When the Internet outgrew its academic and research roots and gained some prominence and momentum in the broader telecommunications environment, its proponents found themselves in opposition to many of the established practices of international telecommunications arrangements and even in opposition to the principles that lie behind these arrangements. more
In today's rapidly shifting digital landscape, the question of whether the Internet can retain its foundational values has never been more urgent. As it increasingly permeates every aspect of human activity - from communication and commerce to governance and geopolitics - the Internet has evolved into both a shared global commons and a contested arena of power. At stake are its core values: global connectivity, openness, interoperability, decentralization, the end-to-end principle, robustness and reliability, and freedom from harm. more
Information and Communications (ICT) infrastructures rely on many globally shared critical resilience information resources for diverse essential functions such as identifiers, routing, and cyber security. However, this ICT ecosystem has rapidly become significantly less stable and collaborative with dramatically diminished respect for legal norms and values because of the new USA national Administration. The instability includes the vicarious, wholesale removal of essential public safety and scientific databases, as well as global collaboration with multiple global UN public safety bodies. One result is the scaling of Digital Sovereignty initiatives. more
There's a well-documented crisis facing the domain name system: very few who rely on domain name registration data from the Whois database to perform vital functions can do so any longer, which is escalating consumer harm and abuse on the internet worldwide. And the problems, thanks to ICANN's overly restrictive policy post-GDPR and a failing policy process, are piling up. more
The terms Digital Sovereignty or Souveraineté numérique have recently risen in prominence to describe the international rule of law as it applies to information and communication technologies. At a time when disinformation is proliferating and the rule of law, democracy, and human rights, together with long-standing relationships, are being cast aside, digital sovereignty is scaling in importance as a key defensive measure among many nations. more
On 30 September 1850 at Dresden, the first international treaty was issued among the first sovereign nations to internet their national electronic communication networks. It was known as the Dresden Convention, and culminated several weeks hammering out basic requirements and techniques to implement an internet spanning the Austro-German European continent at the time, and established a continuing "Union" of signatories to evolve the provisions of the treaty. more
As we approach the WSIS+20 Review, the future of Internet governance is at a crossroads. In its January 29th submission, the Regional Commonwealth in the Field of Communications (RCC) - representing Russia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Rostelecom - advocates for a state-led governance model that challenges the Western-led multistakeholder approach. The submission reflects an ongoing ideological divide between sovereignty and openness in digital governance. more
Mark Zuckerberg's recent announcement of sweeping changes to Meta's content moderation policies marks a pivotal moment for the internet, democracy, and truth itself. The decision to replace third-party fact-checking with a decentralized "Community Notes" system and relocate trust and safety operations to Texas signals a shift in Meta's governance approach. This move is not only politically expedient but also a troubling prelude to the tech industry bowing to the political priorities of the incoming Trump administration. more
On Friday December 13, 2024 at 10:00–12:00 CET (09:00-11:00 AM UTC) the Lodz Cyber Hub at the University of Lodz Law School, an ICANN EURALO ALS, and the United Nations University – Comparative Regional Integration Studies (UNU-CRIS) hosts an online workshop 'International Law of Critical Internet Infrastructure: A Comparative Analysis of Europe and China'. more
Twenty years after multistakeholderism helped save the Free Internet and present-day Internet governance from a potentially existential crises, the term is again triggering some strong emotions. There are very real questions around definitions, accountability, participation, and even legitimacy in all multistakeholder models. Within Internet governance, there are declared enemies of the multistakeholder approach... more
Sometime by year-end, the UN General Assembly (UNGA) will vote on the proposed UN Convention Against Cybercrime. The treaty is opposed by most civil liberties organizations and Internet businesses, although the US position appears uncertain, mostly for reasons of foreign policy. more
As the saying goes, elections have consequences. The consequences are underscored in the recent U.S. Presidential election and the potential impact on the Internet, infrastructure and cybersecurity. In the context of the CircleID global community, it seems worth asking where things are headed? It does beg for an analysis of what is actually proposed in Presidential Transition Project 2025 related to things internet and cybersecurity. more
The reports of multistakeholder Internet governance's demise are greatly exaggerated. This article explores the dual nature of multistakeholderism: its evolving, sometimes contentious practice as the "First Body," and its enduring principle of actor plurality as the "Second Body." Despite criticism and challenges, multistakeholderism remains crucial for a resilient, non-state-led Internet, underscoring the need to adapt and uphold its foundational pluralism. more
On September 22, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Global Digital Compact (GDC), marking one of the most significant intergovernmental agreements on digital issues in the past two decades. Appended to the Pact for the Future, the GDC is a non-binding agreement that outlines a global governance framework for a wide range of digital issues, including internet governance and the Internet Governance Forum (IGF). more
The NIS Cooperation Group has released critical guidance for the implementation of Article 28 under the NIS 2 Directive, focusing on registration data accuracy obligations for top-level domain (TLD) registries, registrars, and related services in the EU. more