IGF 2022 NRIs Main Session: Safeguarding and Strengthening the Core Principles of a Trusted Internet

The Internet is a proven accelerator of overall sustainability. It is an enabler of the people’s wellbeing and life prosperity. However, the Internet is not just a way for harnessing good. If misused it creates serious consequences for people and societies. The world has witnessed cases of data breaches causing massive financial losses and life disruptions. It has also seen use of the Internet-based technologies for spreading false information, entering other people and institution’s private bank accounts, surveillance and various other illegal activities. Sometimes, these harms are directly related to the human factor and intention. But sometimes, it is a case of poor technical configuration where a machine makes a mistake and disobeys human command.
How do we maintain the openness and interoperability of the Internet while at the same time ensuring that people can use it in a safe and secure manner? What are the core principles of the Internet we should focus on preserving? How to ensure those principles are embedded in the newly emerging technologies?  How do we protect the critical infrastructure.  

The session will be structured around the following areas: 

• Each NRIs share testimonials on what they see as the core principles which are important to build trust on the Internet
• How to support the principles through policy-making and acting?
• How to support the principles through the technical side of the Internet?

It is expected that the session will focus on addressing local specificities related to specific local and global issues affecting the core principles of the Internet. Are there any good practices of how others successfully mitigated the harms? It may touch on the ethics of artificial intelligence and its potential impacts on the Internet, as well as the role of IXP to promote local infrastructures to promote a trusted Internet deployment in the countries?

The session will engage a limited number of speakers, designated by the NRIs multistakeholder organizing committes, to set the scene and allow sufficient time for others to share their views as discussants. The speakers will be regionally balanced and selected by all NRIs on the basis of their shared substantive input’s quality and relevance to the topic.

• Speakers: speakers are delegated by the NRIs multistakeholder organizing committees and will sign up to take the floor during the session depending on the discussion flow. A limited number of speakers is endorsed by the NRIs network to set the stage, listed further below in the agenda.
• Onsite Moderator: Ms. Anriette Esterhuysen, IGF MAG Chair 2020-2021
• Online Moderator: Olga Cavalli, South School on Internet governance
• Rapporteurs:
  • Mr. Agong Norman Angel, Internet Society - Affordable Internet Access SIG
  • Prof. Thompson Chengeta, Liverpool John Moores University
  • Ms. Aicha Jeridi, North African IGF, Tunisia