Workshop on Promoting Multi-stakeholder IG – Enhancing Internet of Things (IoT) Security

Organized in collaboration with ISOC Senegal Chapter, the half day workshop aimed to instigate dialogue on Internet related policy priorities for the country. Senegal was amongst the 3 countries the Internet Society selected to demonstrate the collaborative, multi-stakeholder model of Internet governance.

Context

Senegal is one of the three countries selected by the Internet Society (ISOC) to demonstrate the collaborative and multi-stakeholder approach to Internet Governance. The country has shown leadership both in the region and globally by adopting the multi-stakeholder approach to address relevant issues related to the Internet. The Senegalese government demonstrates its commitment to addressing emerging issues related to technology in general and the Internet itself. The country became the first one to sign and ratify the African Union of Malabo Convention on Cybersecurity and Personal Data Protection.

Senegal’s leadership has spurred significant progress in the growth of the Internet sector involving all stakeholders thus making Senegal a classic case that can effectively demonstrate the multi-stakeholder approach in action. Senegal also has a dynamic Internet technical community, academia and civil society that actively contribute to the development of public policies. The Internet Society proposes to work with stakeholders in Senegal to address emerging and priority issues related to the evolution of technology and the Internet.

The proposed project aims to demonstrate the use of the multi-stakeholder model in the development of public policies and regulatory processes of the Internet in Senegal. We hope that other governments around the world will see these examples as a source of inspiration for their own Internet public policy development processes. The Senegalese Ministry of ICT has proposed to the ITU to support the development of a cybersecurity strategy; therefore there is an opportunity to support Senegal through a multi-stakeholder process to develop strategies and policies at the national level that are focused on a particular theme such as the security of the Internet of Things (IoT).

Read IoT Security for Policymakers

Area of ​​Focus: Security of the Internet of Things

The Internet of Things (IoT) is an integral part of the Internet of the future. The increase of the amount of connected objects in our daily lives brings the promise of convenience, efficiency and insight, but also creates a shared platform for high risk. Juniper Research predicts that more than 38 billion devices of the Internet of Things (IoT) will be connected by 2020. While the IoT is entering the world of technology by rapidly creating smart cities, smart homes, a smart environment, connected cars, wearables and a new internet industry, Africa is ill prepared to face the security risks that accompany these innovations.

The case of Senegal is an opportunity to lead initiatives that could be replicated across the African continent. It is in this context that the Internet Society proposes a voluntary multi-stakeholder process for the development of a broad public policy to govern the security of the Internet of Things in Senegal. The process can develop recommendations for a set of standards and / or policies to secure the Internet of Things in Senegal. Events throughout the year will provide the opportunity to start planning and implementing a bottom-up organic process to explore potential security challenges in the Senegalese IoT ecosystem.

Consultative Event on the sidelines of the African Internet Summit  (AIS)

The Internet Society is offering a half-day consultative event on the sidelines of the second week of the African Internet Summit for key stakeholders and actors in Senegal’s Internet ecosystem. This side event will be organized and coordinated in partnership with the Senegal Chapter of the Internet Society. It aims to initiate a dialogue on the political priorities related to the development of the Internet for the country. The meeting will seek to gather the views and contributions of various stakeholders on key issues and activities that could be used to frame this project.

Main axes of the agenda :

• The future of the Internet
• Security of the Internet of Things: Perspective of the Internet Society
• Developments of the Internet of Things in Senegal
• Interactive discussions

Participants expected at the event:

• Government representatives
• Technical Community
• Private Sector Representatives and ICT Entrepreneurs
• Academic representatives
• Representatives of Civil Society Organizations
• Representatives of Consumer / User Organizations

Expected post-event results :

• Establishing a shared set of definitions and benchmarks around the security of devices and objects connected to the Internet.
• Sharing guidelines in order to ensure the safety of devices / objects connected to the Internet during their lifetime, including in development, manufacturing, communication and management processes, as well as in their industrial and / or individual use.
• Providing recommendations to the Senegalese Government for a national Internet of Things (IoT) security policy.

Download the event description (French version)

Agenda