Carlos Creus Moreira – The Rise of an UN Expert, Entrepreneur and Philantropist
Mission Statement: Making the Internet a Safer Place: ’Are we building a better future for humanity with the help of magnificent technology or are we instead building a better future of better technology at the expense of humanity?’’
Preface
This is the story of my unique journey in life. It captures the moments and events that shaped me, that made me the person I am today. It is the culmination of years of reflection, reflection on how the unfolding of my life has influenced my choices, my beliefs, and my values.
Throughout this autobiography, I will bring you on a journey of how my life has changed over time. You will get an inside look at my struggles, experiences, and perspectives as a young spaniard leaving the country in 1979 to find a better environment to fulfill my dreams. I will take you through my professional career, my relationships, and my experiences with technology, and my vision for the future.
In this moveable feast, I hope to shed light on some of the world injustices associated with the current systemic inequality and show how one person can make a tangible difference in the world.
We will cover the fundamental questions that have guided me over these years how ‘’Are we building a better future for humanity with the help of magnificent technology or are we instead building a better future of better technology at the expense of humanity?’’ We must learn to put humanity first instead of getting caught up in the promise of technological advancement. Humans have been able to adapt, morph, and compromise in every situation we have faced over the centuries and have been able to maintain dominance. We must approach the promises of technology with the same adaptability.
What I propose is that if we start the design of the transHuman future from a human perspective, making sure that technology will inspire revolution or evolution, then we can ensure humanity continues to thrive.
I tried to center humanity in the emerging tension between a human-controlled or a machine-controlled world and examine how humans can maintain their uniqueness and humanity in this brave new world.
So I have tried to capture my truth and my story in the hopes that it will inspire and encourage other people to pursue their dreams.
Early years
Carlos was board in September 1, 1958, in La Linea de la Concepcion in Andalucia , Spain. His father Juan Moreira was a hotel executive one of the first pioneers of the emerging Hotel industry in Costa del Sol in southern Spain and his mother Isabel Creus was a pharmaceutical graduate from the Canary Islands.
Carlos experimented with different pursuits before moving to Geneva in 1979 to study hotel business and later information technology. Carlos had already at that time a vision that there will be a day when everyone in the world will have a digital identity that will allow them to benefit from the benefits provided by the emerging technological sector.
He liked so much the name Network so much that after arriving in Geneva in 1979 he created a company and registered the name and developed an application using a Gopher allowing people to access securely its gopher files using a digital ID. With this initial company, Carlos hatched the plan for an open computer network allowing people with their digital identity to control their digital life.
Arrival in Geneva, Switzerland
Carlos arrived in Geneva on the 4th of February 1979 with a B permit granted to students allowing them to study in Switzerland. He combined his studies with small jobs as a Hotel receptionist at the Amat Carlton Hotel in Geneva.
Geneva was inspirational for Carlos with its history and culture of mediation and its universal vocation to peace and humanity. It was the perfect location as a host city to a large number of international organizations to develop his plan to create an international standard supporting his technological complex vision».
Carlos's vision was at that time that Geneva, home of many different types of organizations that are active in fields as varied as humanitarian aid, trade, human rights, the environment and sustainable development, training and education, peace-keeping and security, meteorology, intellectual property, nuclear research, health, telecommunications, and labor will be the perfect platform to fundament his vision to create a Global Digital Identity and correspondent network.
Carlos started his career in Geneva working for several specialized agencies and members of the United Nations System. He started as an intern at the EFTA European Free Trade Association.
Once his one-year internship concluded at EFTA he was recruited as a computer analyst in 1983 at the International Labour Office followed by an assignment at the European Free Trade Association. He was 23 when he started working for the United Nations as a P2 at the International Trade Center as an expert on IT, e-security, and telcos from 1984 to 1998.
During this period he visited as an expert of the United Nations 186 countries connecting them to UN headquarters in Geneva so developing countries could benefit from the databases available in Geneva servers. These connections happened before the rapid growth of the World Wide Web in the 1990s, using a protocol called Gopher briefly made the internet easy to use by combining the world’s online resources.
These installations that Carlos connected during this period started to generate regional data hubs and benefited from the invention in 1989 of the World Wide Web in Geneva at CERN developed by Tim Berners-Lee as a way for people to share information without the need to depend on centralized servers. The hypertext format available through his Web made the internet much easier to use because all documents could be seen easily on-screen without downloading and storing.
The first “browser” software — Mosaic — was introduced by Marc Andreessen in 1993, and it enabled more fluid use of images and graphics online and opened up a new world for internet users.
In 1996, there were approximately 45 million people using the Internet. By 1999, the number of worldwide Internet users reached 150 million, and more than half of them were from the United States. In 2000, there were 407 million users worldwide. By 2004, there were between 600 and 800 million users (counting has become more and more inexact as the network has grown, and estimates vary).
Based on these majors' technological breakthroughs Carlos, developed for the United Nations specialized agency on International Trade, ITC two of their leading technical cooperation programs on electronic networks using X25 networks (MIS and Electronic Trading Opportunity System) and had the opportunity to work with leading experts at that time starting to develop the WWW at CERN.
New Job at UNCTAD in Geneva as Technology Coordinator for the Trade Point
The Trade Point Programme was launched by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) in 1992. Its main objective is to facilitate access for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to international markets, in particular using the most up-to-date technologies in electronic commerce. Through the electronically interconnected network of Trade Points in many countries of the world, SMEs can gain access to the latest information and telecommunication technologies and services, make their products known to potential customers and find business partners in other countries.
These services are provided at a reasonable cost, with the overall objective of increasing the participation of SMEs — particularly those from developing countries and from countries with economies in transition — in international trade. The activities undertaken by UNCTAD in this area were subject to an in-depth review by UNCTAD’s member States. This assessment resulted in a new strategy for the Trade Point Programme up to 2002, focusing on capacity building and renovation of the GTPNet
Carlos benefited from this technological infrastructure in 1989 to develop the ETO system and to expand the ETO system to ver 180 countries speeding the project to a precedented speed and leaving a lasting contribution at ITC before leaving the UN in 1998.
Move to Bangkok, Thailand
In 1993 Carlos left Geneva with his wife and daughter to Bangkok to work for the United Nations in what was the first-ever Trade Point project outside Geneva. He was hosted by the Trade Point Bangkok and led a team of 30 engineers.
The Trade Point program
The Trade Point Programme was launched in 1992 at UNCTAD VIII, as a core component of UNCTAD’s Trade Efficiency Initiative. The main objective of the Programme was to assist small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to take full advantage of global trading opportunities using information technologies and, generally, to improve the capacity of developing countries to compete in global markets.
Web Site of the UNTPDC is still loaded in one of the Servers around the world http://sunsite.icm.edu.pl/untpdc/welcome1.html
Three main stages could be identified in the implementation of the Programme:
(a) The testbed period, which began at UNCTAD VIII, involved the setting up of 16 pilot Trade Points;
(b) The launching of the concept of the Global Trade Point Network (GTPNet) aimed at interconnecting Trade Points around the world at the 1994 United Nations International Symposium on Trade Efficiency (UNISTE); and
© The initiation of the movement “from contacts to contracts” once the appropriate technical solutions are in place, allowing enterprises to conduct electronic commerce on an open but secure network, at the 1996 Executive Symposium on Trade Efficiency, a parallel event to UNCTAD IX.
In 1993 Carlos and his wife and daughter departed to Bangkok to establish what will be the first-ever operational Trade Point “The Bangkok Trade Point”, BTP, was established in 1993 in cooperation with the United Nations Conference on Trade on Development (UNCTAD) and funding from KV Info Technologies Co. Ltd, a private company founded by a small group of pioneer businessmen seeking to expand the overseas trade and investment activities of Thailand.
BTP was part UNCTAD’s network of over 50 trade points in over 40 countries around the world. The main objective of The BTP is to promote trade and investment of Thailand, along with help contribute to the growth of the nation’s economic progress. To help with this effort BTP has teamed up with the government of Thailand, United Nations — Economic and Social Committee for Asia Pacific, UNESCAP and other trade & investment related organizations to provide a “one-stop” service for both domestic and foreign businessmen. The BTP also host the UN Trade Point Development Centre, a hub of international research and development activities for Trade Points in the SE Asia region.
“The Trade Point concept can concentrate efforts and resources. It can spearhead the efforts to improve Trade Efficiency. The Trade Points brings together all providers of services required to make a commercial transaction: customs, foreign trade institutes, freight forwarders, transport companies, banks and insurance firms. Each Trade Point coordinates and shares information with all other Trade Points. But the design of each Trade Point is undertaken locally, following UNCTAD guidelines.
The staffing and financing are primarily locally. And therefore, each Trade Point takes into account the unique circumstances of its location.”
Move to Melbourne Australia
In 1995 Carlos with his wife Anne and 2 kids move to Australia to work for the UN at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology on which he was nominated Adjunct Professor of the Engineering Faculty. During his time in Melbourne, he managed the United Nations Trade Point Development Center UNTODC which was in charge to provide the technology backstop to the emerging network of Trade points around the world.
It was at the UNTPDC that Carlos and his team of PhD students developed the ETO system and Trade Point related technologies using PKI and email encryption.
A pilot project with the code name SEAL started aimed at providing an open and comprehensive approach to global secure electronic commerce over the GTPNet, Internet, public information networks, and private IntraNets.
Moving from closed environments to interoperability through the SEAL Global Secure Chain concept.
The Secure Electronic Authentication Lab VRML Access
Why do Trade Points need a Secure Electronic Authenticated Link SEAL to perform Secure Electronic Trading Opportunites. As we know, the world of Electronic Trading and Information Technology is constantly under development. We are constantly seeing new computerization processes, and new concepts of communication are continually emerging. Placing all this in a business environment, such tools are being seen as inevitable in today’s world of Electronic Trading. However, it must be noted that Electronic Trading can only seriously help one’s business and provide a proper competitive edge if it is looked into as part of a proper business re-engineering process. There is a global belief that network security is simply a technological issue related to software and servers, but in reality, it involves people and processes as well.
Businesses need to move securely now so as to ensure that the potential provided by Electronic Trading is maintained with regard to productivity, customer satisfaction, and globalization, and all with a sense towards international trade. A way to solve one business problem in today fast running electronic world is by allowing companies around the world in setting their network security policy in order to assure that a security solution will meet their company’s objectives effectively. The security policy must correlate and integrate with their current or planned information systems architectures. This process will, in turn, drive enterprise-wide policies, procedures, standards, and guidelines for security in the IT environment, both developmentally and operationally.
The United Nations Trade Point Development Center
One of the first deliverables of Carlo's Australian mission was to establish the UNTDC at RMIT.
Carlos negotiated with RMIT the establishment of a lab that will develop the technologies of the Trade Points. He was nominated Adjunct professor of the engineering school and supervised a group of PHDs. The GTPNet was considered in the early years of the Web as the best and only global architecture which could secure electronic commerce under the certification process of the United Nations umbrella. Trade Points are already certified centers on which UNCTAD provides the first-level certification before they are considered operational.
In a global scale, the GTPNet was considered in the early years of the Web as the best and only global architecture which could secure electronic commerce under the certification process of the United Nations umbrella. Trade Points are already certified centers on which UNCTAD provides the first-level certification before they are considered operational. This certification is provided following pre-established and mutually agreed trade efficiency guidelines. The next step is to interconnect this environment via a Secure Electronic Authenticated Link which provides the authorization and authentication of each individual node.
The launch of the SEAL Network
This video is 30 years old, in 1993 I developed with my team at the UN the first ever interactive CD Room connecting websites all over the world that we designed via the Web. At the same time In May 1994, Robert Cailliau organized the world’s First International World Wide Web Conference at CERN. It was attended by 380 users and developers, and was hailed as the “Woodstock of the Web”.
In 1994, the web was in its early stages of development and adoption. The World Wide Web, as it was called, was a collection of interconnected hypertext documents that were accessed via the Internet using web browsers.
At this time, the web was primarily used by researchers, academics, and computer enthusiasts. There were no social media platforms, online shopping sites, or streaming services like we have today. Most websites consisted of simple HTML pages with basic formatting, and images were rare due to slow internet speeds.
Search engines were also in their infancy, and it was common to navigate the web by following hyperlinks from one site to another. Some of the early search engines that emerged in 1994 included WebCrawler, Lycos, and Infoseek.
E-commerce was still in its early stages, and most online transactions were conducted via email or through primitive online ordering systems. Security protocols for online transactions were not yet widely adopted, so there were concerns about the safety of sending credit card information over the web.
Overall, the web in 1994 was a much simpler and less interconnected place than it is today. However, it was already clear that the web had enormous potential to transform the way people communicate, learn, and do business. #transhumancode
The SEAL network security solution focuses on five main areas and forms a solid framework to implement a Secure Electronic Commerce network security policy.
Most Trade Points and related Trade Facilitation bodies (Customs, Transport, Banks, Insurance, etc) together with Trade Promotion Organizations local and and state governments have complicated data communications networks that have evolved over several generations of computing systems. The networks routinely run many different protocols through Wide Area Networks (WANs) and Local Area Networks (LANs). The WANs are usually based on a variety of different services over costly leased lines to maintain a high degree of availability, security and data integrity. In addition, most companies have Internet connectivity and routinely run World Wide Web (WWW) sites that are loosely coupled, if at all, to their corporate networks. The reasons for the latter are many and frequently include security and data integrity issues. This adds to the complexity of managing the Web site and complicates remote site management for most companies.
The first objective of the SEAL architecture is to provide solutions for creating secure, virtual private networks over public lines such as the Internet and via Secure Intranet Links and to evaluate the problems Trade Points face when trying to build Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) over public media and assist them on how these can be overcome.
The International Organization of Secure Electronic Transactions OISTE.ORG
Carlos founded in 1998 the International Organization of Secure Electronic Transactions OISTE.ORG as a Swiss Foundation.
Founded in Geneva, Switzerland, in 1998, OISTE was created with the objectives of promoting the use and adoption of international standards to secure electronic transactions, expand the use of digital certification and ensure the interoperability of certification authorities’ e-transaction systems. Since its inception, the choice of Switzerland, a neutral country to house the foundation was a central strategic decision.
OISTE’s root of trust fulfills its original engagement of providing certified digital identities to individuals, businesses, governmental bodies and interconnected objects worldwide. To that effect OISTE has developed a Blockchain RoT technology that transform the way data is shared and value is transferred securely. The Root of Trust (RoT) serves as a common trust anchor, which is recognized by the operating system (OS) and applications, to ensure the authenticity, confidentiality and integrity of on-line transactions. With the Cryptographic Root of Trust embedded on the device, together with its own unique identity, can secure the interactions among objects and between objects and other entities.
At the heart of this strategy is the OISTE-WISeKey Cryptographic Root of Trust which has been actively used since 1999 by over 4 billion desktops, browsers, mobile devices, SSL certificates and Internet of Things’ devices. The OISTE WISeKey Cryptographic Root of Trust is ubiquitous and universal, and a pioneer in the identification of objects.
As governments and organizations continue to find new and innovative use cases for Root of Trust related blockchain, security must be kept top of mind. Only by establishing that each user is an authorized participant of a distributed ledger, and that each transaction submitted to the blockchain is digitally signed, can we advance our use of this transformative technology and reap the rewards it promises.
The OISTE Root of Trust is built based on the understanding that technology shall serve people and not vice versa. All our codes, crypto-algorithms, chips, patents and products are developed following these principles:
- Access. To fully reap the benefits of digitalization and technology, all humans must have quality access to connectivity. Governments shall be committed to the expansion of next-generation smart infrastructure, and establish principles of technological neutrality, through a simplified, market-oriented, and transparent regulatory environment, and through incentives to invest in less profitable areas, as well as by fostering investments for skill and capacity building.
- Privacy. Securing the privacy of every human being is paramount to realizing the full potential of our future. Therefore, personal data conveyed over the Internet or stored in devices connected to the Internet is owned and solely governed by the individual. It is paramount to protect all citizens in the all-digital age. AI systems should use tools, including anonymized data, de-identification, or aggregation to protect personally identifiable information whenever possible.
- Security. An array of emerging digital threats may harm citizens. Users must trust that their personal and sensitive data is protected and handled appropriately. We strongly support the protection of the foundation of AI and other technologies, including source code, proprietary algorithms, and other intellectual property. We believe governments should avoid requiring companies to transfer or provide access to technology, source code, algorithms, or encryption keys as conditions for doing business. We encourage governments to use strong, globally-accepted and deployed cryptography and other security standards that enable trust and interoperability. We also promote voluntary information-sharing on cyberattacks or hacks to better enable consumer protection.
- Consent. Respecting the authority and autonomy of every human being is paramount to realizing the full potential of our future. Therefore, personal digital data will not be used as research, rationale, enticement or commodity by any entity or individual, except with the explicit, well-informed, revocable consent of the individual owner of the data.
- Ethics. Improving the human condition is paramount to realizing the full potential of our future. Therefore, a universal code of ethics reflecting the highest order of human values will govern the development, implementation, and use of technology.
- Future-proof Skills. Advancing human faculties is paramount to realizing the full potential of our future. Therefore, to that end, the secure, approved, and accountable aggregation of personal information and resources to increase our individual abilities is a fundamental objective of technology.
- Good. Advocating and innovating the greatest good for all humanity is paramount to realizing the full potential of our future. Therefore, technology, no matter how advanced, will never supersede the spiritual purposes or the moral rights and responsibilities of any human being anywhere. Technology will serve humanity’s needs.
- Democracy. Democratizing human vision, ingenuity, and education is paramount to realizing the full potential of our future. Therefore, technology will remain humanity’s greatest collaborator but never represent humanity itself.
As milestones of its public role, OISTE effectively lobbied for the approval of a strong-worded resolution on the right to privacy in the digital age by the UN General Assembly in 2013; subscribed the International Principles on the Application of Human Rights to Communications Surveillance drafted by the Electronic Frontier Foundation and Privacy International; endorsed the Principles on Identification for Sustainable Development proposed by Plan International; permanently collaborates with the International Telecommunications Union and the World Summit of the Information Society Forum and organised round tables at the World Economic Forum in Davos from 2014 to 2017 on topics such as “Addressing Identity Management, Privacy, Security and Trust in Digital Communication”; and “Searching new business models for digital identity management: empowering the end user”.
To celebrate its 20th anniversary, — and in fulfillment of its commitment to the UN Sustainable Development Goals — OISTE will facilitate a round-table on illicit trade during the Zermatt Summit (21–23 September 2018) and convene a public forum in Geneva later during the Fall on digital identity management, discussing different digital identity solutions available in the Swiss market.
The UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) recently approved OISTE’s quadrennial report.
About OISTE Foundation:
The OISTE Foundation has been working with the UN and other governmental and non-governmental international organizations since 1998. Today, in line with the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals, target 16.9 — giving everyone a legal identity by 2030 — OISTE focuses on the challenge of harnessing digital identity for the global community. OISTE holds special consultative status with the Economic and Social Council of the UN (ECOSOC) and is an accredited member of the Non-commercial Users Stakeholders Group (NCSG) of ICANN as part of the Not-for-Profit Operational Concerns (NPOC) constituency. The OISTE Foundation endorses the “Principles on Identification for Sustainable Development.” oiste.org
Founding Member: Comité de Pilotage Projet E-Voting, Geneva government, Switzerland. Member, UN Global Compact; Global Clinton Initiative. Founder: Geneva Security Forum; Geneva; Philanthropy Forum. Vice-President: Malaga Valley; World Trade Center, Geneva. 1995, Adjunct Professor, Graduate School of Engineering, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology. Nominated one of 300 most influential persons in Switzerland, Bilan magazine (2011); one of top 100, Who’s Who of the Swiss Net Economy (2002); Man of the Year, AGEFI magazine, Switzerland (2007). Member of the World Economic Forum and Global Council Agenda on Illicit Trade of the WEF and his company member of the Global Growth Companies of the WEF sice 2007.
Founder, chairman of the Board and Chief Executive of WISeKey Corporation, the fastest-growing company in e-trust and e-security for personal, governmental and business computing. Carlos Moreira is Swiss and was born in Cadiz, Spain, 1 Septembre 1958. He has over 20 years experience working with information systems for large multinationals, consulting groups, international organizations and the United Nations.
Originally a former United Nations expert in Telecommunications, Security and Information Networks, Carlos Moreira has been responsible for research, development, implementation, analyses and negotiations related to technology, e-security and e-commerce for the United Nations and specialized agencies. He has focused in particular on the relationship between information technologies, security, telecommunications, and international trade networks. As World Technology Coordinator of the UNCTAD Trade Point Programme, he was responsible for the development of the world’s largest Internet Network of Mirror Sites and Secure hubs for for E-commerce (GTPNet).
Carlos Moreira was recruited by International Organizations agencies (European Free Trade Association, International Labour Office, International Trade Center and UNCTAD) in Geneva and the United Nations where he was successively the special adviser on new technologies for these agencies.
Since 1983, he was one of the International Trade Center UNCTAD/WTO experts in new technologies and Telecommunications in charge of Trade Information Networks and e-commerce systems, and specialized on secure information-network services connecting embassies, ministries and their staff via secure telecommunications networks.
During this period he had the opportunity to work in many pioneering Internet and Web related projects using the opportunity that the WWW was developed by the CERN in Geneva with close cooperation with the technical community in the city.
During this assignment with ITC, Mr. Moreira conceptualized and developed several major Information Technology applications for Trade Promotion Organizations, focal points of ITC in developing countries. His experience in electronic commerce, started with the development of security networks for Overseas Trade Representations at embassies. He developed for the International Trade Center of the United Nations, the Overseas Trade Information Network Concept, Market Intelligence System, MIS with 22 governments presently connecting their embassy’s commercial representations via this system, and the Trade Opportunity Monitoring System, TOMS for the Arab Monetary Fund connecting 22 Arab countries banking institutions via a secure link.
He also was the Head of the UN Development Center for the Global Trade Point Network. During this project he conceptualized and developed the GTPnet and the Electronic Trading Opportunity (ETO) system, which was at that time the world’s largest trading switch and precursor of many e-marketplace application now operational on the Internet (ec21.com, alibaba.com, wtpfed.org, safetransact.com, etc).
In 1993, he was appointed by UNCTAD as the Head of the UN Development Center for the Global Trade Point Network were he led the process of creating the first Web Portal for the United Nations and one of the world top 10 Web Sites in terms of traffic connected to a network of Mirror Sites in 35 Universities around the world.
In 1994, he successfully launched the Electronic Trading Opportunity System and Trade Point System developed by the UN Development Center for the Global Trade Point Network at the World Summit on Trade Efficiency in Columbus, Ohio, USA with a demonstration to the UN Secretary General Boutros-Boutros Galhi in the presence of Mr. Ron Brown – Secretary of Commerce United State of America
In 1995, he became responsible for the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology «Trade Efficiency Center» in Australia. This center was responsible for the technology development of the newly created Special Program for Trade Efficiency at UNCTAD. Following the decision made by the General Assembly of the United Nations to convene the International Symposium on Trade Efficiency (UNISTE), he was responsible for the research and development and technical deployment of the Global Trade Point Network, GTPNet.
In 1996, he assisted UNCTAD as the technology coordinator of the Trade Point Program, through which the United Nations is establishing the Global Trade Point Network (GTPNet), which includes over 130 ‘telecenters’ in all regions of the world. The system was sucessfully demonstrated at the United Nations Summit in Midrand, South Africa April 1996.
A core purpose of GTPNet is to allow traders worldwide to benefit from recent advances in the area of information technologies and telecommunications. One of Carlos Moreira’s responsibilities in this context was to keep abreast of the latest developments in the fields of the telecommunications industry, especially as they relate to the Internet and its uses for economic and social development.
The World Internet Secure Key “WISeKey “
In 1999 after leaving the UN, Carlos got paid his pension fund a6t that time of 250,000 CHF, and with this funding incorporated WISekey as a Geneva Starp-Up and started a new phase of his carrier by combining the experiences from the International Organizations years to private sector activities.
WISekey attracted the attention of Microsoft very early and established a partnership that announced that it will work closely with Microsoft® Corporation to educate, promote and deliver identity management solutions to governments in Europe and around the world.
WISeKey was recognized by Microsoft on these early days as a leading global provider of security, identity and trust solutions to the world’s premier organizations, and was named a Lead Partner for eID Solutions delivery by Microsoft. WISeKey has also been named a Microsoft Certified Partner and has recently achieved the Microsoft Independent Software Vendor (ISV)/Software Solutions competency through the Microsoft Partner Program. With the growing adoption of digital communication, the conveyance
of identity is also rapidly moving to a digital form. With WISeKey,
affordable and effective identification and authentication systems
now exist. These solutions meet the requirements of validating
identity as well as holding individuals accountable for their
actions. Governments around the world are looking to upgrade their
Identity Documents to be inline with higher security requirements to
protect and prevent counterfeiting and criminal misuse of
information. Integrating interoperable, easy-to-use, trustworthy, multipurpose
electronic Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) technology to manage
personal identification in the supply of electronic government
services has now become a cost-affordable solution. Leveraging the
Microsoft Windows Server platform's built-in certificate management
capabilities, WISeKey enables organizations and governments to
leverage their current investment by adding functionalities of secure
electronic identities through the CertifyID infrastructure. The Microsoft and WISeKey solution will be showcased at the new
Executive Briefing Center for European Innovation in the presence of
European and Belgian Government Officials, Industry Partners and
Media, opening today in Brussels. The solution will also be
promoted at Microsoft Technology Centers around the world and with
other infrastructure partners. "Having worked with Microsoft since 2004 we are honored to have
been named Lead Partner for eID Solutions in recognition of our
Certified Partner and Microsoft ISV status together. This evolution
of our relationship augments the announcement at the Government
Leaders Forum Europe this year of the partnership between WISeKey and
Microsoft to enable the issuance of secure eID for citizens," said
Carlos Moreira, CoFounder and Chairman of WISeKey. "This will help
WISeKey's European-based innovation to benefit from Microsoft
assistance via its local representatives, increasing our potential as
ISV by sharing information and mobilizing people very quickly.
partnerships between different parties in the private and public
sector,” said Jean-Philippe Courtois, President Microsoft
International. “We showcase this collaboration at our Centre for
European Innovation by hosting innovative European companies like
WISeKey.”
Consequently WISekey joined VoicesforInnovation.org a global community, supported by Microsoft,
that works to ensure the awareness and participation of local
entrepreneurs and innovators in important policy discussions around
the world.
Carlos Moreira, Chairman of WISekey attended a lunch in Brussels
with Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft, who gave a presentation on
Voices for Innovation.
with Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft, who gave a presentation on
Voices for Innovation.
This is an important initiative for local
entrepreneurs and businesses who are affected by the broader
technology debate. We encourage WISekey's partners and customers to
join Voices for Innovation to benefit from this unique initiative,
said Carlos Moreira, Chairman of WISekey.Voices for Innovation is a global community, supported by
Microsoft, that works to ensure the awareness and participation of
local entrepreneurs and innovators in important policy discussions
around the world. The objective is to engage those influenced by the
growth and progress of the industry and to brief policy makers on the
importance of intellectual property protection, investment in
research and development, innovation and growth, and consumer
welfare.
As a member of the Voices for Innovation community is the
objective of WISekey and WISekey ELA (the EU based WISekey operation
company for Spain and Latino America) to play an important role in
shaping the technology policy debate and the regulatory environment
in which you and fellow entrepreneurs operate in the EU. WISekey partners can visit and join the Voices for Innovation
website which will help to keep informed of developments at both the
European and national level. It is the aspiration that the Voices for
Innovation website will become a forum where we can share information
about local developments, issues affecting our business, success
stories, and events. As such, new interactive tools are in the
process of being integrated to the Voices for Innovation website to
help you make your voice heard. To ensure the continued success and relevance of the Voices for Innovation community, WISekey recommends you to join Voices for
Innovation today.Wisekey SA is now a world recognized e-security company securing the Internet to ensure electronic transactions. WISekey became world-known, as the first company in the world to store a ROOT Key on a Swiss Mountain Bunker.
WISeKey since them has became a leading E-Security company with strategic shareholders from listed E-Security companies in the US and EU.
Carlos organized and chaired the ITU-WISeKey Conference for Secure Electronic Transactions in November 2000, were over 100 countries and the ITU Expert Group on E-Security participated together with over 200 private sector representatives. The participating countries ratified and committed their participation to the WISeKey-ITU Public Key Infrastructure.
In 2000, The Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union, Mr Yoshio Utsumi, signed a Trust Fund partnership agreement with WISekey in an unprecedented effort to open electronic commerce to developing nations. The Trust Fund partnership establishes a framework by which WISeKey and the World Trade Center Geneva was created to assist the ITU in expanding the Electronic Commerce in Developing Countries project (EC-DC) using the World Trade Center network and its global infrastructure of more than 300 Registration Authority centres in more than 100 countries.
In 2001, Carlos Moreira led the process to establish in cooperation with the International Telecommunication Union a Memorandum of Understanding for Worldetrust.
Worldetrust was establish with the intention to establish an inclusive, technology-neutral and technology independent framework for contributions towards a beneficial, non-exclusive, cost-effective and global development and deployment of highly secure infrastructure and applications for value-added e-services in Developing and Least Developed Countries worldwide.
Since it was launched in June 2001, more than 60 countries represented by governments, the private sector, and civil society have already the World e-Trust MoU.
In 2002 Carlos was invited by the Chancellor of the Republic of Geneva, Mr. Robert Hensler as member of the “steering committee” to assist the government in the development of the Geneva E-Voting project and for WISeKey the security technology for the project. In 2003, the Geneva E-Voting project was launched and tested in a world premiere in Anieres in Geneva in what is still is the first ever binding internet based e-voting performance.
In 2003, Mr. Moreira assisted to the Breakthrough in Quantum Cryptography – a Swiss partnership which released the world’s first integrated Quantum Key Infrastructure demonstrated at Telecom 2003.
During 2003 Mr. Moreira organized the Secure E-Government Center were ITU and WISeKey to demonstrated successful E-Services projects as part of the E-Strategy partnership signed between both organizations in 1999 .
During 2004, Mr. Moreira established a global partnership relation between Microsoft and WISekey on Electronic Identification which is becoming the largest eID project in the world with chances to become the de facto standard on issuing eIDs for Government, Health, Finance and other sectors of the e-economy.
During 2005, Mr. Moreira, worked with WISekey in security components of a major project in the US with the name Destiny USA on which their contribution assisted the project to become one of the most secure place in earth. see http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/050303/ukth004_1.html
He also prepared the contribution of OISTE to the Second meeting of the committee of preparation of the World Summit on Information Society Geneva. This contribution had the objective to propose the transfer of control and management of technologies related to the fundamental security of the Internet to neutral authorities working in the public interest.http://www.itu.int/dms_pub/itu-s/md/03/wsispc2/c/S03-WSISPC2-C-0079!!MSW-F.doc.
During 2006, Mr. Moreira originated the Geneva Security Forum which has been founded to assess the interconnectedness of security threats and the need for rapid, flexible and effective responses in the face of ever-increasing security risks for everybody; populated areas, strategic industries, transportation networks, supply chains, businesses, employees and civilians. In addition to a high-level, exclusive symposium, the Geneva Security Forum will also consist of a trade show highlighting the latest in security technology and training seminars on a range of security-related issues.
Initiated by the Canton of Geneva, Palexpo and WISekey, the Geneva Security Forum, with a multi-stakeholder approach, will bring together leaders from business, politics, and academia who are at the forefront of thinking on security with the aim of producing concrete recommendations, developing new innovative strategies for managing security threats and sharing knowledge on best practices in coping with risk. Of particular importance will be an assessment of the growing role of Information Communication Technology (ICT) in security and the security of ICT. The Forum will be a time-effective, privileged platform for discussions among business leaders, senior policy-makers, opinion leaders, and renowned thinkers.http://gsf.wisekey.com/
Also in 2006, Carlos become a member of the Clinton Global Initiative and launch a project to provide assistance to reduce Global Poverty by using Digital Identification and electronic transactions with the code name NetID http://www.etrustblog.com
Carlos believes that offering our technology to benefit philanthropic causes is at once both good business and part of the lifeblood of our competitiveness as a company. We at WISeKey look at charitable sharing and giving in the same way that we view education: it is an investment for the economy and the future.
Of the seven billion people who use mobile phones, only one billion are active consumers of mobile applications. It makes business sense to invest in the other six billion people in the world, who will become our preferred clients in the future. We enjoy pursuing philanthropy of this type, not just because it makes us feel good, but because we believe our investment helps to create skilled workers, new consumers, and ultimately a positive impact on our own revenue.
WISeKey advocates corporate responsibility and philanthropy. We recommend that our clients and partners make smart, strategic decisions when making charitable contributions and it is important to align corporate missions and values, as the results may produce longer-lasting dividends for everyone involved.
WISeKey is dedicated to supporting the goal of the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) – to effectively confront the world’s most pressing problems – and has committed to building a platform for mobile payments, bringing banking to the unbanked populations of poorer countries, as well as building communities through facilitated communications. WISeKey’s drive in this field has also allowed individuals, enterprises and governments to access information, and secure services, such as eLearning, eHealth, eTravel, eGovernment and mobile transactions in a secure and flexible enhanced social network.
Carlos Nominated men of the Year in Geneva by AGEFI
Carlos Moreira Founder and CEO of the Geneva-based certificate specialist WISeKey, has been awarded the title “Homme de l’Année de L’Agefi 2007” by the business magazine ‘L’Agefi’.
According to ‘L’Agefi’, this is a tribute to his outstanding achievements since WISeKey was founded in 1999, which has made his company an increasingly important player in its field. This has been shown, among other things, in the implementation of avant-garde projects, such as the e-voting tests in Geneva, or the significant partnership with Microsoft in the field of certificates .
When describing Moreira’s entrepreneurial qualities, the French-speaking Swiss business newspaper goes into raptures: Moreira, according to ‘L’Agefi’, is characterized by a “passion for management” paired with an unparalleled “esprit technologique”, as well as his willingness to take risks within the framework of a at the same time rigorous corporate governance.
Of course, Moreira’s award also has something to do with WISeKey’s forthcoming IPO, which is planned for 2008 and is being eagerly awaited in French-speaking Switzerland.
Carlos in 2008 announced a new commitment with the initial focus to target over 100 million people in the Mediterranean region still unbanked but already connected via voice with their mobile phones.
«It is our hope that the impact of this commitment will extend to reach 100 million disadvantaged people in 25 countries primarily in the Mediterranean Region, including Africa during its first phase. Deploying the platform in cooperation with Telcos will enable us to reach the unbanked base of the pyramid consumers. For this commitment we are mainly cooperating with Telcos using our technology to adapt with technology that allows the mobile phone to be used as a financial tool,» said Carlos Moreira, CEO of WISeKey. WISeKey will provide the trusted, secure and interoperable m-payments technology required to operate a Mobile Payment Telco Platform in selected geographical areas in partnership with financial institutions, telecommunications and technology companies in the region.
M-Payments are emerging as an important link that could bring the most basic financial services to billions of unbanked cell phone users around the world. Bringing the unbanked into the formal economy and allowing them to use their mobile phone as identification and payment devices is a key element of this commitment. Interestingly, a full 1 billion of the 5 billion mobile phone owners have no access to financial services despite having the technological possibility of activating this service.
As one of the first steps of this initiative, actor Antonio Banderas will be the First Mediterranean Citizen in one of the most ambitious projects of the Digital Mediterranean Space Summit: to create a community of 150 million citizens online. The «I am Mediterranean» Project will provide access to all citizens of the region from its hub in Malaga to a wide variety of citizen services with a view to promoting the millennial common identity and culture. Cities from all over the Mediterranean can join this initiative and establish citizen services platforms locally that are interoperable across the region. WISeKey looks forward to replicating this initiative in other culturally integrated regions of the world.
In 2007 WISeKey, the leading eSecurity and Digital Trust company, was been nominated by the World Economic Forum as a Global Growth Company during an event in China.
The World Economic Forum’s Global Growth Companies (GGC), founded in 2007, nominates leading enterprises from around the world that has the potential to become tomorrow’s industry leaders and a driving force of economic and social change. The GGC Community has admitted, as of June 2010, 250 companies from over 50 countries and from all sectors. These rapidly growing emergent multinationals are supported by the GGC as they navigate new geographies, markets, cultures, and regulatory systems to become a major driving force in social and economic development.
The GGCs, Technology Pioneers, and Young Global Leaders are the three pillars that form the Forum’s Community of New Champions.
Companies selected as Global Growth Companies must demonstrate an annual growth rate exceeding industry and regional average by 15%, a minimum turnover between US$ 100 million and US$ 5 billion depending on the industry, a demonstrated growth potential, the capacity and intent to build a global business and exemplary executive leadership.
WISeKey is the global leader in Digital Identification and Trusted Secure Electronic Transactions over the Internet. WISeKey’s disruptive technology and business model excel at knowing the digital identification and transaction market, staying close to customers, and using this technology to contribute to the Web and communications over the long term by improving every kind of trusted data exchange.
«We are honored that the World Economic Forum has again nominated WISeKey as a Global Growth Company this year. This nomination is the recognition that WISeKey is making a profound contribution to securing the Net and to allowing hundreds of million of users equipped with WISeKey technologies to perform highly secure electronic transactions over the Internet» said Carlos Moreira, founder and CEO of WISeKey. «This recognition is also proof that Geneva, Switzerland is emerging as one of the hottest places in the world to start and develop a tech company.»
WISeKey was also part of the founding members of the World Economic Forum’s Community of Global Growth Companies, formed in 2007 to engage dynamic high-growth companies with the potential to be tomorrow’s industry leaders and to become a driving force of economic and social change. The Global Growth Companies will be meeting at the «Summer Davos» in Asia’s Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2010 Tianjin, People’s Republic of China 13–15 September.
In 2009, Carlos and his team started to study the possibility to use PKI technology for the fight against counterfeiting products. After few months of R&D in close cooperation with watch companies Hublot and WISeKey Revolutionize BASELWORLD 2009 with its Breakthrough Technology Against Counterfeiting. at BASELWORLD 2009, WISeKey, and Hublot announced a world first at BaselWorld 2009 demonstrating an unique breakthrough solution that will help reduce counterfeiting among the luxury watch industry. This solution arrives during a period on which the watch industry is also impacted by the crisis and needs to reassure its clients.
All Hublot watches (new and old) will be protected by WISeAuthentic®, a certification system of authenticity through a SmartCard. By leveraging this technology, online shopping and auction Websites have the ability to provide its users a safe, secure transaction, avoiding counterfeited goods in its product range.
«Counterfeiting represents approximately five to seven percent of all world trade,» said Carlos Moreira, CEO of WISeKey. «Therefore, with the luxury brand industries estimated to reach one trillion dollars (US) by 2010, these companies need a solution that will prove authenticity. We are pleased that WISeKey technology can be used in the fight against counterfeiting.»
«In the watch industry we are seeing a significant increase in counterfeit goods,» said Jean-Claude Biver, CEO of Hublot. «It was imperative for us as a company to find a way to not only protect our watches but also those who were purchasing them. WISeKey has a strong track record in security and authentication and when looking for a partner to help us in the fight against counterfeiting we knew WISeKey was the right choice for us. We expect that this technology will become the standard on this industry»
Currently, Hublot is the first watch making company to reach this level of protection for its products by associating digital anti-counterfeiting technology with traditional watch making. This combination provides a fail-safe solution, impossible to replicate at a cost that is a small fraction of the amount lost in sales due to counterfeits.
«Every year, more than 40 million Swiss counterfeit watches enter the market compared to 26 million genuine watches,» said Jean-Daniel Pasche, President, Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry. «This is a significant number that costs the Swiss watch industry, on a global basis, approximately 700 million to 800 million dollars (US). We are pleased to see companies are taking this issue seriously and creating solutions that will get us closer to stop counterfeiting.» WISeAuthentic is also available for use with jewelry, beauty products, haute couture as well as exotic items including jet aircraft engines or high-tech automobile parts.
In 2010 Carlos Moreira was invited by the World Economic Forum to join the Global Agenda Council on Illicit Trade bringing together companies severely affected by counterfeiting to educate the public and to find practical solutions using new technology. WISeKey continues to work closely with luxury watch brands and collaborates with manufacturers of pharmaceuticals, software, and medical supplies to deeply understand their concerns in order to offer better solutions. WISeAuthentic offers a sophisticated monitoring system of a product’s movement through the entire supply chain, from the manufacturer, to distribution, and purchase, a process proven to help identify fakes and reduce illicit trade. WISeKey plans to make its WISeAuthentic encryption technology more easily accessible through its technical advancements, in order to help even more organizations in different markets and sectors globally improve their resilience against counterfeiting
The TransHumanCode Bestseller
“Never has there been a more important time in our history for business, government, academic and religious leaders to align on the core tenants of humanity,” states Carlos Moreira, co-author of The transHuman Code. “In the absence of a ‘global governor of technology’ — an individual or body that decides what technology is used, when and where — the developers, enablers and users of technology (that’s all of us) must assume the responsibility to program our future.”
“The web is blind; the web has no morals; the web is like fire: it can warm your hands but burn down your house,” Moreira said. In order to build a virtual space that behooves humanity, “we must put humans in the center of the architecture,” he added. That architecture today does not always allow for the free-flowing democratic exchange of ideas but is instead governed by purveyors of code; it’s a realm where internet users have become commodities, and, he said, it’s worth asking, who’s supervising the coder?
Humanity as we know it is being transformed, so this concept “points to the belief that our best future will come from a transformational relationship with technology — one that we control and not one that requires us to surrender to it or its products and services.” The evolution of post-human intelligence reinforced by AI is the most important conceivable development since Humans are on this earth. Humans prevailed on this world for thousands of years and are morally valuable because of our rich consciousness and ability to understand, believe and create. The emergence of radically cognitively enhanced humans or super-humans powered with AI, with a drastically greater ability to understand, will be the most morally consequential event on earth.
So the conclusion is if we are we building a future of technological grandeur at the expense of what makes us magnificent, or we are building a future of human grandeur with the help of magnificent technology? What we choose will determine whether our future is bleak or bright.
The transHuman Code Meeting of The Minds first originated in Davos, Switzerland in 2015 where global leaders assembled to discuss the impending impact of the 4th Industrial Revolution. Since that ground-breaking event, authors Fergusson and Moreira have brought technology, corporate, finance, government, academic, and media leaders together at gatherings across the world to discuss how we can program our future for the betterment of all.
In The transHuman Code, authors Carlos Moreira and David Fergusson ask, “Are we building a better future for humanity with the help of magnificent technology or are we instead building a better future of better technology at the expense of humanity?” We must learn to put humanity first instead of getting caught up in the promise of technological advancement. Humans have been able to adapt, morph, and compromise in every situation we have faced over the centuries and have been able to maintain dominance. We must approach the promises of technology with the same adaptability.
What the authors propose is that if we start the design of the transHuman future from a human perspective, making sure that technology will inspire revolution or evolution, then we can ensure humanity continues to thrive. The transHuman Code tries to center humanity in the emerging tension between a human-controlled or a machine-controlled world. Moreira and Fergusson examine how humans can maintain their uniqueness and humanity in this brave new world.
In our ever-evolving society, technology is becoming more and more integrated into our lives. From the most mundane tasks of checking emails and keeping up social media profiles to the more complex endeavors of creating groundbreaking technologies, technology has made its presence undeniable. While the implementation of technology into our lives has brought forth many blessings, it has also created a need to be mindful of keeping ourselves in control of the technology we use.
Being in control of technology means being aware of its capabilities and possible implications to our lives and that of others. This awareness provides us with an ethical framework to measure our decisions. Being in control calls for clear boundaries between our own needs and preferences and those of technological advancement. We should not be slaves to technology, instead of understanding its potential and use and benefits, without it taking over our lives.
Another aspect of being in control is our general knowledge of prevalent technological risks. With online predators, identity theft, ransomware, cyber-bullying and data breaches frequent concerns in the media, it is essential to be knowledgeable in this area and to have the skills to effectively manage technology safely. These skills should include, minimally, proper authentication procedures, ID, secure data management, and ease of use. Knowing the basics of internet security is paramount for our personal security and for the security of our families and communities.
Being in control is also influenced by our conscious decisions in regards to the technology we use, adopt, and deploy. It requires an understanding of our own motives, those of the companies we do business with, and of the society at large. We must be conscious of how to handle our date, how to protect our privacy, and how to be conscious of the laws around us. We must be wary of the impact that technology has on our lives on a personal, social and global level.
Being in control of technology is a vital skill in today’s society. We must understand and manage technology responsibly, in both our private and professional lives. We must have an ethical understanding of its capabilities and implications, as well as an knowledge of its risks. And finally, we must decide for ourselves the impact that technology has on our personal, social and global lives. If we are mindful in all of these areas, technology can become a boon for our well-being, rather than a burden. #transhumancode
TransHuman Code launch launch at the Vatican
Humanity 2.0, a non-profit human progress accelerator and social impact initiative with the support of the Pontifical Lateran University at the Vatican, announces a dynamic forum, Technology and Human Flourishing, to be held today July 29 at the Collegio Teutonico in Vatican City.
This exclusive gathering of technology, corporate, finance, government, academic, ecclesiastic and media leaders is an interactive forum to catalyze awareness and establish the best path forward with humanity and technology in harmony.
The critical discussion will be led by David Fergusson and Carlos Moreira, authors of the new best-selling book, The transHuman Code and the author of Artificial Humanity, Father Phillip Larrey, together with Matthew Sanders, the CEO of Humanity 2.0. The think tank forum — ‘TransHuman Code Meeting of The Minds’will focus on the subject of these thought-provoking ground breaking books.
David Fergusson, co-author of The transhuman Code states “In this, the age of technological revolution, advocating and innovating the greatest good for all humanity is paramount to realizing the full potential of our future.”Fergusson is the Executive Director of M&A for the leading US investment bank Generational Equity and Chairman of The M&A Advisor.
“Never has there been a more important time in our history for business, government, academic and religious leaders to align on the core tenants of humanity, states Carlos Moreira, co-author of The transHuman Code. Swiss cybersecurity and IoT pioneer, Carlos Moreira is the CEO of Wisekey International.
“Humanity is at a crossroads and the time has come for us not just to think collaboratively, but to put our thoughts into action”, states Matthew Sanders, CEO of Humanity 2.0. “This event assembles thought leaders from around the world to collaboratively act on providing global solutions.”
“Technology is shaping the fabric of our society”, states Rev. Philip Larrey, author of Artificial Humanity and Connected World. “And while Artificial Intelligence has captured the imagination of a generation, we need to challenge all to ensure that the ethical foundation is firmly established to fully thrive.”
Matt Bird, Host of the Traders Network Show and Advisor to Humanity 2.0, commented; enterprise adoption of new technologies including Artificial intelligence (AI), gives organizations great power to create automated efficiency. It’s our duty and responsibility as corporate leaders to make sure that technology doesn’t displace humanity but empowers humans to make better decisions in the work place — not replace them.
“The transHuman Code Meeting of The Minds” originated in Davos, Switzerland in 2015 where global leaders assembled to discuss the impending impact of the 4thIndustrial Revolution. Since that ground breaking event, authors Fergusson and Moreira have brought technology, corporate, finance, government, academic, and media leaders together at gatherings across the world to discuss how we can program our future for the betterment of all. This extensive research, culminated in the publishing of the book, The transHuman Code, in June of this year.
At the “transHuman Code Meeting of The Minds” assembly at the Vatican today, Humanity 2.0 and the book’s authors announced a global institutional tour featuring town hall style meetings of all technology stakeholders at leading universities over the year ahead.
Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) refers to the hypothetical artificial intelligence that can perform any intellectual task that a human can. AGI is different from narrow AI, which is designed for a specific task or domain. AGI is considered the next step in the evolution of AI and is expected to be more flexible, adaptable, and capable of solving complex problems. However, AGI also poses unique challenges and risks, including the potential for the technology to become uncontrollable or even dangerous. Therefore, it is essential to consider how AGI can be domesticated by humans.
The TransHuman Code, is the first interactive “AI knowledge platform” for managing the convergence of humanity and technology.
Informing and engaging all citizens of the world about the dynamic influences of technology in our personal, communal and professional lives, The TransHuman Code is redefining the hierarchy of needs and how we will meet them in the future.
Originated by Carlos Moreira and David Fergusson, The TransHuman Code features key insights from the world’s premier authorities on the application of AI, Blockchain, Cybersecurity, Quantum, IoT, and Robotics to transhuman… education, employment, communication, transportation, communities, security, government, food, finance, entertainment and health.
The TransHuman Code started with a Davos Gathering of Minds that introduced the world’s first digital person and the first autonomous flying vehicles back in 2016, live expert interviews with leading and exclusive high-level introductions were amongst the first platform contributors.
Participants had the opportunity to meet Rachel, the revolutionary Digital Personal Assistant from Soul Machines and IBM Watson. Able to see you, listen to you and feel your emotions, Rachel’s neural network combines biologically inspired models of the human brain and key sensory networks to create the virtual central nervous system that we call our Human Computing Engine.
When we ‘plug’ our interactive Digital Humans into our cloud-based Human Computing Engine, we can transform modern life for the better by revolutionizing the way AI, robots, and machines interact with people.
This experience is helping the TransHumanCode Platform to open the debate on how to domesticate AGI by developing ways to ensure that the technology is safe, controllable, and aligned with human values and goals. There are several approaches that can be taken to domesticate AGI, including technical, social, and regulatory measures.
Technical measures involve developing technological solutions to ensure that AGI is controllable and aligned with human values. One approach is to develop advanced control and monitoring systems that can regulate the behavior of AGI systems. This could include techniques such as reinforcement learning, where the AGI system learns from feedback and adjusts its behavior accordingly. Another approach is to design AGI systems with ethical principles and values built into their architecture. This could involve developing systems that are designed to prioritize human safety and well-being over other objectives.
Social measures involve developing social norms, values, and institutions that can help ensure that AGI is aligned with human values and goals. This could involve developing ethical frameworks that outline the ethical principles that AGI should adhere to. For example, the IEEE Global Initiative for Ethical Considerations in AI and Autonomous Systems has developed a set of principles for the ethical design and deployment of AI. Other social measures could include developing public awareness and engagement campaigns to raise awareness about AGI and its potential benefits and risks.
Regulatory measures involve developing legal and policy frameworks to regulate the development and deployment of AGI. This could include developing laws and regulations that require AGI systems to be designed in a way that is safe and aligned with human values. It could also involve developing regulatory bodies that oversee the development and deployment of AGI systems, ensuring that they are developed and deployed responsibly.
Domesticating AGI is essential for ensuring that this technology is developed and deployed in a way that is safe, controllable, and aligned with human values and goals. This requires a multi-faceted approach that involves technical, social, and regulatory measures. By developing advanced control and monitoring systems, ethical frameworks, public awareness campaigns, and regulatory bodies, we can ensure that AGI is developed and deployed in a way that benefits humanity and minimizes the risks. It is up to us to ensure that AGI is domesticated in a responsible and ethical way, so that this technology can be used to solve some of the world’s most pressing problems.
WISeKey
Carlos incorporated WISekey in 1999 in Gneeva. In his present position, Mr. Moreira as Chairman of the Board and CEO of WISeKey, together with a team of global experts is responsible for the development of new ideas, technologies, and concepts for cybersecurity and Information Infrastructure projects. Moreira’s foresight and vision for global technical cooperation have been central to the success of his present technological developments and systems developed during previous UN assignments projects.
For the launch of WISeKey in Feb 1999 and to celebrate the movie from the UN to the private sector, WISeKey painted a bus bringing staff from te main Geneva station to the UN headquarters in Geneva as a way to celebrate the company.
During his career, Carlos worked in a variety of senior positions for the United Nations, including senior adviser on computerized trade information systems and telecommunications for the International Trade Centre, World Trade Organization. Head of the computer department of the European Free Trade Association EFTA, EDP coordinator for UN Non Governmental Liaison Services, and statistical research consultant for the International Labour Office (ILO), and United Nations Research Institute for Social Development. In addition, he has been on expert assignments for the United Nations Development program (UNDP), the European Union, the World Bank and the Arab Monetary Fund. His fieldwork includes UN missions to over 140 countries.
Philanthropy is also important to Moreira. He is one of the one of the founder and the Secretary General of the OISTE Foundation OISTE.ORG in Switzerland to support philanthropic initiatives in the areas of e-trust and digital divide with particular focus to e-health, e-learning and e-trade, with the hope that as we move into the 21st century, advances in these critical areas will be available for all people.
OISTE is a non for profit international organization based in Geneva, Switzerland. Founded in 1998, OISTE was created with the objectives of promoting the use and adoption of international standards to secure electronic transactions, expand the use of digital certification and ensure the interoperability of certification authorities e-transaction systems.
In 1997 he was appointed as Adjunct Professor of the Graduate School of Engineering from 1995 to 1998. In addition, he was the head of the eCommerce Lab at the Graduate School of Engineering at RMIT and the eCommerce research project leader at the University of Minnesota in the United States.
He has taught international trade, e-security, PKI and information technology management in several universities (Cairo-American University, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Asian Institute of Technology, Minnesota University, i.a.) A frequent invited speaker in international meetings such as the World Economic Forum, the Global Competitiveness Forum, the Clinton Global Initiative, UN Summits, etc he has addressed e-security and telecom issues in a wide number of fora such as the ITU, UN Summits, E-Security Symposiums, etc)
He is married with five children and is fluent in four languages (English, Spanish, French and Portuguese). He has organized and conducted several major international conferences on International Trade, Secure Electronic Transactions and Electronic Commerce.
Carlos Moreira is the author of numerous publications on information technology e-security, trust-models for e-governance and international.
Meeting with Bil Gates
The first time I saw Bill was in South Africa during a meeting with Microsoft. I had great admiration for Bill and I wanted to be able to validate my ideas about the future of the Internet with him, but it was impossible for me on that occasion to be able to have a quality conversation with him, because we were sitting at a table where there were many other people and unfortunately, I was not able to focus his attention on the subject.
Then later in Davos, I had the opportunity to spend a few minutes with him and explain my vision in detail and it was a very enlightening discussion. He is a great thinker and listener and after several minutes of listening to me, he told me that this vision of being able to put the human being at the center of gravity of the entire digital process is the only way to guarantee its survival.
I explain to him that Privacy is as a basic, fundamental human right. It is also an endangered right. New digital technologies track and scrutinize us all at this age of surveillance capitalism (Zuboff, 2018). The digital economy considers every click, search or like as an asset to be monetized. Our lives, reflected in cyberspace, are plundered for behavioral data for the sake of a system that converts our freedom into profit. We are quietly being domesticated into accepting as normal that decision rights vanish before we even know that there is a decision to make.
“A new awareness infused by a human-rights based approach that consider each individual “netizen” as a dignified moral being, worth of respect, is required. Otherwise, our connectivity will continue to offer a perverse amalgam of empowerment inextricably layered with diminishment
For these reasons, WISeKey and the Foundation OISTE, — building upon the various resolutions adopted by the UN General Assembly and the Human Rights Council touching on the protection and promotion of the right to privacy in the digital age — has set up a panel to address, inter alia, the following issues:
- Identifying and clarifying principles, standards and best practices regarding the promotion and protection of the human right to privacy
- Reinforcing the principles of non-arbitrariness, lawfulness, legality, necessity and proportionality in communications surveillance by the State.
- Ensuring that profiling, automated decision-making and machine-learning technologies do proceed in accordance to agreed safeguards and do not affect the enjoyment of human rights
- Introducing a gender perspective and ensuring that there exists effective domestic oversight and remedies for the violation of the human right to privacy
- Addressing the issue of personal data management: often individuals do not provide their free, explicit and informed consent to the re-use, sale or multiple re-sales of their personal data
- Addressing the issue of human rights impacts of artificial intelligence, with a particular focus on examples of discrimination and bias
WISeKey and the OISTE Foundation signed The International Principles on the Application of Human Rights to Communications Surveillance right after they were launched at the 24th session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva in 2013. OISTE invites other organizations to join: https://necessaryandproportionate.org/
That validation gave me a lot of confidence that I was on the right track and I thanked him for all the support that Microsoft gave us to our company and its activities on the Internet.
The listing of WISekey on the Swiss Stock Exchange
WISekey started to trade on the Swiss Stock Exchange as SIX Exchange Regulation approved the listing of Class B Shares in accordance with the International Reporting Standard, with the first trading day taking place on March 31, 2016.
The indicative reference share price submitted by WIHN’s management to SIX Swiss Exchange was CHF 15, translating to a market capitalization based on the listed Class B Shares of approximately CHF 220 million and an equity value of all issued Class A and Class B Shares of approximately CHF 340 million. The indicative reference price is based on WIHN’s own assessment of the Class B Share fair equity value, third-party valuations from renowned investment banks, and prior equity rounds.
The acquisition of Inside Secure VaultIC Semiconductors company
6 months after the Swiss listing of WISekey, we acquired the secure integrated circuit solutions business for the Internet of Things (IoT) and Semiconductors by INSIDE Secure (Euronext Paris: INSD), a leading provider of embedded security solutions for mobile and connected devices.
The acquisition and integration of Vault IC semiconductor business with WISeKey’s unique root-of-trust and identity technology created the first comprehensive, reliable, end-to-end cybersecurity platform for people and objects (IoT). Vertical integration of Vault IC hardware and software, system certification, and provisioning through service management enables WISeKey to provide its customers with the most secure platform.
The successful transaction includes the transfer of products, technology, customer contracts, and various patents from INSIDE Secure to WISeKey, including the development and distribution of secure integrated circuits that serve to secure and serve the high-growth IoT market. In addition, as a result of the transaction, WISeKey will add a team of 70 employees in research and development, sales, marketing and support, increasing the company’s workforce to a total of more than 140 employees, located in Switzerland, Vietnam, the USA, Japan, etc , Taiwan and Singapore, expanding WISeKey’s global reach.
The acquisition enables WISeKey to generate strong revenues in new areas including chip-based IoT, anti-counterfeiting, brand protection, EMV payment cards and secure access to building IT equipment. Notably, the business segment acquired from INSIDE Secure is expected to generate 2016 (unaudited pro forma) revenues of US$34 million and in 2015 generated approximately (pro forma, unaudited) revenues of approximately US$33 million .
4th April 2017, WISekey finalized the acquisition of Quovadis Holdings Ltd (“QuoVadis”), a leading cybersecurity company with a strong focus in next-generation Public Key Infrastructure (“PKI”), Certification Authority (“CA”) and electronic signature services (“eID”), with operating activities in Switzerland, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, the United Kingdom and Bermuda.
The consideration paid to QuoVadis’ selling equity holders ABRY and One Communications Ltd. (formerly known as KeyTech) consisted of a cash consideration of USD13,000,000, plus 1,110,000 newly issued Class B Shares of WISeKey issued from existing authorized capital, subject to a lock-up period of three months. WISeKey will also repay the indebtedness of QuoVadis in the amount of USD 2,000,000.
WISeKey and management have each a right to acquire and sell, respectively, the remaining 15%-stake of QuoVadis’ management in May 2018 based on QuoVadis’ performance in financial year 2017, at the election of WISeKey in cash or against Class B Shares. Any issuance of new Class B Shares would be capped at 946,000 Class B Shares.
This acquisition positions reinforces WISeKey position as a market leader in this newly emerging industry referred to as Vertical Platforms for IoT Security Technologies. In its recently-released TechRadar report for security and risk professionals, Forrester Research has discussed the outlook for the 13 most relevant and important IoT security technologies and identified the sector between Cybersecurity and IoT in which WISekey operates as one of the highest growing sectors in the next five years. The continued evolution of IoT-specific security threats is expected to drive innovation and lead to the appearance of more new IoT-specific security technologies in the creation phase in the near future, many of which may align around WISeKey vertical- and industry-specific platforms, such as connected cars, connected medical devices or industrial applications.
The acquisition of QuoVadis will allow WISeKey to reinforce its IoT PKI offering. IoT PKI is defined as the provision of a complete X.509 digital certificate and cryptographic key and life-cycle capabilities, including public/private key generation, distribution, management, and revocation. The hardware specs for some IoT devices may limit or prevent their ability to utilize PKI. Digital certificates can be securely loaded onto IoT devices at the time of manufacture and then activated/enabled by third-party PKI software suites; the certificates could also be installed post-manufacture. Sample vendors: DigiCert, Entrust Datacard, Gemalto, HPE, Symantec, and WISeKey.
In addition to technology and clients, QuoVadis brings to WISeKey its strength serving enterprise customers, with more than 300 large cap and 3,000 overall customers worldwide, including Europe, the United States and Australia. The Transaction will bring strong synergies to WISeKey with the large recurring customer base of QuoVadis’ proven Trust/Link and sealsign technologies; in-depth operations experience running multiple secure and high-availability trustcentre environments under strict accreditation regimes; and adopt sales and support teams based in important customer markets, including Switzerland.
For FY2016, QuoVadis generated approx. USD18 million of revenues and approx. USD4 million of EBITDA. For FY2017, QuoVadis projects stand-alone revenues in excess of USD20 million and EBITDA of USD7 million.
The pro forma combined, consolidated revenues for FY2016 of WISeKey, Vault IC and including Quovadis are approx. USD51 million. For FY2017, WISeKey currently expects revenues of between USD110m — USD120m.
ACXIT Capital Partners AG acted as exclusive strategic and financial advisor to WISeKey and Homburger AG acted as legal counsel to WISeKey in this Transaction. Marlin & Associates acted as strategic and financial advisor to QuoVadis, and Kirkland & Ellis acted as legal counsel to investment funds managed by ABRY Partners II, LLC, which were the selling equity holders in the transaction together with KeyTech Limited.
WIseKey lists on the NASDAQ
WISeKey Rang the NASDAQ Opening Bell
WISeKey International Holding Ltd (WKEY), a leading cybersecurity and IoT company represented by it Founder and CEO Carlos Moreira rang the Nasdaq opening bell. Trading of the WIDSeKey ADRs commenced on December 4, 2019 under the symbol “WKEY”.
The Bank of New York Mellon is serving as depositary for the ADRs with each ADR representing 5 B shares of the Company. The Company’s B shares will continue to trade on the Swiss Stock Exchange under the symbol “WIHN.”
Mr. Moreira stated during the opening, As we celebrated WISeKey’s 20th anniversary, we have our sights set firmly on becoming one of the world’s leading cybersecurity / IoT platform companies, measured by relevance to our intellectual property and patents and their adoption by important customers worldwide. We believe we will achieve this through our Vertical Trusted Platform approach, delivering state-of-the-art cybersecurity and IoT solutions for our customers and helping them integrating our technologies and achieve their desired outcomes. We are thrilled to be joining the leading group technology and cybersecurity companies publicly traded on the Nasdaq. The listing on the Nasdaq Global Market will greatly benefit our shareholders by providing higher visibility and improved liquidity. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all our shareholders, staff and customers for their unwavering support as we take the bold steps necessary in pursuit of our goals.
Summary
Carlos Creus Moreira is a multi-award winning technology pioneer whose IT, online security, and trust management experience with the United Nations and World Trade Organization led to the creation, twenty years ago, of one of the world’s first cybersecurity companies, Wisekey. Today, he is an active leader and member of several institutions and organizations focused on the advancement of technological innovation and the preservation of human identity. He resides in Geneva, Switzerland with his family.
Carlos is currently recognized as a world-class Internet visionary, philanthropist and entrepreneur, and fundraiser established in his previous capacity as a UN expert in close relations between the information technology sector, secure electronic transactions, telecommunications, and international trade.
Carlos holds Swiss nationality and he originates from Andalucia, Spain.
He is currently a leading technologist who has created several leading technology projects and companies including several IPos on SIX and NASDAQ and has been awarded by the World Economic Forum as a Global Growth Company in 2007.
He is a member of the World Economic Forum Global Council and a full partner at Davos meetings. In 2011 he was named one of the 300 most influential Swiss citizens.