RefugiaBoard

英語は難しい。。。

Pantala and pyrrhia wrote:

Every year 45% of the people that die in my nation just disappear into the woods, never to be seen again. I wonder where they’re all going XD

They have secretly established there a nation of their own, an isolationocracy. Some day they'll grow so big they'll have no more space in the woods and will come out to devour your people. Be(ar)ware(wolf).

mako sharks my national animal are dieing out to much the president says "mako sharks stink who cares"his competition bob says "we all do its our national animal we all should care we need evryones help"

Melenavenia wrote:

Breaking news: People across Melenavenia say [EXPLETIVE] it, let's just go extinct.

I support their rights to self-determination for all the little time they have left on this planet.

Melenavenia wrote:

Breaking news: People across Melenavenia say [EXPLETIVE] it, let's just go extinct.

I didn't realize I lived in Melenavenia...

Junitaki-cho wrote:

WA question: does anyone have any thoughts on this upcoming resolution about regulating commercial genetic testing? It seems fairly comprehensive, but there are a lot of exceptions that make me wonder if problems could crop up. page=UN_view_proposal/id=daarwyrth_1619002175

Campaign tactics aside, there are two areas that I have a problem with when it comes to this proposal.

The first is in the area of exceptions. Particularly clause 4 is highly troubling. Even in an ideal system, it's unclear when it would be appropriate to use a private DNA company's records in the judicial system, but in the GA, where every theoretical nation RP is at play, you cannot just think about nations that are interested in doing the right thing. If they were, we as writers would be out of a job. So what sort of scenarios can you imagine where a militant dictatorship is interested in exploiting this DNA database in order to target political enemies, or some kind of minority that is deemed to be incongruent with the "pursuit of justice"?

The second area is resource inefficiency. One has to wonder why a separate committee is being formed to handle things that are rather plainly within the domain of the WACC on its own, aside from the database making. For what reason is there a database again? Presumably to keep tabs on every private organisation that has the capacity to interact with DNA processing. Futuristic nation RPs aside that likely have far greater access to casual DNA processing as a low-cost service, even in the modern day, this is a tall order. As these companies are under no obligation to register with the World Assembly, if there are fifteen DNA testing start-ups that are formed in a given nation over the course of a year, it falls to the World Assembly to spend whatever resources it takes to find them, track them, and make absolutely certain that no private companies popped up and are not being tracked.

There are likely enough red flags and concerns with this proposal to justify sending it back to drafting; consequently, I am voting against.

Refuge Isle wrote:

For what reason is there a database again? Presumably to keep tabs on every private organisation that has the capacity to interact with DNA processing. Futuristic nation RPs aside that likely have far greater access to casual DNA processing as a low-cost service, even in the modern day, this is a tall order. As these companies are under no obligation to register with the World Assembly, if there are fifteen DNA testing start-ups that are formed in a given nation over the course of a year, it falls to the World Assembly to spend whatever resources it takes to find them, track them, and make absolutely certain that no private companies popped up and are not being tracked.

There are likely enough red flags and concerns with this proposal to justify sending it back to drafting; consequently, I am voting against.

How do and what are private companies work in this game? Are they independent entities inside nations?

Forgive me, I'm fairly new to this place.

Eroias wrote:

How do and what are private companies work in this game? Are they independent entities inside nations?

Forgive me, I'm fairly new to this place.

In this case, I'm just giving commentary about the theoretical implications of the current GA vote: page=ga
When debating WA issues, it's usually on the grounds of how the text is mechanically constructed and would interact with your or someone else's RP construction of policy. But none of my commentary refers to game mechanics.

There *is* a concept of private sector/public sector as it relates to how you answer issues. You can find this in your government page as well as your economy page, and those types of things are derived from what the raw numbers are on relevant census stats.

Refuge Isle wrote:

/snip

I second these concerns, and raise a few others which are detailed in the below Information for Voters dispatch. I'm recommending against the current proposal for the reasons listed.

Information for Voters: Regulation on the Integrity of Genetic Data

by The Township of Junitaki-cho

Regulation on the Integrity of Genetic Data

Information for Voters

---

.
~ Useful Links ~
.

---

• Regulation on the Integrity of Genetic Data

---

• Forum thread

---

• General Assembly voting page

Summary

Genetic testing has become a home commodity, as companies like 23AndMe continue to drive costs down on non-medical labwork. It can reveal genealogical details about one's past, insight into one's traits and general health, all kinds of fun stuff. The darker side of all this is that consumers are giving their genetic material to a for-profit corporation, and thus relinquishing control over how it's used and documented once their tests are done. This is a proposal which would like to somewhat limit the power of these corporations to use and share this data.

The definitions at the start set this up to only apply to non-medical testing provided as a commodity, so bear that in mind. Clause 2 does most of the heavy lifting here, prohibiting the testing entity from sharing genetic data with third parties. Clauses 3 and 4 then provide exceptions to that rule: one for sharing data with the lab which performs the tests, and another for instances in which refusing to share data would interfere with the pursuit of justice. Most of the rest of the text is just setting up an oversight committee and doing housekeeping to attempt to apply these provisions evenly.

Analysis

So why would one of these companies ever have to turn over this data in the pursuit of justice, anyway? That's what I don't get. And that term, "pursuit of justice," is so vague and nebulous. If it clarified that it were only pertaining to criminal investigations or something, that would at least be something we could discuss, but this seems to leave the door open to all kinds of abuses and interpretations. I can't see anything good coming of this.

And this isn't the only issue, either. Clause 3 seems inoffensive at first blush, but it doesn't put any limits on what that contractual obligation with the laboratory can entail. A malicious lab could seek to keep control of genetic data and use it for unregulated purposes, or a testing entity could even contract with their own shell company to skirt regulations on the handling of data, because nothing in this resolution actually places any checks on the labs. This is a massive oversight and should have been caught in drafting.

Refuge Isle identified additional concerns regarding clause 6, which establishes the regulatory committee. For one, it's unclear why this couldn't be handled by the WACC altogether. More frustratingly, testing entities are under no obligation to register with the WAGDOA; the responsibility rests on the WAGDOA to invest resources in discovering companies to monitor. It's all quite disappointing because the premise of placing checks on testing entities is entirely reasonable, but there are so many errors granting them leniency that this wouldn't have much effect.

Recommendation

Due to the proposal's lack of efficacy regulating testing laboratories, flawed oversight process, and potential for unjust use of genetic materials at both national and corporate levels, the Refugia Councillor of World Assembly Affairs recommends against "Regulation on the Integrity of Genetic Data."

Read dispatch

Junitaki-cho wrote:

WA question: does anyone have any thoughts on this upcoming resolution about regulating commercial genetic testing? It seems fairly comprehensive, but there are a lot of exceptions that make me wonder if problems could crop up. page=UN_view_proposal/id=daarwyrth_1619002175

I feel like banning all genetic companies from sharing info with any other company is a little bit overzealous. Like what about those companies that track your family tree, they require outside data and cooperation with other companies in order to do that, right?

I personally think a better solution would be to either require to give the consumer a statement that details exactly what they’re doing to do with the data before they buy it, as well as offer an option for it not to be shared with any other company.

Junitaki-cho wrote:

I second these concerns, and raise a few others which are detailed in the below Information for Voters dispatch. I'm recommending against the current proposal for the reasons listed.

Information for Voters: Regulation on the Integrity of Genetic Data

by The Township of Junitaki-cho

Regulation on the Integrity of Genetic Data

Information for Voters

---

.
~ Useful Links ~
.

---

• Regulation on the Integrity of Genetic Data

---

• Forum thread

---

• General Assembly voting page

Summary

Genetic testing has become a home commodity, as companies like 23AndMe continue to drive costs down on non-medical labwork. It can reveal genealogical details about one's past, insight into one's traits and general health, all kinds of fun stuff. The darker side of all this is that consumers are giving their genetic material to a for-profit corporation, and thus relinquishing control over how it's used and documented once their tests are done. This is a proposal which would like to somewhat limit the power of these corporations to use and share this data.

The definitions at the start set this up to only apply to non-medical testing provided as a commodity, so bear that in mind. Clause 2 does most of the heavy lifting here, prohibiting the testing entity from sharing genetic data with third parties. Clauses 3 and 4 then provide exceptions to that rule: one for sharing data with the lab which performs the tests, and another for instances in which refusing to share data would interfere with the pursuit of justice. Most of the rest of the text is just setting up an oversight committee and doing housekeeping to attempt to apply these provisions evenly.

Analysis

So why would one of these companies ever have to turn over this data in the pursuit of justice, anyway? That's what I don't get. And that term, "pursuit of justice," is so vague and nebulous. If it clarified that it were only pertaining to criminal investigations or something, that would at least be something we could discuss, but this seems to leave the door open to all kinds of abuses and interpretations. I can't see anything good coming of this.

And this isn't the only issue, either. Clause 3 seems inoffensive at first blush, but it doesn't put any limits on what that contractual obligation with the laboratory can entail. A malicious lab could seek to keep control of genetic data and use it for unregulated purposes, or a testing entity could even contract with their own shell company to skirt regulations on the handling of data, because nothing in this resolution actually places any checks on the labs. This is a massive oversight and should have been caught in drafting.

Refuge Isle identified additional concerns regarding clause 6, which establishes the regulatory committee. For one, it's unclear why this couldn't be handled by the WACC altogether. More frustratingly, testing entities are under no obligation to register with the WAGDOA; the responsibility rests on the WAGDOA to invest resources in discovering companies to monitor. It's all quite disappointing because the premise of placing checks on testing entities is entirely reasonable, but there are so many errors granting them leniency that this wouldn't have much effect.

Recommendation

Due to the proposal's lack of efficacy regulating testing laboratories, flawed oversight process, and potential for unjust use of genetic materials at both national and corporate levels, the Refugia Councillor of World Assembly Affairs recommends against "Regulation on the Integrity of Genetic Data."

Read dispatch

Apologies if my response seems intrusive, it is of course not meant as such! I merely wanted to share as the author of this resolution that I appreciate this criticism and find the points made in this recommendation very valid. I would have loved to incorporate them into the resolution text had they been expressed during the drafting process, as I find myself in agreement with them now that they have been pointed out to me :)

Welcome, Libertatem existente, Cheesy Tots, Lunarana, Saint gothenburg, The louisianian people, Ramonershnoigsbob, Yusu mage, Bubbline, Kintasia, -night vale-, Kanosei no mugen, Ouidd, Amesihardonara, Dommoningcre, Soviet unionnk, Greater saudi-arexia, Giant Redwoods, and Xentora, to Refugia! I hope each of you enjoys your stay. If it applies to you, please pay attention to the rest of this message.

Refugia aims to be a friendly, laid-back community, which is open to players of all skill levels. Nations who wish to become more active in the region, however, should consider joining the World Assembly (WA). WA nations are able to vote on international law, and receive exclusive benefits within the region, such as the ability to vote in regional polls and elections, get a spot on Refugia's map, and even run for office when elections come up! If you're interested in joining the WA, check out this article, and make sure to endorse our delegate.

If you'd rather just chill with us, that's perfectly fine as well. We have an offsite forum, as well as frequent discussions on the regional message board (RMB), which everyone is welcome to participate in!

If you have any additional questions about the region or how NationStates works, feel free to leave them here, on the RMB. If you're interested in joining our offsite forum, look for the link at the top of Refugia's World Factbook Entry (the big text box at the top of our regional page).

Once again, I really hope you enjoy your time here, and look forward to seeing more of you soon!

Daarwyrth wrote:

Apologies if my response seems intrusive, it is of course not meant as such! I merely wanted to share as the author of this resolution that I appreciate this criticism and find the points made in this recommendation very valid. I would have loved to incorporate them into the resolution text had they been expressed during the drafting process, as I find myself in agreement with them now that they have been pointed out to me :)

I appreciate the kind words! I wish I'd been around to contribute to the thread, but I've been away from the site and just haven't had the time to invest in drafting. I know how frustrating it is to only receive this kind of critique once it's out of your hands, so sorry about that. If you end up workshopping this further (which you probably should, because genetic testing companies are super sketchy), shoot me a message and I'll be happy to eyeball it.

COCONUT BONGOS

メーデーが来ました。

It's international workers day or at least for me it is, but hopefully this may day is good.

Tibigibagwegwegwe wrote:

COCONUT BONGOS

Coconut bongos sound like an interesting instrument. Definitely seems fun.

*swims happily*

Hi hi~ Ill'haress Aurora Yukihime, aka new joiner The everlasting kingdom of zeal here! I'm very interested in getting to meet you all here. <3

Narwhal wrote:

*swims happily*

*blows bubbles*

Albrook wrote:

Hi hi~ Ill'haress Aurora Yukihime, aka new joiner The everlasting kingdom of zeal here! I'm very interested in getting to meet you all here. <3

Welcome Aurora! ^-^

What song is currently stuck in your head?

Lethodus wrote:

What song is currently stuck in your head?

Baby Shark doo doo doo

Anyone have any good/unique factbook templates?

Lethodus wrote:

What song is currently stuck in your head?

Hmmm, atm I've had "Nike Ticks" stuck in my head. Yes I'm serious xD

Narwhal wrote:

Baby Shark doo doo doo

This has been stuck in my head since you made the comment xD

Inasaki has finally shed it's capitalistic skin in exchange for socialism!

I turn 16 today-- so I'm finally eligible to get a covid vaccine!