As I have noted before, the topic of Internet Governance is in the hands of many and on the minds of just about everyone.
As announced earlier this year, the issue has made it onto the agenda at this year’s World Economic Forum. I have been invited to attend, as ISOC has been for a number of years, as a member of Civil Society.
I will be participating in a number of discussions that are planned around this topic during the week, including a key session entitled ‘Keeping “worldwide” in the web’ (10.30am-12.00pm CET, Friday 23rd Jan) at which I will be a discussant. I am also pleased to participate in sessions focused on Internet-related discussions that touch areas including freedom of speech, human rights, Internet access and the rights of women on the Internet.
During the week, I will listen closely to what world leaders are saying about their concerns and aspirations for the Internet and advocate for a truly global, collaborative framework across all stakeholder groups as the best way to guarantee its future health, reflecting our deep belief that the Internet cannot be regulated in a topdown manner, but its governance should be based on processes that are designed to be inclusive of all stakeholders and driven by consensus.
The Internet Society is committed to facilitating and promoting global, regional and local policy environments that enable the continued evolution of an open Internet and which provide equal social and economic opportunity for all people around the world. At Davos, as in all fora where we participate, we will reiterate our fundamental objective: to ensure that the “Internet is for everyone.”
As the week progresses, I will share what I learn on Twitter @KathrynCBrown!