Internet Society chapters work tirelessly around the world to grow, strengthen and protect the Internet. Find out more about what our network of chapters has been working on throughout February.
Spotlight on South Sudan
Chartered just one year ago, the South Sudan Chapter held its official launch event on 14 February. Key local Internet stakeholders, including the Minister of ICT, the Regulator, and local Internet Service Providers (ISPs), attended the launch, which was an opportunity for the chapter to showcase its presence and build relationships for future collaboration.
As one of our newest chapters, South Sudan has hit the ground running. See how they sprang into action to fight back against a government-mandated Internet shutdown.
Anniversaries
Congratulations to the Italy Chapter, which is celebrating its 25 year anniversary this month.
Chapter Highlights
🇧🇩 Bangladesh Chapter signed an MoU with the Bangladesh Internet Governance Forum (BIGF) to strengthen collaboration on Internet governance, digital development, and emerging technologies in Bangladesh. This strategic partnership between the BIGF and the chapter marks a significant step towards a more inclusive and secure digital environment in Bangladesh.
🇨🇦 Canada Chapter held its 2025 Digital Access Day – Bridging the Digital Divide: Ensuring Access for All. Watch the video.
🇹🇩 Chad Chapter called on the Government of Chad to restore the Internet in the “Lac” region, where mobile Internet has been blocked since 28 October 2024. The chapter highlighted that Internet access is a fundamental right, not a privilege, and is essential to the nation’s social and economic well-being.
🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of Congo Chapter issued a statement after the government began blocking access to the social networks TikTok and X (formerly Twitter), highlighting that Internet shutdowns and service blocking does not resolve the root causes of tensions and instead risks aggravating the population’s mistrust of the authorities by further limiting digital freedoms. The chapter also held a masterclass on universal service entitled, ‘Connecting New Users’, which explored how universal service can promote digital inclusion.
🌍 Over 30 Internet Society chapters signed a Joint Letter on the UK Government’s use of Investigatory Powers Act to attack end-to-end encryption, calling on the UK Home Office to rescind its demand that Apple create a backdoor into its end-to-end encrypted services.
🇪🇬 Egypt Chapter hosted this year’s Middle East and Adjoining Countries School of Internet Governance (MEAC-SIG). The event was organized by Internet Society in collaboration with ICANN and RIPE NCC. Around 35 participants from eleven different countries got the opportunity to learn about Internet governance, data privacy, cybersecurity, Internet fragmentation, domain names, and what the multi-stakeholder governance model is.
🇱🇧 Lebanon Chapter organized the Lebanon Internet Governance Forum (IGF). Four chapter leaders, which offered attendees the opportunity to meet with industry experts, policymakers, and digital leaders from Lebanon and beyond to discuss the future of internet governance, emerging technologies, and digital transformation.
🇮🇳 India – Bengalaru Chapter hosted a ‘Workshop on DNS and DNS Security’ together with Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN).
🇲🇬 Madagascar Chapter published a video highlighting all its work and achievements in 2024.
🇲🇽 Mexico Chapter continued its commitment to helping seniors stay safe online by holding a training session to help seniors avoid online scams and fraud. The session was hugely popular and was attended by over 300 people.
🇲🇦 Morocco Chapter successfully organized the first editions of the Morocco National Internet Governance Forum (IGF) and the Morocco School of Internet Governance (SIG). These important initiatives were supported by funding from the Internet Society Foundation and show the key role our supported chapter plays in promoting the Internet and its inclusive governance.
🇹🇬 Togo Chapter held a community event to celebrate the grand opening of its new office, and presented its 2025 action plan. The physical office enhances the chapter’s position as a serious contributor to Internet development in Togo and the wider region.
🇨🇭 Switzerland Chapter held its Public Policy Sessions 2025, with the overarching theme of digital identity in Switzerland.
🇺🇸 US-San Francisco Bay Area Chapter held “AI Day” in collaboration with the San Francisco Bay Association for Computing Machinery. The event was a full day of training and thought leadership, focusing on AI’s impact across society.
Several chapters organized events on Safer Internet Day 2025, including:
🇬🇪 Georgia Chapter attended an event organized by the UN Global Compact Network Georgia and UNICEF Georgia to discuss digital safety for children. The chapter also held a webinar for educators entitled ‘Safe Internet and Cybersecurity in the Age of AI’.
🇬🇳 Guinea Chapter launched a training course for 30 women engineers to strengthen their skills in ICT and computer security.
🇵🇷 Puerto Rico chapter welcomed the government’s decision to make Safer Internet Day an official celebration, and declared its commitment to helping make the Internet a better place.
🇷🇼 Rwanda Chapter organized a spectacular showcase for Safer Internet Day, with children performing a vibrant theatre show, emphasizing online safety and responsible Internet use to teach peers how to navigate digital risks positively.
🇺🇬 Uganda Chapter kickstarted its online safety campaign with its first training session at a local primary school, with students learning how to protect themselves while online.
🇺🇦 Ukraine Chapter held an online webinar for students of the Department of Computer Systems, Networks and Cybersecurity of the Faculty of Information Technologies of the National University of Life Resources and Environmental Management, together with the Center for Cyber Intelligence and Security Innovations of the University of Customs and Finance.
🇾🇪 Yemen Chapter organized an online campaign to spread awareness about Internet safety and how people can protect themselves online.
Cross-Chapter Collaboration
🇸🇮 🇿🇼 A Slovenia Chapter board member reached out to the Zimbabwe chapter during a visit to Harare. The chapter leaders met and discussed various areas of future collaboration and intend to sign a cooperation agreement between the two chapters.
🇸🇩 🇱🇧 Sudan Chapter concluded the DNSSEC training sessions it had designed for the Lebanon Chapter. The admins of Lebanon ccTLD, which is operated by the Lebanon Chapter, and several Internet Service Providers (ISPs) participated. Following its success, further training from the Sudan Chapter, which has extensive experience running Sudan ccTLD, has been requested.
🇦🇷 🇺🇸 Argentina Chapter reached out to US-New York Chapter to initiate a discussion on collaboration on a Policy Brief on Community Networks.
Get involved! Find your local Internet Society chapter and take action at a local level to make global change.
Image © Internet Society Lebanon Chapter, © Internet Society South Sudan Chapter, © Internet Society Bangladesh Chapter, © Internet Society Mexico Chapter, © Internet Society Togo Chapter