy and personal information, online freedom of expression, right of access to information, and various other ways to protect and promote human rights in an information society.