On 25 November 2024, Internet Society President and CEO Sally Wentworth delivered the following remarks remotely into the 30th anniversary celebration event of the Finland Chapter.
Thank you, Yrjö, for inviting me to speak today. I want to congratulate you all on 30 years of “spreading information about the Internet network and its use” as the Finland Chapter of the Internet Society. There have been so many major accomplishments by the chapter over the past 30 years – so I want to start by recognizing you for your hard work and contributions to the Internet in Finland and beyond.
I know you asked me, Yrjö, to not look back, but I do want to take a moment to recognize a specific recent example of the impact of ISOC Finland. I want to congratulate the chapter on being invited in October to give expert testimony at the Finnish Committee on Transport and Communications on the topic of encryption and client-side scanning. I understand that ISOC Finland member Timo Kiravuo [KEER-a-v-oh] spoke at the hearing and was able to emphasize the far-reaching impact of the proposed legislation not only on privacy and fundamental rights, but also the impact on European businesses that would struggle to comply with client-side scanning obligations. This is such a powerful example of the impact that your chapter has had – and is an example for all of our Internet Society chapters around the world.
The fact that ISOC Finland was asked to speak at this hearing is a testament to the strength of the chapter and the expertise you bring to Internet issues in your country.
This is precisely the kind of local engagement, expertise, and advocacy that the Internet Society needs to tackle future challenges. The strength of the Internet Society lies in our global community. Volunteers, partners, and experts across the globe standing up for an Internet future that benefits everyone.
Yrjö, you asked me to look forward and talk about the future. None of us has a crystal ball — We don’t know what the future may hold. But we do know that the choices that decision-makers make, whether they be engineers, commercial actors, or politicians, will determine whether or not the Internet remains a tool of opportunity or whether we face a more dystopian future where decisions about the Internet are made, not by stakeholders, but by those “in charge”.
This is a pivotal moment for the future of the Internet.
While Internet connectivity is widely deployed across the globe, over 2 billion people are not yet connected. This lack of connectivity only drives deepening global inequality, particularly among marginalized and vulnerable communities. The digital divide isn’t just a technological divide – lack of connectivity impacts access to healthcare, education, and employment.
This problem may seem far away for some of us who live in a hyper-connected environment, but we know that we are all better off the more people who are connected – sharing information, creating and contributing to a better world.
While the global digital economy is expected to grow faster than global GDP in 2024, governments across the globe continue to shut down access to the Internet, making their economies less connected to the global economy and deterring the very investment that supports entrepreneurship and growth. In 2024 alone, the Internet Society has already tracked over 134 shutdowns worldwide, a number that, sadly, continues to rise.
At a time when people are less likely to trust the Internet, there is a rise in policies that would undermine security by threatening the very technologies, like encryption, that keep us safe online. The 400 members of the Global Encryption Coalition are very busy!
The multistakeholder model of Internet governance that has guided Internet decision-making for decades continues to face challenges in the United Nations, despite a global consensus that this model is the key to the success of a global, open Internet.
And, as the Internet becomes ever more woven into the fabric of our lives, policymakers are grappling with both the opportunities and the challenges that this presents to the public interest. Many of these officials are not technical experts and are struggling to do their work in this increasingly complicated environment.
It’s not news to any of us that we live in a complex world. The future development of the Internet will take place against a backdrop of geopolitical complexities that often feel daunting.
And this is why a global community like the Internet Society is so important. If we stand together for an open, secure, and trustworthy Internet for everyone, we can impact the future development of the Internet.
Our future path depends on each of us and the choices we make. It depends on the path that we choose:
- As individuals
- As the ISOC Finland Chapter
- As the Internet Society
- … as a larger society around the world
If you look at the Internet Society’s 2030 Strategy, you’ll see two strategic goals:
- People everywhere have access to an affordable, reliable, and resilient Internet.
- People everywhere have an Internet experience that is safe, secure, and protects them online.
Within these goals you can see the future that we want to create.
But it will not be easy.
There are market forces – and government forces – that are strongly pushing toward a more closed, controlled vision of the future.
We must push back. We must defend the open model that has brought us to where we are today. We must promote the path that we want to see – and explain why it will be the best for our society.
You asked me, Yrjö, how the Finland Chapter can help at the grassroots level. This past week we released our 2025 Action Plan. This plan outlines our activities in the first year of our five-year Strategy.
In this Action Plan, you will see that ISOC remains committed to a model of community-based connectivity that empowers local communities to connect themselves to the Internet and to sustain and support a more resilient and affordable local infrastructure.
We also understand that as we connect new communities to the Internet, we need to ensure that the people in those communities can connect to the Internet safely. That is why we plan to co-create an online safety program with our chapters in order to make online safety resources available to these communities who need them most.
As a global community, we will be powerful advocates of the core principles that will ensure that the Internet remains open, affordable, secure, and trustworthy for everyone. We’ll advocate locally—just as ISOC Finland does so effectively—and globally in places like the United Nations to ensure that the multistakeholder model of Internet governance remains the foundation of the Internet for the future.
Now, when I say “we”, I want to be clear something. To ensure that our vision of the Internet – a globally connected, secure and trustworthy network of networks that is a force for good in the world – to ensure that that vision comes about, the Internet Society must come together as a global community and advocate for the future we want.
So while I am honored to lead the team of smart and passionate ISOC staff that many of you know well, we are very aware that we cannot bring about change on our own. The good news is that, within the Internet Society is a vibrant, diverse community of engineers, chapter members, Organization members, partners, and staff who, when we work together, can change the world.
So, if you have not already, I would encourage you to all read the Internet Society’s Action plan and think about how you, individually and as a chapter, can participate in this important work.
The good news is that ISOC Finland has 30 years of experience to draw from as you think about the future. As I mentioned earlier, ISOC Finland is a tremendous advocate, able to translate global principles into local action. This kind of passion, expertise, and experience is exactly what the Internet Society needs if we are to drive the kind of future we all want.
Thank you again for the invitation to speak – and congratulations again on your 30th anniversary. I look forward to checking in with you again on a future anniversary and to see how far we’ve all come towards the future we all want.
Thank you.