Internet Governance

What is the Internet Governance course?

How the Internet is governed is critical. How we manage this precious global resource impacts our economic and social opportunities far into the future.

Internet Governance is the development and application by governments, the private sector, and civil society, in their respective roles, of shared principles, norms, rules, decision-making procedures, and programs that shape the evolution and use of the Internet.

This course provides an overview of Internet governance, touching on key areas such as its history, policy principles, actors and stakeholders, infrastructure, regulatory frameworks, multilingualism, and cybersecurity. The course also discusses and analyzes the multistakeholder model, examines the developmental aspects of Internet governance, and looks at the collaborative nature of achieving Internet security and resilience.

What are the course objectives?

• Provide an overview of Internet governance and learn about the history of the Internet.
• Understand the Internet ecosystem and discuss the multistakeholder model.
• Learn about the various Internet actors and stakeholders involved in the development of the Internet and its governance.
• Provide a brief background on the Internet infrastructure, standards, protocols, and systems as a basis to understand Internet governance and cover the main Internet infrastructure and principles on which the Internet operates.
• Understand the main foundations of Internet law and challenges in implementation and enforcement. We will also take a look into the importance of regulation on a national level to ensure a competitive, open, and accessible Internet environment.
• Learn about the different elements of cybersecurity, from both a policy and a technical perspective. Explore types of threats, national cybersecurity frameworks, and the role of various international organizations.

What are the expected outcomes of this course?

• Define the key terms applicable to internet governance,
• Explain how the internet has developed over the years to get to where it is today
• Apply the logic behind the key internet technologies to explain how different elements relate to each other
• Analyze what key elements matter and why
• Evaluate what is most important, and why
• Create a clear understanding of the learner’s own role in this: what contribution to make?
• Listen to tutor and other learners to what may be similar or different than own thinking
• Respond effectively explaining own view and why the learner thinks so
• Show commitment to transparency, support for digital rights and ethical standards, and an inclusive stance towards other people’s cultures and values
• Ensure getting access to a multitude of views and exchange of opinions to facilitate joint learning and development of joint insights
• Demonstrate commitment to key values such as “open internet”; “privacy”; and “digital inclusion” throughout the exercises
• Recognize cyber threats, assess digital infrastructures and relate this to user behavior, in order to be able to develop and demonstrate an inclusive approach towards internet governance development
• Demonstrate ability to interpret developments and stand ready to react depending on what actions are needed in response to the development relating to for instance cyber incidents, policy and legislative development initiatives, and technology developments – and what to do in case of crisis
• Prepare “potential sessions or projects” at internet governance conferences and platforms that require developing setting objectives, follow up with practical steps and involvement of others in development of balanced sessions/ways forward
• Provide active feedback on proposals for “potential sessions or projects” by others, with a focus on the mechanisms used and values addressed
• Based on a view of the future show demonstrate practical responsiveness taking into account the complexity of the field by explicitly identifying and addressing key factors in the response action, Who to involve and what factors to consider?
• Demonstrate practical responsiveness to “what if?” scenarios, as in: “what if” things are a little bit different in settings? What if things change? What flags to look out for?
• Propose new approaches or solutions – demonstrate thinking out-of-the-box while expressing a clear appreciation of how the box itself looks like, and limits the ability to address new challenges

Who should attend this course?

This course does not have prerequisites.

You should attend this course if:

• You want to understand how the Internet is governed and learn about the history of the Internet.
• You would like to learn about Internet actors and stakeholders’ groups.
• You would like to understand Internet policy principles, regulatory frameworks and Internet infrastructure, standards, protocols, and systems.
• You want to help to shape the future of the Internet.

How do I enroll in a course?

When do I start?

This course lasts four weeks. Registration period opens three weeks prior to the course start date.