On Monday, 9 November 2015, the Global Internet Governance Academic Network (GigaNet) will hold its 10th annual symposium in João Pessoa, Brazil. The event will take place one day before and in the same location as the United Nations Internet Governance Forum (IGF). more
Facebook is talking to the White House about giving US citizens ‘free’ Internet access via its Free Basics program, Brian Fung reporting in the Washington Post today. more
In a letter to key Congressional leaders, the Internet Society's CEO, Kathryn Brown, has urged Congress to allow the IANA stewardship transition to proceed without delay. The contract between the US Commerce Departments National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) is set to expire on September 30. more
The .ORG Stewardship Council is, in a lot of ways, a natural progression or evolution from our current PIR Advisory Council. The Advisory Council is made up of independent .ORG community members from around the world that provide advice to PIR on policy issues affecting them. The "AC," or the Advisory Council, has been a key part of PIR's work since its inception. more
Republicans gear up for fight against internet transition," Ashley Gold and Tony Romm reporting in the POLITICO today. more
A coalition, called StopWatching.Us, which includes over a hundred advocacy organizations and companies is working to organize "the biggest mass protest of the NSA's surveillance programs to date" in Washington, D.C. The coalition consists of organizations and companies such as ACLU, Access, Demand Progress, Electronic Frontier Foundation, FreedomWorks, Fight for the Future, Free Press, Mozilla, reddit, Restore the Fourth and Thoughtworks. more
InterConnect announces a second date for its "Master Class on Internet Governance" starting 17 – 21 November 2014. InterConnect provides the following information regarding the course. more
Andrew Colley of Australian IT reports the AusRegistry, the operator of Australia's Top-Level Domain (.au), has revealed that it has been approached by various groups planning to submit applications to ICANN for the creation of adult-themed generic Top-Level Domains (gTLDs) such as .xxx and .sex. According to the report, the Australian Communications Minister Stephen Conroy has opposed the idea syaing: "The government does not support the creation of the .xxx TLD." As it has been reported extensively on CircleID, previous attempts to create adult related TLDs (such as .xxx) have so far been rejected by ICANN. more
Milton Mueller reporting in IGP: "On January 23 Daniel Sepulveda, the State Department's Coordinator for International Communications and Information Policy, gave a notable speech in Washington on Internet governance. This is the first US official statement on the topic since the NSA spying scandal broke and altered the landscape. Entitled 'Internet Governance 2020 - Geopolitics and the Future of the Internet,' the speech signaled the Obama administration's openness to reform as long as it is conducted within a multistakeholder framework..." more
Kevin Murphy reporting in Domain Incite: "ICANN CEO Fadi Chehade and a US ambassador today both talked up the multistakeholder model as a cure to concerns about PRISM and related surveillance programs. But the US warned against using the spying scandal to push internet governance into the hands of 'centralized intergovernmental control'... Chehade and Ambassador Danny Sepulveda, US coordinator for international communications and information policy, were speaking at the opening ceremony of the Internet Governance Forum in Bali, Indonesia." more
The unveiling of the Global Digital Compact's (GDC) zero draft on April 1, 2024, heralds a critical juncture in the quest to frame a digital future that is equitable, secure, and human-centered. Orchestrated under the leadership of UN Secretary-General António Guterres, the initiative endeavors to forge a consensus-driven framework for global digital cooperation. more
ICANN has announced a list of over 40 diverse practitioners, subject matter experts, and thought leaders as members of the ICANN Strategy Panels to support development of the organization's strategic and operational plans. more
In a blog post today in IGP, Milton Mueller writes: "t's not surprising that the [NSA] revelations sent ripples through the world of Internet governance. Although there seemed to be no direct connection between the controversies, the native internet institutions -- already worried about their alleged competition with the ITU -- seem to have felt as if they might be tarred with the NSA brush. On October 7, 2013, we got the Montevideo statement. In it, the ICANN President, all 5 RIR Directors, the IAB Chair, the IETF Chair, the Internet Society President, and the W3C Chief Executive Officer made two key points..." more
Internet Society President and CEO, Kathy Brown, issued the following statement in light of recent Internet disruptions in Turkey. more
In April, I published an article, The Multistakeholder Moment of Truth: Will Stakeholders Hold ICANN Accountable?, alerting stakeholders that ICANN is violating its legal agreements with the U.S. Government -- namely the InterNIC licensing agreement and merged Memorandum of Understanding. At that time, I warned that it is essential for stakeholders not to remain silent in the face of this transgression, "hoping that such behavior left unchecked will end of its own accord." more
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