A team of global web experts, the Global Commission on Internet Governance, has warned that the future of the Internet is at a crossroads and we must act quickly to safeguard its future.
The commission, which includes Professor Dame Wendy Hall from the University of Southampton, recently released the One Internet final report and recommendations, containing a wide range of concrete recommendations that will help improved Internet governance and secure a positive digital future.
The recommendations were constructed to secure the openness, transparency, and security of the Internet. The Commission is asking policy makers to implement these recommendations and ensure the Internet remains the world’s most important infrastructure.
“The action outlined by the report must be taken soon so that we can create an environment of broad, unprecedented progress where everyone can benefit from the power of the Internet,” said Professor Hall, who is Executive Director of the University’s Web Science Institute. “The choice of not making a choice is, in itself, a choice – one that could lead to harsh consequences. We risk a world where the Internet is closed, insecure, and untrustworthy – a world of digital haves and have-nots. The action outlined by the report must be taken soon – if so, we will build a world of broad, unprecedented progress where everyone can benefit from the power of the Internet.”
So what can be done? Here are some examples of the recommendations put forth by the experts:
• Governments should only intercept communications and collect data via Internet for open and legal purposes, not for domestic political advantage, industrial espionage, or repression.
• States should coordinate and provide mutual assistance to deter cyber-attacks.
• New technologies must remain compatible and based on open standards, openly developed.
• Refugees should be provided with access to the Internet by host governments.
“The Internet is the most important infrastructure in the world. It is the world’s most powerful engine for social and economic growth. To realize its full potential, the Internet of the future must be open, secure, trustworthy, and accessible to all,” said Hall .
The outline provided by the group can serve as a road map toward ensuring the future of the Internet. The group believes that if these suggestions are implemented, the Internet will continue to be amazing, but if ignored, the Internet’s power to build a better world will erode.
The Commission, a two-year initiative of the Center for International Governance Innovation (CIGI) and Chatham House, comprised of 29 commissioners and 45 research advisers, along with group of academics, cyber-security and human rights experts, leaders in the worlds of business and government, and technical experts to articulate and advance a strategic vision for Internet governance.
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