IGF 2024 WS #135 Who owns the Internet?

    Organizer 1: Miguel Vidal, Deutsche Telekom
    Organizer 2: Maarit Palovirta, 🔒

    Speaker 1: Peter Koch, Technical Community, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
    Speaker 2: Wolfgang Kopf, Private Sector, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
    Speaker 3: Nwakanma Nnenna, Civil Society, African Group

    Moderator

    Miguel Vidal, Private Sector, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)

    Online Moderator

    CORIZ Angela, Technical Community, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)

    Rapporteur

    Miguel Vidal, Private Sector, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)

    Format

    Classroom
    Duration (minutes): 60
    Format description: A classroom format with a duration of 60 minutes strikes a balance between depth of exploration and time constraints and should be best suited for a panel discussion.

    Policy Question(s)

    A. How can policymakers strike a balance between fostering innovation and competition while addressing the growing dominance of private networks in the Internet ecosystem?
    B. What regulatory approaches are needed to ensure data sovereignty and protect user privacy in an Internet landscape increasingly dominated by private networks?
    C. How can policymakers promote a more diverse and resilient Internet infrastructure while still harnessing the benefits of private networks for efficiency and performance?

    What will participants gain from attending this session? 1. Understanding evolving Internet infrastructure: Participants will gain a deeper understanding of how the architecture of the Internet has evolved over time, particularly in terms of the shift from a decentralized model to one dominated by private networks.
    2. Insights into market dynamics: Participants will learn about the implications of this shift for market dynamics.
    3. Policy implications and regulatory challenges: The session aims at providing insights into the policy and regulatory challenges arising from the dominance of private networks. Participants will gain a better understanding of the need to reassess existing frameworks to ensure a fair and competitive digital ecosystem.
    4. Exploration of industrial policy goals: By discussing strategies based on industrial policy goals, participants will explore potential approaches to promote a more diverse and decentralized Internet infrastructure.
    5. Consideration of data sovereignty and governance: The session will delve into broader issues such as data sovereignty, governance.

    Description:

    A lot has changed on the Internet in the last ten years: It's not just applications and business models that have emerged or evolved. Less obvious, because hardly recognizable to many users, the architecture of the Internet has also changed fundamentally. The long-cherished model of a decentralized Internet infrastructure, in which thousands of different networks are involved in transporting the world's data traffic, is losing importance. Today, the lion's share of traffic flows through proprietary backbone networks and content delivery networks owned by large Internet companies and hyperscalers. This drastic shift in traffic from the public Internet to private networks has fundamentally changed the Internet ecosystem and led to a significant concentration of market power in the engine room of the Internet. The growing disparity between the public Internet and large private networks calls for a reassessment of existing policies and regulatory frameworks in Europe and beyond. Policymakers might choose strategies based on industrial policy goals to counter trends of global private networks emerging as dominating platforms. Such policies might also focus on other aspects such as cloud and data sovereignty, data governance, and data sharing.

    Expected Outcomes

    1. Increased awareness and understanding: Participants will leave the session with a deeper understanding of the evolving landscape of Internet ownership, including the shift towards dominance by private networks. They will gain insights into the implications of this trend for competition, innovation, data sovereignty, and user privacy.
    2. Policy insights and recommendations: The session will possibly generate policy insights and recommendations for addressing the challenges posed by the rise of private networks. Policymakers will gain valuable perspectives on potential regulatory approaches to promote a more diverse, competitive, and resilient Internet ecosystem.
    3. Stakeholder engagement and collaboration: The panel discussion will foster dialogue and collaboration among a diverse range of stakeholders.
    4. Awareness of global perspectives: Participants will gain insights into global perspectives on Internet ownership and regulation.

    Hybrid Format: A dedicated moderator should be appointed who can manage the flow of the session, facilitate interaction between onsite and online speakers and attendees, and ensure that all participants have an equal opportunity to contribute to the discussion. We suggest interactive Q&A sessions, allowing both onsite and online participants to ask questions and engage with the speakers.