Future Thinking: Getachew Engida on Digital Divides

In 2017, the Internet Society unveiled the 2017 Global Internet Report: Paths to Our Digital Future. The interactive report identifies the drivers affecting tomorrow’s Internet and their impact on Media & Society, Digital Divides, and Personal Rights & Freedoms. In April 2018, we interviewed two stakeholders – Getachew Engida, Deputy Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and Augusto Mathurin, who created Virtuágora, an open source digital participation platform – to hear their different perspectives on the forces shaping the Internet.

Getachew Engida is the Deputy Director-General of UNESCO. He has spent the past twenty years leading and managing international organizations and advancing the cause of poverty eradication, peace-building, and sustainable development. He has worked extensively on rural and agricultural development, water and climate challenges, education, science, technology and innovation, intercultural dialogue and cultural diversity, communication and information with emphasis on freedom of expression, and the free flow information on and offline. (You can read Augusto Mathurin’s interview here).

The Internet Society: You have, in the past, stressed the role that education has played in your own life and can play in others’ lives. Do you see technology helping to promote literacy and Continue reading

Kathy Brown’s Op-Ed in the Hill Times: Canada’s Unique Opportunity to Lead the Future of the Internet

Kathy Brown, CEO of the Internet Society, recently penned an Op-Ed for Canada’s the Hill Times calling for a multistakeholder approach to Internet governance: “an approach that is collaborative, one that engages the entire Internet community.” According to Brown, “The time has come to expand this inclusive model of governance to more places around the world.”

“No
 one party, government, corporation, or non-profit controls the Internet and we are all better for it. Nor does any one party have the knowledge or the ability to identify the solutions to these complex policy challenges. It has been this approach—what we call the multistakeholder model—that has allowed humankind’s most advanced and powerful communications tool to spread so far and so fast.”

She cites the partnership between the Internet Society, Innovation, Science and Economic Development, the Canadian Internet Registration Authority, CANARIE, and CIPPIC as an example of the multistakeholder approach working successfully. “[Canada] is addressing cybersecurity head-on by working with the Internet Society to engage the Canadian Internet community in a process to develop recommendations to secure the Internet of Things.”

Read the entire Op-Ed, then learn how you can participate in the Collaborative Governance Project, Continue reading

Las nominaciones estan abiertas ! Jonathan B. Postel Service Award 2018

Nos complace anunciar que las nominaciones para el Premio al Servicio Jonathan B. Postel 2018 (Jonathan B. Postel Service Award) ya están abiertas. ¿Conoces a alguien que debería ser destinatario de este precio?

Saber más (en inglés)

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Nominations Open! Jonathan B. Postel Service Award 2018

We are pleased to announce that nominations for the 2018 Jonathan B. Postel Service Award are now open. Do you know someone who should be a recipient?

This annual award is presented to an individual or organization that has made outstanding contributions in service to the data communications community and places particular emphasis on those who have supported and enabled others.

Nominations are encouraged for individuals or teams of individuals from across the data communications industry around the world who are dedicated to the efforts of advancing the Internet for the benefit of everybody.

Past Postel award winners include kc claffy for her pioneering work on Internet measurement, Mahabir Pun for his key role in bringing the Internet to rural Nepal with the founding of the Nepal Wireless Networking Project, and Bob Braden and Joyce K. Reynolds for their stewardship of the RFC (Request for Comments) series.

The signature crystal globe and a USD 20,000 prize will be presented at the IETF 102 in Montreal, Canada (14 -20 July 2018) to the chosen candidate.

Nominations can be made either by self nomination or by third party: https://apps.internetsociety.org/form/postel-nominations

Please share this information with your networks. The deadline for nominations Continue reading

The Power of Women to Change the World: A message from our CEO on International Women’s Day

Today is International Women’s Day, with the goal to empower women in all settings. This year, the Internet Society is celebrating by shining a light on the women who are shaping the Internet, including our own CEO, Kathy Brown. She shared her thoughts how we can ensure that all women have a place at the table in our increasingly-connected world.

The Internet Society: Who are the women who have inspired you throughout your career? How have they inspired you?

Kathy Brown: It is sometimes seen as cliché to point to the women who raised you as your first inspiration — but for many of us, and for me, I believe it is nevertheless true that our mothers are the first fuel for our activism. My mother was a “community organizer” in the 1960’s War on Poverty in the U.S. She was an activist in rural, upstate New York — organizing communities to alleviate poverty. She was a mover and a doer; she was fearless and never yielding to powerful forces who either did not see or would not see the effects of poverty on individuals and families. Having grown up with a woman with that kind Continue reading

Raúl Echeberría at Mobile World Congress Ministerial Programme

The Internet Society’s Vice President of Global Engagement Raúl Echeberría will be participating in a panel tomorrow at the Mobile World Congress Ministerial Programme on Policies to Expand Access to Mobile:

“Access to mobile services has become a key prerequisite for advancing societies where connectivity has almost become a human right. As 4G continues to be rolled out in most markets, and with 5G on the horizon, what policy levers can be pulled to extend existing and future mobile broadband services further into rural and other underserved areas?

“Adopting a balanced regulatory framework that is pro-investment and pro-innovation, will help address some of the toughest development challenges for the mobile industry. This interactive session will discuss policymakers’ key objectives for supporting mobile sector growth, and their next steps for attracting investment which deliver benefits not only for the mobile industry, but for the digitalisation of other industries.”

The panel, which takes place on Tuesday, 27 February, from 11:30-13:00 (CET), is moderated by Julian David, CEO of techUK, and includes, among others, Ebele Okobi, Facebook’s Public Policy Director, Africa; Francesca Bria, Chief Technology and Digital Innovation Officer of Barcelona City Council; and Nkateko Cornelius Nyoka, Chief Legal and Regulatory Officer of Vodacom Group Continue reading

Future Thinking: Niel Harper on Cyber Threats

In 2017, the Internet Society unveiled the 2017 Global Internet Report: Paths to Our Digital Future. The interactive report identifies the drivers affecting tomorrow’s Internet and their impact on Media & Society, Digital Divides, and Personal Rights & Freedoms. In February 2018, we interviewed two stakeholders – Cyrating, a cybersecurity ratings agency, and Niel Harper, Senior Manager, Next Generation Leaders at the Internet Society – to hear their different perspectives on the forces shaping the Internet.

Niel Harper is a Young Global Leader at the World Economic Forum. He has more than 20 years of experience in the areas of telecoms management, cybersecurity, IT governance and strategy, ICT policy research and advisory services, and program management. (You can read Cyrating’s interview here).

The Internet Society: Experts predict an increase of frequency and impact of cyberattacks. What form are they likely to take in the future?

Niel Harper: In the foreseeable future, attackers are likely to fall under three categories: organized criminals seeking to profit from malicious online activities, online protesters (also known as hacktivists), and governments who target their own citizens or target other governments, whether for cyberespionage or cyberwarfare.

Criminals will continue to become more organized, selling Continue reading

Future Thinking: Cyrating on Cyber Threats

In 2017, the Internet Society unveiled the 2017 Global Internet Report: Paths to Our Digital Future. The interactive report identifies the drivers affecting tomorrow’s Internet and their impact on Media & Society, Digital Divides, and Personal Rights & Freedoms. In February 2018, we interviewed two stakeholders – Cyrating, a cybersecurity ratings agency, and Niel Harper, Senior Manager, Next Generation Leaders at the Internet Society – to hear their different perspectives on the forces shaping the Internet’s future.

Cyrating is the first cybersecurity ratings agency anchored in Europe, and helps forward-thinking organizations maximize their cybersecurity performance and investments. It identifies potential for improvement, benchmarks it against industry best practices, and provides standardized cybersecurity metrics. We spoke to François Gratiolet, one of Cyrating’s founders, about the future of a secure and trusted Internet.

(You can read Niel Harper’s interview here).

The Internet Society: Experts predict an increase of frequency and impact of cyberattacks. What form are they likely to take in the next three to five years?

François Gratiolet: We believe cyberattacks will intensify in the next three to five years; targeting both Internet users and the Internet’s underlying infrastructure. User attacks will move from phishing to social media, with Continue reading

Indigenous Connectivity Summit Participants Share Their Stories

Madeleine Redfern, the mayor of Iqaluit – the largest and only city in Nunavut, Canada – has a colorful way of describing how sparsely populated the territory is. “The seals outnumber the people.” With a population of just over 35,000 people spread out over an arctic 1,750,000 square kilometers, Internet access is a challenge. In fact, according to Redfern, her most favorited tweet was that she couldn’t tweet… because the connection was too slow.

Madeleine Redfern participated in the first ever Indigenous Connectivity Summit last November. She and other participants shared their experience and expertise to help close the connectivity gap in Indigenous communities. Many also sat down for brief interviews with the 1st-Mile Institute, a New Mexico nonprofit that has initiated a local “Broadband for All” program. The videos are now available to watch on the 1st-Mile Institute’s website.

You can also find the videos on the Internet Society’s Indigenet page, which includes resources from the Summit including the presentations, the policy brief Spectrum Approaches for Community Networks, and other ways to get involved!

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Help Make the Internet a Safer Place for Everyone

Ash Ball, a young person in Australia, is working to end cyberbullying as part of the Project Rockit team. Ball, one of the Internet Society’s  25 Under 25 awardees, says he believes that it’s important to empower the younger generation to step in when they see someone being harassed online.

That message is especially important today, which is Safer Internet Day, a call to action to make the Internet safer for everyone.

A post shared by Internet Society (@internetsociety) on Feb 6, 2018 at 1:55am PST

Linda Patiño is another 25 Under 25 awardee leading the charge. “I was a victim of online harassment, receiving kidnapping and rape threats,” she says. Patiño’s work with the Colombia-based organization Colnodo uses ICTs to promote Internet safety and gender equality. “A tool can be so harmful. I enter this world [of activism] so other girls know they are not alone, that we are creating things to help them get through this. Even though these tools have serious impacts, we are doing good change” in the world.

We all have the power to help make the Internet a more welcoming and accessible place, but Ash Ball and Linda Patiño show that it’s a Continue reading

It’s Time for a Collaborative G20 Digital Agenda

The G20 member states account for 85 percent of the global economy and are home to half of the world’s Internet users. From artificial intelligence to personal data protections, our physical world is being shaped by our digital world. As current president of the G20, Argentina has put a range of digital challenges on the table. But to tackle these, we need credible commitments and a long-term roadmap.

As three leading organisations from the Internet community, we welcome that Argentina continued the G20 digital work begun by Germany in 2017. Last year, Germany and the other G20 members outlined their aspirations for the development of our digital societies. And the Argentine presidency has identified five priority areas — digital inclusion, future job skills, digital government, SMEs and entrepreneurship, and Industry 4.0 — all dependent on a strong digital economy and society. Now is the year to turn these aspirations into actions.

We call on Argentina to build on this consensus with a dedicated G20 digital agenda. This roadmap must include milestones to the next G20 presidency, to be held by Japan. Priority commitments should include:

• Boost Internet access, by providing meaningful access, continuing and going to scale with Continue reading

Future Thinking: Harlem Désir on Freedom of Expression Online

In 2017, the Internet Society unveiled the 2017 Global Internet Report: Paths to Our Digital Future. The interactive report identifies the drivers affecting tomorrow’s Internet and their impact on Media & Society, Digital Divides, and Personal Rights & Freedoms. We interviewed two people – the new OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media and a an emerging leader from Brazil, an Internet Society 25 Under 25 awardee – to hear their different perspectives on the forces shaping the Internet’s future: Harlem Désir and Paula Côrte Real.

Harlem Désir is the Operation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Representative on Freedom of the Media. Prior to his current position, Désir was French Minister of State for European Affairs, attached to the French Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Development, and a member of the European Parliament for three consecutive terms from 1999 to 2014.

(You can read Paula Côrte Real’s interview here.)

The Internet Society: What could impact the future of freedom of expression online?

Harlem Désir: There is an ongoing shift under our feet which could result in a less open, global, and free Internet. A combination of factors, including legitimate security concerns in the fight against terrorism or the fight Continue reading

Future Thinking: Paula Côrte Real on Freedom of Expression Online

In 2017, the Internet Society unveiled the 2017 Global Internet Report: Paths to Our Digital Future. The interactive report identifies the drivers affecting tomorrow’s Internet and their impact on Media & Society, Digital Divides, and Personal Rights & Freedoms. We interviewed two people – the new OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media and a an emerging leader from Brazil, an Internet Society 25 Under 25 awardee – to hear their different perspectives on the forces shaping the Internet’s future: Harlem Désir and Paula Côrte Real.

Paula Côrte Real is a 24-year-old Brazilian who hopes to help create a safe and secure Internet experience for Brazil’s youth through her involvement in several youth engagement programs. One of those, led by the Commission of Information Technology Law from the Brazilian Bar Association in Pernambuco, helps students learn how to protect themselves while using the Internet. It also tackles current issues such as cyberbullying and cyberstalking. To date, the project has reached approximately 2,000 public school students between the ages of 15 and 18. In 2017, she was awarded the Internet Society’s 25 under 25 award for making an impact on her community and beyond.

(You can read Harlem Désir’s interview here.)

The Continue reading

Un-Nintendo Consequences: Protect Your Devices from Attacking Gaming Networks

This holiday season, we published a buying guide for “smart toys,” as well as steps you could take to secure them once they were home. As we start the new year, it’s a good time to revisit Holiday DDoS Attacks: Targeting Gamers (Plus Five Things You Can Do). Last year Ryan Polk wrote, “gaming networks are most often targeted by DDoS attacks, as the end of year holidays usually bring many users online who are eager to try out their new games and systems.” He included the following helpful tips.

Making a Lasting Impact: A Look Back at 2017

As just a couple of days remain in 2017, let’s take a moment to reflect on some of the year’s highlights! It was an extraordinary year, with the Internet Society celebrating its 25th anniversary and launching a new website – while continuing to advocate for an Internet that is open, globally connected, and secure. These values were evident in the many projects undertaken throughout the year and in some of my favorite blog posts:

Access is fundamental.

We shared stories of people working to create community networks around the world, including remote Tusheti, Georgia, where pack horses carried equipment up mountain peaks; rural South Africa, where one of the most economically disadvantaged communities in the country became a telecom operator; and Yemen, where the Internet@MySchool project connected classrooms in four secondary schools. We also published resources such as Spectrum Approaches for Community Networks and the Small Island Developing States report, which offered practical solutions to building community networks. But access also means accessibility, and the Internet Society recently launched the Accessibility Toolkit, which aims to reduce barriers so that people with disabilities can get online.

So is privacy and trust.

The WannaCry and Petya ransomware attacks Continue reading

From Zero to One Hundred in the Arctic Slope

In November 2017, the Internet Society hosted the inaugural Indigenous Connectivity Summit in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The event brought together community network operators, Internet service providers, community members, researchers, policy makers, and Indigenous leadership. One of the participants shared her story.

“‘Mom, did you have YouTube?’” Patuk Glenn, recalls her six year old son asking. Glenn, who lives in Utqiaġvik – a city in Alaska north of the Arctic Circle – laughs as she remembers one of his first words: “loading,” thanks to the sluggish Internet speeds on the Arctic Slope. But things are changing, and soon. Fiber optic cable is going live in Glenn’s community and she has travelled to the Indigenous Connectivity Summit looking for lessons from other Indigenous communities. “We’re going from zero to one hundred overnight,” says Glenn. “How can we best prepare our people?”

It’s not just a question of digital literacy. Glenn’s looking for information on cybersecurity and entrepreneurship – as high-speed Internet opens avenues for economic development and for community members to share their own content with the rest of the world. Like many summit participants, Glenn sees connectivity as a pathway to enable education: not only unlocking online courses, but Continue reading

Reflections on the Internet’s Past

Earlier this year, as part of the Internet Society’s 25th anniversary celebration, we asked you to share your memories of the early Internet. As we look forward to the new year, it’s fun to read through the stories and look back at where we started.

One of the earliest memories was from Stanford University.

There was also this dose of funny reality from nearly ten thousand kilometers away, in Moscow:

Another member shared this memory from INET ’93 San Francisco:

Let’s Make the Internet Safe for All

Imagine you’re at the starting line of a race, excited about the opportunity that awaits you when you complete the course. The starting pistol is fired and you try to take off, but instead of soaring with the other runners, you stumble. You look down to see that someone has slashed your shoelaces. As you crouch down to try to fix them, you see the others gain distance ahead of you.

This is the reality for many women who use the Internet. The technology is the same and its potential is the same for men and women. But when women go online, there are barriers to access and safety that men do not experience. While men might worry about identity theft or a virus, women – along with trans and non-binary users – are navigating a minefield of sexualized harassment, whether they’re on a dating site, gaming, or using social media. The sexual violence women are exposed to in the physical world translates to the online space.

According to a 2017 survey from Pew Research Center, women and men experience and view online harassment very differently. The survey found that, while 41 percent of Americans have experienced online harassment, Continue reading

Together We Can Reduce Barriers

Accessibility is human right.

People with disabilities want and need to use the Internet just like everyone else, but what can we do to reduce barriers? Especially when one billion people globally have a disability, with 80% living in developing countries.

But accessibility doesn’t just happen. Policymakers, program managers, and technical experts need to incorporate it into their work right from the start – and we need champions for accessibility to make it happen.

Everyone in the Internet community can contribute to reducing barriers! People working with policy, programs, communications, and education can incorporate accessibility.

It doesn’t just start with websites. While this type of access is crucial, we can go even further – accessible interfaces for the Internet of Things or phone apps are just two examples.

In addition, organizations can offer a more inclusive approach with:

• Learning programs and packages (content and delivery)
• Communications programs – websites, online conferencing, discussion forums, printed material
• Policy development – has a policy position been considered in terms of its effects on people with disability?

Want to learn more about what you can do to make the Internet accessible for all? Read the W3C Introduction to Web Accessibility, and learn about the  Continue reading

Continuing David Vyorst’s Legacy: Recognizing the Next Generation of Open Internet Advocates

Last week we shared the sad news that David Vyorst, the Executive Director of the ISOC-DC chapter and an instrumental part of the North American Internet community, passed away.

The DC Chapter and the Internet Society are jointly establishing a fellowship award in David’s name. The fellowship will be awarded to a young person in a US-based chapter who has an innovative project or initiative for making a chapter more effective in advancing the values of a free and open Internet accessible by everyone.

You can visit the DC Chapter’s website to make a donation in David’s memory.

Photo credit: Glenn McKnight

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