Internet Governance Forum

Digital technology has potential to improve energy efficiency, which could contribute to a lower carbon future, but it’s also the fastest growing source of energy consumption (and so carbon emissions in the world today) – as well as one of the fastest growing sources of pollution.

It’s the end of this strange COVID Northern summer / Southern winter. Time for this blog for APC to resume its weekly exploration ‘Inside the Digital Society’.

This week some thoughts on this year’s iteration of one of WSIS’ major outcomes, the Internet Governance Forum or IGF.

What happens to communities in rural and underserved urban areas lacking access to the internet? What happens to those without access to machines and devices or whose lives do not fit into a digital model of e-learning and e-commerce?

APC is convinced that multilateralism and multistakeholderism are both necessary and can coexist, and both must be strengthened. We strongly support the IGF Plus model as the basis for establishing accountable, inclusive, participatory and effective global digital cooperation among all stakeholders.

This document summarises APC's reflections on the 2019 IGF in terms of what worked well and what did not work so well, in the areas of content, agenda and sessions; logistics; and inclusion, diversity and safety. It further offers recommendations for the 2020 IGF in those same areas.

First-time IGF participant Miru Lee of the Korean Progressive Network Jinbonet shares her reflections on the discussions around two topics of particular interest to her: the human rights impacts of AI, and the complexities of content regulation in the online space.

One of the most contentious topics at the 2019 Internet Governance Forum (IGF) was artificial intelligence (AI). With its seeming apolitical nature, it is in reality the Trojan horse of political interest, and it took centre stage right from the beginning of the Forum.