News from Internet Society Chapters and Special Interest Groups across the world:
Library in a box: This month, the Kyrgyzstan Chapter installed an electronic library called the Ilim Box in secondary schools in the southern part of Issyk-Kul region. The device allows the schools to access educational resources when they don’t have an Internet connection. All the data is stored in the device itself, with only a power supply needed.
Refresher course: Earlier this year, the Paraguay Chapter helped set up improved Internet access and an electronics lab at Colegio Técnico Nacional, a secondary school in Asunción. The equipment at the 1,500-student technical school had become obsolete, and many classrooms lacked an Internet connection and modern computers.
Student governance: Sticking with our focus on education, the Benin Chapter hosted students from the National Institute of Technical and Industrial Sciences of Lokossa earlier this year to talk about Internet Governance issues. Chapter members talked to the students about ways to take care of the Internet and how to pay attention to its development.
Internet for everyone: The Israel Chapter is focused on ways to bring access to more Arab residents. “The Israeli Internet Association sees a narrowing of the digital divide between Arab society in Israel and Jewish society, and in particular the expansion of the accessibility of individuals in the Arab society to the Internet and their ability to use it, as a powerful lever for the rapid socio-economic advancement of the individual and Arab society in Israel, to contribute to reducing the gaps,” the Chapter says.
Exchange rates: The Chad Chapter recently hosted an event to discuss the possible operation of an Internet Exchange Point in the country. An exchange point would allow the direct interconnection of networks, rather than through one or more third-party networks outside of Chad. Direct interconnection would lower costs and latency, while increasing bandwidth, the Chapter says.
Encryption, please: Members of the U.K. Chapter recently joined the Internet Society to call on world leaders to support a secure and trusted digital economy for everyone by backing strong encryption. The Chapter signed a letter responding to calls from some countries for encryption backdoors for law enforcement agencies. “Digital security is not optional,” the letter said. “It is the foundation of our connected economies and societies. Without digital security, we can neither trust nor shape technological developments.”
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