Category: isoc

[Geneva, Switzerland – 09 December 2011] – The Internet Society welcomed the focus of today’s United Nations Human Rights Day event highlighting the transformational role of the Internet and social media applications in giving voice to people around the world. The Internet Society is a strong advocate of an open and accessible Internet, and sees the Internet as an enabler of human rights.

The influence of the Internet and social media on the ability of citizens to connect, share ideas, and join communities is undeniable. In 2011, popular movements in the Middle East and North Africa demonstrated the Internet’s power to enable individuals to exercise their fundamental rights, in particular the right to freedom of expression as well as the right to peaceful assembly and association. In this context, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights also points to the role of social media in peaceful protest movements in many other cities across the globe.

These events illustrate the powerful impact of social media by generating awareness of and support for efforts of people from all walks of life seeking to bring about change, unconstrained by borders, time, and distance.

“The Internet’s influence on society has been profound,” said Lynn St. Amour, Internet Society President and CEO. “The Internet Society is committed to ensuring an open, global, and accessible Internet. It is an instrumental tool to sustain basic human aspirations for freedom and social development.”

The Internet Society has noted with concern a number of U.S. legislative proposals that would mandate DNS blocking and filtering by ISPs in order to protect the interests of copyright holders. We agree with proponents of the Protect-IP Act (PIPA) and Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) that combating illegal online activities is a very important public policy objective. However, policies that are enacted to achieve this goal must not undermine the viability of the Internet as a globally reachable platform. After close examination and consultation with the Internet community, we do not believe that the current U.S. legislative proposals are consistent with these basic principles.

In particular, we are concerned with provisions in both laws regarding DNS filtering. DNS filtering is often proposed as a way to block illegal content consumption by end users. Yet policies to mandate DNS filtering have not proven to be effective – these approaches interfere with cross-border data flows and services undermining innovation and social development across the globe. In addition, DNS blocking raises significant concerns with respect to human rights and freedom of expression and may curtail fundamental international principles of rule of law and due process.

The United States has an important leadership role when it comes to online Internet freedoms and should show the way when it comes to balancing local responsibilities and global impact, especially with respect to Internet policy.

In short, the negative impact of DNS filtering far outweighs any short-term, narrow, legal, and commercial benefits. The Internet Society believes that sustained, global collaboration amongst all parties is needed to find ways that protect the global architecture of the Internet while combating illegal online activities. We must all work to support the principles of innovation and freedom of expression upon which the Internet was founded.

On behalf of all of us at the Internet Society, we thank all our members for their commitment to our shared goals for an accessible, secure, ubiquitous and evolving Internet.  It is through this support and interest that we’ve been successful, for example, elevating global awareness of and commitment to Internet Protocol version 6.0 (IPv6), educating interest groups and governments on Net Neutrality, and supporting local Internet Society Chapters and their volunteer members.

The Internet, nevertheless, is faced with challenges from various quarters of the globe and cyberspace: access is unavailable to millions in the developing world making it ever more difficult to escape lives of poverty and disease; access is denied to whole classes of people as a way to exert political or economic control; malicious intrusions from various interest groups defy new security measures; the balances between safety and freedom, between security and transparency teeter everyday.

This is why we need your strong support.  Only the Internet Society offers a powerful, honest and unbiased voice in support of the Internet for Everyone. Through the work of our chapters, organization members and partners, we speak above the fray, inform the policy and decision makers and watch the Internet environment so that all of us may speak and take action.

Please consider a donation to The Internet Society today, or renew/upgrade to a Sustaining Membership for only $75.00 (you’ll need to log into the ISOC Portal for all changes to membership status).

Your assistance will go directly to assist knowledge sharing, Internet Leadership Development and education, and to promote vital debates such as the Internet access as a basic human right. Become part of the engine that propels the Internet as a vibrant, open platform for human social progress.

[Taipei, 16 November 2011] — The Internet Society today announced that its prestigious Jonathan B. Postel Service Award was presented to leading technologist Professor Kilnam Chon for his significant contributions in the development and advancement of the Internet in Asia.

Professor Chon contributed to the Internet’s growth in Asia through his extensive work in advancing Internet initiatives, research, and development. In addition, his pioneering work inspired many others to promote the Internet’s further growth in the region. The international award committee, comprised of former Jonathan B. Postel award winners, noted that Professor Chon was active in connecting Asia, and that his efforts continue today in the advancement of the Internet in other regions.

The Internet Society will hold an e-meeting on 15 December to introduce a new initiative that collects, creates, and promotes detailed deployment information for IPv6, DNSSEC, and other future standards developed by the IETF. The Deployment & Operationalization Hub (DO Hub)* will work with first adopters to collect and create resources that are easy to understand and quickly actionable by the greater operations community, and will actively solicit the larger community for advice on what deployment topics to cover next.

Many Chapter members are among the first adopters of new technologies and may be interested in helping provide deployment information via the new DO Hub initiative. In addition, the information DO Hub collects will be valuable to Chapter members actively seeking to deploy new technologies. DO Hub events will also provide an avenue for Chapter members to meet their colleagues in person.

[DAKAR, SENEGAL – 24 October 2011] – The Internet Society today announced that its Board of Trustees held its 90th meeting on 22 – 23 October 2011 in Dakar, Senegal. During the meeting, the Board reviewed and approved the organization’s three-year business plan that includes a wide range of programs in support of its mission to promote the open development, evolution, and use of the Internet for the benefit of all people throughout the world.

While the world population rapidly approaches 7 billion, approximately 2 billion people have access to the Internet. Internet penetration in many developing countries hovers well below 5%. Compared to other regions of the world, Africa has the lowest percent of Internet users to total population; however it is one of the fastest-growing regions for Internet penetration and usage.

The Internet Society, as a member of  the Internet Technical Advisory Committee (ITAC), participated in the OECD High Level Meeting on “The Internet Economy: Generating Innovation and Growth” held on 28-29 June 2011 in Paris.

* ITAC Press release (also below)

* Agenda

* Background documents

* Final Communique

The Internet Society is pleased to invite applications for Fellowships to the OECD Technology Foresight Forum.

Fellowships to the OECD Technology Foresight Forum are part of the Internet Society’s Next Generation Leaders (NGL) programme and are available to Internet Society members aged between 20 and 40 years.

The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Technology Foresight Forum is an annual event organized by the OECD’s Committee for Information, Computer, and Communications Policy (ICCP) to help identify how technical developments create opportunities for, and pose challenges to the Internet Economy. Foresight Forums are a collaborative effort of policymakers from member and non-member governments, business, civil society, and the Internet technical community.

About the OECD ICCP Technology Foresight Forum 2011
—————————————————
In 2011, the OECD Foresight Forum will focus on Evolving Mobile Wireless Platforms and Applications. Participants will explore and evaluate the tremendous potential that mobile networks, applications, and content have for future economic and social development. The Forum will be held in Paris on 26 October.

Fellows to the OECD may be given the opportunity to engage in various tasks at the Forum, including assisting the OECD Secretariat with preparatory work, reporting, and speaking. Details of these opportunities will be confirmed with the OECD Secretariat and successful applicants in advance of the Forum.

More details of the Fellowship to the OECD Technology Foresight Forum are available here:

https://www.isoc.org/pubpolpillar/oecd-fellowship/

The Internet Society has announced that it is inviting applications for its latest Internet Society Fellowships to the IETF, part of its Next Generation Leaders (NGL) programme (www.InternetSociety.org/Leaders). The Fellowship programme allows engineers from developing countries to attend an Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) meeting.

The IETF is the Internet’s premier standards-making body, responsible for the development of protocols used in IP-based networks. IETF participants represent an international community of network designers, operators, vendors, and researchers involved in the technical operation of the Internet and the continuing evolution of Internet architecture.

Fellowships will be awarded through a competitive application process. The Internet Society is currently accepting fellowship applications for the next two IETF meetings:

* IETF 82, 13 – 18 Nov 2011, Taipei, TW
* IETF 83, 25 – 30 March, Paris, FR

Info: http://www.isoc.org/educpillar/fellowship/index.php

Fellowship applications for both IETF meetings are due by 15 July 2011.

We encourage you to pass on information about this program to individuals involved in your network that have a keen interest in the Internet standardisation activities of the IETF.

The Internet Society (ISOC) will present an INET Regional Conference on June 14 2011 at the Sentry Center in NYC. The theme is “It’s your call. What kind Of Internet do you want? “. The distinguished line up of speakers will include ‘Father of the Internet’ Vint Cerf, World Wide Web inventor Sir Tim Berners Lee, and Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information at the U.S. Department of Commerce Lawrence Strickling.

What: INET New York
When: Tuesday June 14, 2011: 9am-5.30pm EDT
Where: Sentry Center, 730 Third Avenue, NY NY 10017
Who: ISOC Members $25, Others $50
Register: http://isoc.org/nyinet
Agenda: http://bit.ly/inetnyagenda
Hashtag: #inetny
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=145503388852445
Linked In http://events.linkedin.com/INET-New-York/pub/649653
Shorturl: http://bit.ly/inetny

With almost two billion people online, the Internet is a catalyst for boundless creativity and growth. But the decisions we make in the coming months and years will determine whether it remains a global platform for innovation and expression for people everywhere. Join us on June 14 as we set the agenda for the future of an open Internet. We’ll identify and examine the critical decisions that will shape the future of the Internet:

Who will help define the Internet’s evolution?
What role should government and private industry play?
How do we provide greater bandwidth and access?
What does online privacy mean in the age of Facebook and Wikileaks?

This is a unique opportunity to network with the thought leaders and policy makers who are designing the global networks of tomorrow and help develop the policies that will drive future Internet innovation. Space is limited so it is advisable to register a.s.a.p.

23 Frankfurt 2011, FRANKFURT – The Internet Society warned today that taking the Internet for granted would be one of the surest ways to ruin it.

At its INET conference in Frankfurt on the threats, challenges and opportunities facing the Internet, the Internet Society cautioned users that they would take it for granted at their peril.

“The future success of the Internet is heavily dependent on its openness, access and transparency,” said Frederic Donck, director of the Internet Society’s European Regional Bureau. “Remove any of these core attributes, and the Internet will be become virtually useless as a platform for communication and innovation.”

The Internet Society called on all users to take urgent steps to ensure that the future development of the Internet takes a course that is in the best interests of everyone.

The Internet Society has issued a statement on the current situation in Egypt.

“We are following the current events in Egypt with concern as it appears that all incoming and outgoing Internet traffic has been disrupted. The Internet Society believes that the Internet is a global medium that fundamentally supports opportunity, empowerment, knowledge, growth, and freedom and that these values should never be taken away from individuals.

The Internet Society considers this recent action by the Egyptian government to block Internet traffic to be an inappropriate response to a political crisis. It is a very serious decision for a government to block all Internet access in its country, and a serious intrusion into its citizens’ basic rights to communicate. If the blockage continues, it will have a very detrimental impact on Egypt’s economy and society. Ultimately, the Egyptian people and nation are the ones that will suffer, while the rest of the world will be worse off with the loss of Egyptian voices on the net.

However we are most concerned about the safety and security of the Egyptian people. Alongside the rest of the world, we share the hope for a positive and lasting solution to the problems that have risen to the surface there.

In the longer term, we are sure that the world will learn a lesson from this very unfortunate example, and come to understand that cutting off a nation’s access to the Internet only serves to fuel dissent and does not address the underlying causes of dissatisfaction.”

The ISOC Community Grants Programme will start accepting applications for it’s next round of awards on Monday, 21 February 2011.  The application round will close Friday, 18 March with award notifications made in mid-May 2011.

ISOC’s Community Grants Programme is open to the creativity and imagination of the ISOC Community. The only parameters of the Program are the Criteria. The selection Committee favors Projects that strengthen and support the health of the Internet as well as Projects that further support ISOC’s mission, goals, and Strategic Initiatives. Grants are awarded twice a year.

ISOC-NY members considering making applications are invited to attend  WebEx conference calls scheduled for 1 February 2011 at UTC 10:30 and 20:00 (5.30am and 3pm EST)
to discuss the application forms & criteria.

In the meeting, Programme Manager Connie Kendig will go over the guidelines on how to apply for funding and hold a Q&A session.  There is also additional information posted on the website regarding telecentres/Internet cafe projects and will be discussed during the call as well.

Those participating in a conference call are urged to read over the programme webpages in advance of the meeting. Connecting to the meeting will be by WebEx:  http://isoc.org/wp/chapter-meetings/?p=986 Any questions regarding the Community Grants Programme, please send them to projects@isoc.org.

GENEVA, SWITZERLAND and RESTON, VIRGINIA, USA – 19 January 2011 – An internationally recognized leader in a broad range of Internet policy issues will join the Internet Society as head of its public policy department. As the Internet Society’s Vice President of Public Policy, Markus Kummer will advance key Internet Society policy positions on issues such as privacy, cybersecurity, and network neutrality. Most recently the Executive Coordinator of the Secretariat supporting the United Nations’ Internet Governance Forum, Kummer has extensive experience with Internet policy at the global, regional, and national levels

In an extraordinary meeting on 6 December the United Nation’s Commission on Science and Technology for Development (CSTD) decided to create a Working Group on Improvements to the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) (http://www.intgovforum.org/) with a membership made up only of governments.

The Internet Society believes this decision sets back the model of multistakeholder cooperation under which the IGF was established, and contradicts the instructions given to the CSTD for the establishment of the Working Group.

The Internet Society has joined the International Chamber of Commerce – Business Action to Support the Information Society, the Internet Governance Caucus, and many other Internet, business, and civil society organizations in sending a letter to the CSTD, asking them to retract their previous decision and to establish an appropriately constituted Working Group that ensures the full and active participation of governments, the private sector and civil society from both developing and developed countries, involving relevant intergovernmental and international organizations and forums.

Like the Internet, a multistakeholder approach has been at the core of the Internet Governance Forum’s formation and success. We hope that Internet Society Chapters and Members, as well as other organizations, will join us in signing the letter.

You may read the full letter, and see the growing list of signatories, and indicate your own support here:

http://isoc.org/wp/newsletter/?p=2710