"This study encompasses both quantitative and qualitative assessment: On the one hand, the more than 50 evaluated declarations, guidelines, and frameworks are briefly described in the given context; on the other hand, the issues contained in these documents are also qualitatively analyzed. In this,
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it is evident that multiple initiatives have been taken during the last 25 years. The prevailing impression is of a wide diversity of documents and of attention to diverse Internet Governance principles. The contents of the analyzed documents heavily depend on the given actors and environment at the time of the drafting. Furthermore, some principles (for example freedom of expression, access to information, privacy) have gained much more attention than other principles (for example, multistakeholder participation, ethical behavior, sustainability, education, gender equality)." (Executive summary)
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"Cette étude comprend une évaluation à la fois quantitative et qualitative : d’un côté, la cinquantaine de déclarations, directives et cadres évalués sont présentés brièvement dans le contexte donné; d’un autre côté, les questions contenues dans ces documents sont analysées d’un
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point de vue qualitatif. À cet égard, il est évident que de multiples initiatives ont été prises au cours des 25 dernières années. La principale impression qui se dégage, c’est que les documents et les principes retenus montrent une grande diversité. Le contenu des documents examinés dépend fortement des acteurs et du contexte au moment de l’élaboration. En outre, certains principes (par exemple la liberté d’expression, l’accès à l’information, le respect de la vie privée) ont reçu beaucoup plus d’attention que d’autres (par exemple, la participation de multiples acteurs, le comportement éthique, la durabilité, l’éducation, l’égalité des genres)." (Résumé exécutif)
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"The Ethiopian government, led by the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), has developed one of the most restrictive systems for the regulation of new media in Africa. So far, most discussion has focused on the measures employed by the EPRDF to prevent the Internet and mobile p
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hones from becoming tools for opposition forces to challenge the regime. Much less attention has been paid to the strategies pursued in order to make new media work in support of the government's ambiguous but ambitious attempt to make Ethiopia a developmental state. Examining the period between 1991 and 2012, this article explores how the EPRDF gradually moved from a simple strategy of information control towards incorporating new media into its state- and nation-building efforts through large-scale projects such as Woredanet and Schoolnet. Larger trends at the international level, including the securitization of development and the growing significance of China in Africa, have legitimated the use of the media to serve development outcomes, and have facilitated the spread of the kind of ‘developmental media system’ that has emerged in Ethiopia. The article concludes that only by engaging with these systems on their own terms and “going with the grain” can we develop a better understanding of how they work and how to change them." (Abstract)
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"This paper takes four key policy issues for protecting human rights online - net neutrality; an absence of arbitrary online filtering and blocking; an absence of arbitrary surveillance; and protecting intermediaries from liability for user-generated content. For each policy area it summarises the t
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heoretical economic arguments for adopting a human rights-respecting position, and then attempts to collate any empirical data that exists to back up those arguments. In doing so, the paper aims to assist human rights defenders to develop persuasive arguments that they can use with policy-makers, and to highlight areas where more research and evidence is needed." (Summary, page 6)
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"The Internet will generate economic growth and social transformation in six sectors in particular: financial services, education, health, retail, agriculture, and government. In financial services, for example, M.Pesa's mobile money solutions have brought millions of Kenyans onto the financial grid
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for the first time. Remote diagnostics are expanding medical services to rural areas that have few healthcare professionals. Students are beginning to learn with new digital education tools, and e-government initiatives are connecting citizens with services. This report examines the progress and potential of the Internet in 14 economies that together make up 90 percent of Africa's GDP. In addition to measuring the size of their current Internet economies, it evaluates the strength of five fundamental pillars of Internet readiness: national ICT strategy, infrastructure, business environment, access to financial capital, and the development of ICTrelated human capital. By combining these factors, it is possible to map each country's progress on its digital journey. Kenya and Senegal, for instance, are not Africa's largest economies, but they have nevertheless emerged as the continent's leaders in terms of the relative economic contribution of the Internet." (Executive summary)
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"Internet companies have become the new gatekeepers of information–and their data-parsing algorithms the twenty-first century equivalent of the stereotypical editor with the green eyeshade who filtered the news before passing it along to readers .. As they have expanded globally, these pioneering
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corporations have had to face, and deal with, a tough reality. The Internet that gave them birth espouses all sorts of high-minded principles of open and free expression. But many of the governments in countries that offer tantalizingly large commercial markets not only don’t espouse those principles, they actively deny them [...] This report offers these recommendations for addressing the role of the new information gatekeepers in the age of the Internet: The dominant Internet companies should be more transparent about how they decide on content issues ...; The start-ups of today should consider the lessons of the recent past ...; Twitter (and the telecoms, and other ICT companies) should join the Global Network Initiative ...; The Global Network Initiative should toughen up." (Executive summary, page 6-7)
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"In the last few years, Russia has become an important player in the international internet governance debate, pushing for a governance model that is state-centric, hierarchical and based on the inviolability of state sovereignty. Russia has not only articulated an alternative model at forums like t
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he World Conference on International Telecommunications (WCIT), it has formed alliances with states such as China and Saudi Arabia, who share its vision. Russia’s views on internet governance stem from security concerns about the potential of independent information to harm its state and society, as well as from a normative aversion to what it views as US domination of internet governance. Russia favours the UN and particularly ITU as the organisation best suited for ultimately settling questions of governance." (Summary, page 6)
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"Über die politische Einschätzung und den Regelungsbedarf des Internets ist im Laufe seiner kurzen Geschichte weltweit schon viel und unterschiedlich debattiert worden. Wiederholt sind diverse Themen in den Vordergrund geschoben worden: etwa digital divide, Netzneutralität, Cyberkriminalität, Da
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tenschutz etc. Jeweils verschiedene Akteure haben sich dafür engagiert und ihre Interessen vertreten. Diese Einführung arbeitet die relevanten Handlungsfelder, die maßgeblichen Akteure international, regional und national sowie die getroffenen Regelungen und die sich aktuell und künftig abzeichnenden Regelungsbedarfe systematisch auf und erläutert sie an Fallbeispielen. Damit leistet sie zugleich einen grundsätzlichen Beitrag zur anhaltenden Globalisierung medial-digitaler Kommunikation." (Verlagsbeschreibung)
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"Advocates of Internet freedom need to develop more responses to cybercrime and online ethics to make sure that real concerns are not exploited by repressive governments to impose Internet controls and other measures, which violate the rights to freedom of expression and freedom of information. An i
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mproved multi-stakeholder system of Internet governance, increased transnational cooperation and increased investment in Internet safety technology is needed to combat rising levels of cybercrime. Principles of self-regulation can and should be increasingly extended to online media and online communication to fight ethical lapses in Internet content. While the nature of the Internet can compound some of the ethical problems encountered it simultaneously displays features which can help to make self-regulation work." (Page 1)
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"Turkmenistan is slowly emerging from decades of darkness. President Gurbanguli Berdymukhamedov has vowed to modernize the country by encouraging the uptake of new technology for economic development and more ef!cient governance. Hundreds of thousands of Turkmen citizens are now online. However, the
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country faces serious challenges as it prepares to go digital. Infrastructure is primitive, and public access is fully controlled by a stateowned monopoly. Slow speeds, exorbitant pricing, and technological illiteracy all constitute major hurdles. Authorities are moving to address the capacity problem, but Turkmenistan’s repressive regime is unlikely to relinquish its stranglehold on cyberspace access and content. All media – including the internet – are closely controlled. State censorship and surveillance are signi!cant, as are intimidation tactics that encourage user self-censorship. This study highlights the ambivalent policies and practices that have left Turkmenistan mired in the digital doldrums, torn between its desire to join the worldwide web and its compulsion to control cyberspace." (Executive summary)
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"Die Forderung nach Sicherheit im Internet, besonders in Hinblick auf die persönlichen Daten, die Gewährung der Freiheit dieses Mediums ohne staatliche Eingriffe, die Diskussion um adäquate Formen des Urheberrechts und seiner Durchsetzung sowie eine Fokussierung auf die Risiken verbunden mit eine
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m latenten Vorwurf eines unbedingten Reglementierungswillens des Staates sind Eckpunkte der deutschen netzpolitischen Debatte. Die Publikation soll mit Blick auf die netzpolitischen Entscheidungen in anderen Ländern einen Referenzrahmen bieten, der die Diskussion in Deutschland befruchten kann." (Verlagsbeschreibung)
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"An Introduction to Internet Governance provides a comprehensive overview of the main issues and actors in this fi eld. The book is written in a clear and accessible way, supplemented with numerous fi gures and illustrations. It focuses on technical, legal, economic, development, and sociocultural a
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spects of Internet governance, providing a brief introduction, a summary of major questions and controversies, and a survey of different views and approaches for each issue. The book offers a practical framework for analysis and discussion on Internet governance. Since 1997 more than 1000 diplomats, computer specialists, civil society activists and academics have attended training courses based on the text and approach presented in this book. With every delivery of the course, materials are updated and improved. This regular updating makes the book particularly useful as a teaching resource for introductory studies in Internet governance." (Back cover)
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"Examines the actors, structures and themes that shaped the WSIS with a particular focus on the role played by civil society. The book investigates how civil society self-organization has continued post-WSIS through the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) and other policymaking venues, and reflects on w
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hat the WSIS experience reveals about the challenges and opportunities embedded in the notion of multi-stakeholder governance and its implications for understanding global communication." (Publisher description)
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