IGF 2024 WS #69 Internet Governance: Joining Practices and Reciprocal Unders

    Organizer 1: Xiaoman Li, Wuhan University
    Organizer 2: Yiran Xing, China Federation of Internet Societies
    Organizer 3: Junhao Liu, China Federation of Internet Societies

    Speaker 1: Hui Zhao, Civil Society, Asia-Pacific Group
    Speaker 2: Yuexin Qiang, Civil Society, Asia-Pacific Group
    Speaker 3: Éric Grillo, Civil Society, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
    Speaker 4: Zhong Ren, Private Sector, Asia-Pacific Group
    Speaker 5: Issal Rezeq Ali Yaghi, Technical Community, Asia-Pacific Group

    Moderator

    Jincao Cao, Civil Society, Asia-Pacific Group

    Online Moderator

    Junhao Liu, Intergovernmental Organization, Asia-Pacific Group

    Rapporteur

    Xiaoman Li, Civil Society, Asia-Pacific Group

    Format

    Roundtable
    Duration (minutes): 90
    Format description: The adoption of the round-table format can promote equal exchange and openness of views. Everyone participating in the meeting as equals can realize interactive consultation and open discussion, and 90 minutes of brainstorming can create a warm and positive atmosphere in which different ideas from different people can collide with each other and generate golden ideas.

    Policy Question(s)

    1. How can Internet governance be rational, effective and feasible for the distribution and redistribution of the digital dividend?
    2. How can Internet governance address the challenges posed by the “digital divide” and the “unorganized Internet”, and how can new opportunities for cooperation on digital security be created?
    3. How can Internet digital governance respond to the challenges posed by the rapid development of artificial intelligence and Internet commercial monopoly to network digital protocols and Internet parameter settings.

    What will participants gain from attending this session? This session discusses the current challenges of Internet digital governance in terms of digital dividends, digital protocols and parameters, and digital security, as well as the international communication, international cooperation, and reciprocal understanding required to address the challenges. (1) Production, distribution and redistribution of digital dividends. Digital information and network data of Internet users have become crucial production factors, generating a significant amount of digital dividends. However, there are many ethical and governance issues in the production and distribution of these dividends. (2) Challenges and cooperation in digital security. To strengthen the global reciprocical understanding of digital security, innovate the concept of digital security, analyze the new challenges in digital security, and explore new opportunities for governance cooperation. (3) Governance of digital protocols and parameters. Exploring the technical monopoly and power game in Internet digital protocols and parameter settings, and seeking new paths and new ideas for optimizing governance.

    Description:

    Firstly, with the rapid development of the digital economy, digital technologies and artificial intelligence technology, numerous Internet enterprises are using digital resources and data resources for industrial and technological innovation, forming substantial digital dividends. The reasonable distribution and redistribution of digital dividends among enterprises, individuals, society, and the international community, analyzing various demands and rights related to digital dividends, and avoiding unjust distribution of digital dividends between individuals and enterprises, countries and societies, creating new inequalities among different countries, are crucial issues facing global internet digital governance.
    Secondly, as geopolitical competition and conflicts intensify, the security of national and individual digital information, resources, and assets faces new challenges and pressures. It is urgent to enhance reciprocical understanding through dialogue, seeking consensus and paths for cooperation and optimized governance. Thirdly, with the rapid development of large-scale model technologies and artificial intelligence technologies in recent years, humanity need to collectively explore how to address the risks and uncertainties brought about by intelligent technologies in digital security, considering the “intelligent entity” as a new variable and actor in designing digital protocols, digital parameters, and constructing network security, iterating and upgrading the ideas and practice of Internet governance in the context of human-computer interaction and coexistence.

    Expected Outcomes

    1.Publication of the Synthesis of the Forum “Internet Governance at IGF 2024: Partnering Practices and Mutual Understanding”.
    2.Launch of the Global Internet Digital Governance Timeline (2012-2023).

    Hybrid Format: 1. Conduct research prior to the workshop. Provide first-hand information and data support for the workshop;
    2. Organize a pre-forum before the workshop. CUNET, Wuhan University, New Sorbonne University and Amazon (Jordan) co-organized the Internet Governance: Joining Practices and Reciprocal Understandings Pre-workshop Forum as a precursor forum to ensure more understanding and participation in the discussion of the issue;
    3. Designing questions and open discussions during the workshop. Encourage each participant to share ideas;
    4.Prepare visual materials (i.e., videos, images, infographics). Visual materials were used throughout the workshop to enliven the session and to assist those whose first language is not English.