The Biden administration is poised to support a contentious United Nations cybercrime treaty, a move likely to spark debate over potential abuses, according to top officials. more
A CircleID post by Alexander Klimburg takes aim at my article, "The Power to Govern Ourselves," delivered at the Gig-Arts conference in June. That speech, available here on the blog, argued that: "Multistakeholder does not describe a governance model. It never has. It was always a compromised Public Relations concept," one that muddied the distinction between governance by state actors and non-state actors. What really made the Internet institutions unique was their break with sovereignty. more
As the United Nations' Global Digital Compact (GDC) approaches its expected adoption, a growing chorus of critics warns that it threatens the very foundations of multistakeholderism in Internet governance. While the GDC aims to foster global cooperation and advance shared objectives for digital transformation, it not only centralizes power within the UN but also sidelines the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) - a platform that has, for years, been instrumental in amplifying diverse voices, especially from marginalized communities and the private sector. more
The "Decoding Internet Governance Stakeholders" series of articles invites the community to ponder what underlies the labels that define our interactions, roughly 20 years after the "Tunis Agenda for the Information Society" called for the "full involvement of governments, business entities, civil society and intergovernmental organizations", as well as to "make full use of the expertise of the academic, scientific and technical communities". more
The United Kingdom's recent decision to relinquish control over the Chagos Islands as part of a treaty with Mauritius has raised significant questions about the future of the popular .io domain. more
The Summit of the Future (SotF) was held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on September 22 -- 23, 2024. World leaders, in the presence of stakeholders from the private sector, civil society, academic/technical communities, and youths, endorsed a landmark Pact for the Future of mankind. The Pact for the Future (P4F) (A/RES/79/1) was a significant, consensus-driven but non-binding document agreed upon by world leaders specifically on September 22, 2024. more
Global leaders gathered in New York at the Summit of the Future and adopted the "Pact for the Future" on Sunday 22nd September. This is a historic milestone as the Pact is the first international agreement aimed at securing a better digital future for all, grounded in human rights. The recent adoption of the "Pact for the Future" at the United Nations General Assembly marks a significant step toward revitalizing multilateral cooperation in an increasingly fragmented world. more
Despite global polarization, recent UN cyber diplomacy has achieved three significant agreements in 2024: a cyber attack reporting system, a convention against cybercrime, and a "Global Digital Compact." These successes show that consensus on global issues is possible, though the vague wording of agreements raises concerns about their long-term effectiveness in ensuring security and peace. more
Efforts to curb illegal online content through domain shutdowns are proving ineffective and carry significant risks, according to a new report by eco and its topDNS initiative. more
At first glance, this book looks like another history of the Internet, but it is much, much more. The authors use their engineering and scholarly understanding of what constitutes Internet history to identify forks in the digital road and key past decisions that shaped the Internet's path. The first part of the book maps out the core technical and policy decisions that created the Internet. more
As of September 6, Brazilians caught using VPNs to access Elon Musk's social media platform X will face fines of up to 50,000 reais ($8,943.74) per day, despite false claims online suggesting otherwise. more
Russia's Ministry of Digital Development is set to invest nearly 60 billion rubles ($660 million) over the next five years to enhance its internet censorship system, according to a government proposal revealed by Reuters. more
The Malaysian government has backtracked on its recent decision to require Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to redirect Domain Name System (DNS) traffic away from third-party servers like Google Public DNS and Cloudflare. more
In a world where the internet is central to communication, innovation, and economic growth, governing this vast digital ecosystem is a complex challenge. The multi-stakeholder approach, which involves governments, private entities, civil society, technical experts, and end-users, has long served as the cornerstone of Internet governance, ensuring that decision-making remains open and inclusive. more
The Internet Society has appointed Sally Wentworth as its new President and CEO, effective September 1, 2024. Wentworth, who has been with the organization since 2009, previously served as Managing Director and Vice President of Policy, where she played a pivotal role in shaping global Internet policy. more