Session
Organizer 1: Civil Society, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Organizer 2: Civil Society, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Organizer 3: Civil Society, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Organizer 2: Civil Society, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Organizer 3: Civil Society, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 1: Kian Vesteinsson, Civil Society, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 2: Panagiota Nayia Barmpaliou, Civil Society, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 3: Pavel Zoneff, Private Sector, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 2: Panagiota Nayia Barmpaliou, Civil Society, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 3: Pavel Zoneff, Private Sector, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Format
Roundtable
Duration (minutes): 60
Format description: The session organizers aim to cultivate a collaborative and constructive dialogue about the role that anti-censorship and encryption tools play in cultivating the free and open internet. The organizers have secured the participation of several experts who will premier brand-new research on the subject by the European University Institute and Freedom House and provide remarks in a moderated discussion; following the moderated discussion, the organizers would like to open the floor to questions, responses, and interventions from workshop participants. A roundtable format (inclusive of online participation) would be most conducive to an open and constructive dialogue among the speakers and workshop participants, which is essential to realization of the Expected Outcomes.
Duration (minutes): 60
Format description: The session organizers aim to cultivate a collaborative and constructive dialogue about the role that anti-censorship and encryption tools play in cultivating the free and open internet. The organizers have secured the participation of several experts who will premier brand-new research on the subject by the European University Institute and Freedom House and provide remarks in a moderated discussion; following the moderated discussion, the organizers would like to open the floor to questions, responses, and interventions from workshop participants. A roundtable format (inclusive of online participation) would be most conducive to an open and constructive dialogue among the speakers and workshop participants, which is essential to realization of the Expected Outcomes.
Policy Question(s)
What roles do anti-censorship tools and end-to-end encryption play in safeguarding rights? Are there recent scenarios that illustrate their impact (or limitations)?
What is the role of civil society, the technical community, and the private sector in safeguarding access to anti-censorship and end-to-end encryption?
How can existing Internet governance fora be leveraged to preserve access to anti-censorship and encryption in order to safeguard a free, open, and secure internet?
What will participants gain from attending this session? Heightened Awareness: A clear understanding of current threats and trends in internet restrictions, backed by data. Attendees will be familiar with the scope of the problem – from global internet freedom decline metrics to real examples of VPN bans, encryption backdoors, and Internet censorship.
Knowledge Exchange on Counterstrategies: Through case studies and discussions, participants will learn about successful tactics used to circumvent censorship and protect privacy.
Policy Dialogue and Best Practices: Participants will engage with experts on how strong security tools can ensure digital rights are protected, and discuss best practices – whether technical, political, or policy-oriented.
Actionable Recommendations: The goal is for each stakeholder group – governments, private sector, civil society – to come away with a list of concrete “next steps” they can implement.
Opportunities for Cooperation: A significant outcome will be identifying opportunities for international and cross-sector collaboration.
Description:
According to the Freedom on the Net report, global internet freedom declined for the 14th consecutive year in 2024, as censorship and surveillance are on the rise. Critical technologies that enable free expression and privacy online, including and end-to-end encryption services and anti-censorship tools like virtual private networks (VPNs), are at the heart of this struggle. These tools allow people to bypass censorship to access the open internet, safeguard fundamental rights like privacy, and build resilience to internet fragmentation. However, some governments have responded to these technologies with increasingly sophisticated efforts to restrict or undermine access to them. Such actions often foreshadow broader digital repression—acting as a “canary in the coal mine” for declining Internet freedom. Understanding the evolving tactics of digital censorship and developing effective countermeasures is essential for protecting human rights in the digital age. The session will premier brand-new research on this topic by the European University Institute and Freedom House. The workshop will explore how restrictions on VPNs and encryption undermine the free, open, and secure internet, and discuss actionable solutions to counter these challenges. Panelists will provide expert interventions from the perspectives of government, the private sector, civil society, and the technical community. The session aims to foster a collaborative dialogue between stakeholder groups to cultivate an open, safe, and secure digital future where rights are respected online and offline.
According to the Freedom on the Net report, global internet freedom declined for the 14th consecutive year in 2024, as censorship and surveillance are on the rise. Critical technologies that enable free expression and privacy online, including and end-to-end encryption services and anti-censorship tools like virtual private networks (VPNs), are at the heart of this struggle. These tools allow people to bypass censorship to access the open internet, safeguard fundamental rights like privacy, and build resilience to internet fragmentation. However, some governments have responded to these technologies with increasingly sophisticated efforts to restrict or undermine access to them. Such actions often foreshadow broader digital repression—acting as a “canary in the coal mine” for declining Internet freedom. Understanding the evolving tactics of digital censorship and developing effective countermeasures is essential for protecting human rights in the digital age. The session will premier brand-new research on this topic by the European University Institute and Freedom House. The workshop will explore how restrictions on VPNs and encryption undermine the free, open, and secure internet, and discuss actionable solutions to counter these challenges. Panelists will provide expert interventions from the perspectives of government, the private sector, civil society, and the technical community. The session aims to foster a collaborative dialogue between stakeholder groups to cultivate an open, safe, and secure digital future where rights are respected online and offline.
Expected Outcomes
The workshop aims to contribute towards a collaborative framework for monitoring and responding to emerging restrictions on anti-censorship technologies and encryption. Participants will discuss and consider how coordination channels between technical, advocacy, and policy communities could enable more effective and timely responses to new threats. This collaborative approach could enhance the sustainability and impact of Internet freedom initiatives by leveraging complementary capabilities across different stakeholder groups and geographic regions.
The workshop will also offer multistakeholder strategies to promote anti-censorship and encryption technologies as a part of a foundation for universal access to a free, open, and secure internet. Empowering the Internet governance community to resist and adapt to these threats will ensure protections for human rights, both online and off. Recommendations from the workshop can feed into the WSIS+20 review process and high-level event in Geneva in July 2025.
Hybrid Format: The moderator and speakers will invite online participants to use the IGF platform’s live chat function to ask questions and comments. The online moderator will monitor the live chat, and supply the onsite moderator with interventions to incorporate online participant contributions into the conversation ad hoc and during the designated open Q&A. For example, the onsite moderator will alternate between questions in the room and questions from online participants during the Q&A portion of the event. Throughout the session, the onsite and online moderators will work to bring interventions from online participants into conversation with the speakers and the roundtable portion as much as possible.