Internet Governance Project

http://www.internetgovernance.org/

Syracuse University, USA

The Internet Governance Project (IGP) is a consortium of academics with scholarly and practical expertise in international governance, Internet policy, and information and communication technology. The Project conducts research on and publishes analysis of global Internet governance. The work is intended to contribute to policy discussions in the Internet Governance Forum, ICANN, WIPO and related debates at the global, international, regional and national levels.

The goal of the Internet Governance Project (IGP) is to:

* Inform and shape Internet public policy choices by providing independent analysis and timely recommendations.

* Identify and analyze new possibilities for improving global governance institutions

* Develop policy positions guided by the values of globalism, democratic governance and individual rights.

The IGP is being supported through a two-year opportunity grant from the Ford Foundation. If you are interested in supporting our work please contact us.

Why debate Internet Governance? The Internet is a public, global system of interconnected commercial, academic, household and government networks. Unlike most communications media, Internet technology is based on global, open and nonproprietary standards. The mix of open standards, diverse networks, and the growing ubiquity of digital devices makes the Internet a revolutionary force that undermines traditional media such as newspapers, broadcasting, and telephone systems, and challenges existing regulatory institutions based on national boundaries.

Internet policy affects a wide range of social issues. It affects who gets to participate in the online economy. It affects intellectual property – witness the attempts to control and regulate Internet-based communication in order to protect copyrights and trademarks. It determines who gets access to the key technical resources, such as domain names and IP addresses, that make Internet service possible. As a target of government surveillance, it affects privacy and civil liberties. It affects freedom of expression, forcing the world’s diverse policies to be harmonized. It provokes debates over the global balance of power, as the US government holds unilateral control of Internet resources against the will of users and governments in Europe, Asia, Latin America and Africa. Internet-based communication tools also enable new forms of global governance and new ways to participate in international institutions.