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    <p>Hello Advisors. Here  is a really good article explaining what is
      at stake in the current WSIS and Global Digital Compact exercises.
      Skipping to the end, the author , a veteran in internet policy
      analysis (bio at the end) concludes:</p>
    <p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 1.5em 0px; color: rgb(84,
      84, 84); font-family: Raleway, sans-serif; font-size: 17px;
      font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal;
      font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start;
      text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal;
      word-spacing: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);
      text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;"><i>What
        is key to consider is that the multistakeholder model is
        important not because of the transformative results it has
        produced. In fact, it has not managed to do that. The importance
        of the multistakeholder model should otherwise be calculated.
        The model has been key in legitimizing multi-actor participation
        without requiring permission from governments; this is crucial
        as an increasing number of states try to silence opposing voices
        and create echo chambers in order to justify their
        inward-looking digital strategies. Another way to think about
        the multistakeholder model is through transparency; the model
        has proven capable to shed light on the actions taken by
        different actors and how they may conflict with the Internet’s
        established norms and principles. </i></p>
    <i> </i>
    <p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 1.5em 0px; color: rgb(84,
      84, 84); font-family: Raleway, sans-serif; font-size: 17px;
      font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal;
      font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start;
      text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal;
      word-spacing: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);
      text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;"><i>The
        Internet community has fought long and hard for its right to be
        part of the conversation on the future of the Internet, and to
        hold governments accountable for actions that are against its
        openness, global reach and interoperability. If we don’t pay
        attention, these crucial qualities may disappear on a whim.</i></p>
    <p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 1.5em 0px; color: rgb(84,
      84, 84); font-family: Raleway, sans-serif; font-size: 17px;
      font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal;
      font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start;
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      word-spacing: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);
      text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">Best
      wishes for the coming long weekend and Happy Easter to all those
      who celebrate this annual spring ritual<br>
    </p>
    <p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 1.5em 0px; color: rgb(84,
      84, 84); font-family: Raleway, sans-serif; font-size: 17px;
      font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal;
      font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start;
      text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal;
      word-spacing: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);
      text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">Marita<br>
    </p>
    <p></p>
    <div class="moz-forward-container"><b>The UN Wants More Say Over the
        Future of the Internet. That’s Not Necessarily A Good Thing</b>
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                  <p><a
href="https://techpolicy.press/the-un-wants-more-say-over-the-future-of-the-internet-thats-not-necessarily-a-good-thing/"
                      target="_blank" moz-do-not-send="true"
                      class="moz-txt-link-freetext">https://techpolicy.press/the-un-wants-more-say-over-the-future-of-the-internet-thats-not-necessarily-a-good-thing/</a></p>
                  <p>Published March 27, 2023<br>
                  </p>
                  <p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:1.5em
0px;color:rgb(84,84,84);font-family:Raleway,sans-serif;font-size:17px;font-style:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;word-spacing:0px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255);text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial">As
                    if Internet governance discussions were not already
                    convoluted, the United Nations has recently<span> </span><a
href="https://www.un.org/techenvoy/global-digital-compact"
style="box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(43,43,43);text-decoration:underline"
                      target="_blank" moz-do-not-send="true">launched</a><span> </span>a
                    process that attempts to place the UN at the heart
                    of Internet governance discussions. While it may
                    seem like a good thing that the nearly 80-year old
                    intergovernmental organization is concerned about
                    the future of the Internet, its initiative raises
                    critical questions for the future of
                    multistakeholder collaboration.</p>
                  <h2>The Merits of Decentralization</h2>
                  <p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:1.5em
0px;color:rgb(84,84,84);font-family:Raleway,sans-serif;font-size:17px;font-style:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;word-spacing:0px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255);text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial">In
                    George Orwell’s allegorical novel,<span> </span><em
                      style="box-sizing:border-box">Animal Farm</em>,
                    the animals conspire to seize control of the farm,
                    establishing ‘animalist’ rules to prevent oppressive
                    behavior by humans. They succeed in their endeavor,
                    until the pig, Napoleon, decides to change the final
                    rule: “All animals are equal, but some are more
                    equal than others,” he commands. In its simplicity,
                    Orwell’s message is compelling: all power can
                    ultimately be abused.</p>
                  <p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:1.5em
0px;color:rgb(84,84,84);font-family:Raleway,sans-serif;font-size:17px;font-style:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;word-spacing:0px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255);text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial">If
                    there is one system that, by design, can resist such
                    an abuse of power is the Internet. The original
                    promise of the Internet was meant to reflect a
                    structure where power would be dispersed, making
                    room for more democratic and fair participation. A
                    decentralized technology, the Internet was supposed
                    to negate any center of control and reject any
                    attempt at concentrating power. And, for the most
                    part, this design choice ensured an open technology,
                    where voluntary participation and open standards
                    would be core to the way it would eventually evolve.
                    Over the years, however, experience has shown that
                    the Internet’s decentralized architecture is not a
                    panacea: as the Internet’s ecosystem evolved and
                    innovation led to new systems and applications, the
                    market appeared to demand a certain degree of
                    concentration. </p>
                  <p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:1.5em
0px;color:rgb(84,84,84);font-family:Raleway,sans-serif;font-size:17px;font-style:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;word-spacing:0px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255);text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial">Power
                    concentration, while perhaps necessary to perform
                    certain functions, such as reduced costs and fast
                    decision-making, has the tendency to corrupt and
                    ossify, undermining the benefits of decentralized,
                    collective wisdom. Over the past 25 years or so,
                    global Internet adoption has allowed certain
                    companies to benefit greatly from network effects;
                    as more users joined their systems, the value of
                    these companies increased exponentially while it was
                    harder for users to switch to competing services.
                    Network effects would end up discouraging users from
                    exiting certain services, resulting in high barriers
                    for new entrants; Ben Thompson refers to this as the
                    ”<a
                      href="https://stratechery.com/2015/aggregation-theory/"
style="box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(43,43,43);text-decoration:underline"
                      target="_blank" moz-do-not-send="true">aggregation
                      theory</a>.”   </p>
                  <p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:1.5em
0px;color:rgb(84,84,84);font-family:Raleway,sans-serif;font-size:17px;font-style:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;word-spacing:0px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255);text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial">It
                    is for this reason that the early decision to adopt
                    an inclusive, multistakeholder model of governance
                    for the Internet has been fundamental for its
                    evolution and growth. Emerging out of the two phases
                    of the World Summit on Information Society (WSIS),
                    in 2003 in Geneva and, then, in 2005 in Tunis, the
                    idea was that the future of the Internet should be
                    tied to a collaborative approach that would allow a
                    multitude of stakeholders to shape its future. In
                    this respect, the “Tunis Agenda for the Information
                    Society”<span> </span><a
                      href="https://www.itu.int/net/wsis/docs2/tunis/off/6rev1.html"
style="box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(43,43,43);text-decoration:underline"
                      target="_blank" moz-do-not-send="true">acknowledged</a><span> </span>that
                    “Internet governance is the development and
                    application by governments, the private sector and
                    civil society, in their respective roles, of shared
                    principles, norms, rules, decision-making
                    procedures, and programs that shape the evolution
                    and use of the Internet.” And, for almost two
                    decades, multistakeholder governance has sustained
                    the Internet through some key milestones, including
                    the<span> </span><a
href="https://ntia.gov/other-publication/fact-sheet-iana-stewardship-transition-explained"
style="box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(43,43,43);text-decoration:underline"
                      target="_blank" moz-do-not-send="true">transition</a><span> </span>of
                    the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) from
                    the US government to the wider Internet community in
                    2016.</p>
                  <h2
id="m_5786798536260463033m_-8831136728371617023h-enter-the-un-s-common-agenda"
style="box-sizing:border-box;font-family:"Playfair
Display",serif;font-size:1.3125em;line-height:1.143;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-weight:400;color:rgb(43,43,43);font-style:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;letter-spacing:normal;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;word-spacing:0px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255);text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial">Enter
                    the UN’s “Common Agenda”</h2>
                  <p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:1.5em
0px;color:rgb(84,84,84);font-family:Raleway,sans-serif;font-size:17px;font-style:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;word-spacing:0px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255);text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial">After
                    almost twenty years of multistakeholder governance,
                    however, this inclusive model might be hanging in a
                    balance. </p>
                  <p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:1.5em
0px;color:rgb(84,84,84);font-family:Raleway,sans-serif;font-size:17px;font-style:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;word-spacing:0px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255);text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial">In
                    2021, António Guterres, the United Nations Secretary
                    General, released a<span> </span><a
href="https://www.un.org/en/content/common-agenda-report/assets/pdf/Common_Agenda_Report_English.pdf"
style="box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(43,43,43);text-decoration:underline"
                      target="_blank" moz-do-not-send="true">report</a><span> </span>on
                    “Our Common Agenda.” Declaring that the world is at
                    “an inflection point,” he pointed at two options: “a
                    breakdown or a breakthrough.” The global COVID19
                    pandemic, the effects of climate change, conflicts
                    within and between states, poverty, discrimination
                    and violence, increasing negative levels of trust
                    and solidarity, all indicate that we are running
                    against time. In this regard, the United Nations is
                    hoping through “a common agenda” to “accelerate the
                    implementation of existing agreements, including the
                    Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)” and
                    reintroduce a renewed globalized and cohesive
                    international order. </p>
                  <p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:1.5em
0px;color:rgb(84,84,84);font-family:Raleway,sans-serif;font-size:17px;font-style:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;word-spacing:0px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255);text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial">The<span> </span><a
href="https://www.un.org/en/content/common-agenda-report/assets/pdf/Common_Agenda_Report_English.pdf"
style="box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(43,43,43);text-decoration:underline"
                      target="_blank" moz-do-not-send="true">vision</a><span> </span>promoted
                    by the Secretary General is premised upon a “more
                    networked and inclusive multilateral system,
                    anchored within the United Nations.” It spans across
                    twelve commitments, amongst which there is the
                    improvement of digital cooperation. For this to be
                    achieved, the proposal centers around a “Global
                    Digital Compact,” which would cover topical issues,
                    including connectivity, Internet fragmentation, data
                    protection, human rights, content moderation, and
                    the regulation of artificial intelligence. The
                    choice of these themes does not seem accidental
                    considering they occupy the digital agendas of most
                    countries around the world. Depending on how we
                    respond to them, they could determine the future of
                    the Internet as an open, inclusive and global
                    network of networks. </p>
                  <p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:1.5em
0px;color:rgb(84,84,84);font-family:Raleway,sans-serif;font-size:17px;font-style:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;word-spacing:0px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255);text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial">In
                    the meantime, the timing of this initiative is
                    compelling, with<span> </span><a
href="https://www.piie.com/blogs/realtime-economics/pandemic-adds-momentum-deglobalization-trend"
style="box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(43,43,43);text-decoration:underline"
                      target="_blank" moz-do-not-send="true">deglobalization</a><span> </span>creating
                    seismic geopolitical shifts and national Internet
                    regulation reaching an all-time high. The Internet
                    is gradually becoming less global and less open. On
                    paper, therefore, the Secretary General’s initiative
                    has the potential to bring states together and help
                    them shape a better future for the Internet. In
                    practice, however, the “Global Digital Compact” may
                    constitute the beginning of the end for the
                    Internet’s collaborative, multistakeholder model. </p>
                  <p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:1.5em
0px;color:rgb(84,84,84);font-family:Raleway,sans-serif;font-size:17px;font-style:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;word-spacing:0px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255);text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial">The
                    hope is that the United Nations can play a role
                    similar to the one it played nearly twenty years ago
                    when the<span> </span><a
                      href="https://www.itu.int/net/wsis/docs2/tunis/off/6rev1.html"
style="box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(43,43,43);text-decoration:underline"
                      target="_blank" moz-do-not-send="true">World
                      Summit on Information Society</a><span> </span>process
                    legitimized the creation of a wide community of
                    actors to resolve issues pertinent to the
                    information society. In 2005, despite some<span> </span><a
href="https://www.apc.org/sites/default/files/DigitalSolidarities_0.pdf"
style="box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(43,43,43);text-decoration:underline"
                      target="_blank" moz-do-not-send="true">resistance</a>,
                    states managed to find a way to get to a place of
                    consensus regarding the multistakeholder model. The
                    hope is that, twenty years later, governments will
                    find a way to get to that place once again. </p>
                  <p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:1.5em
0px;color:rgb(84,84,84);font-family:Raleway,sans-serif;font-size:17px;font-style:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;word-spacing:0px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255);text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial">This
                    is easier said than done, as the reality of today is
                    nowhere near the reality of the early 2000s. In
                    today’s political realm, protectionism and
                    industrial policy are consuming the way states
                    approach foreign relations. The division amongst
                    otherwise allied countries is growing wider,
                    creating the conditions for competing and, often,
                    conflicting policies that do little to advance the
                    open Internet. If the United States and the European
                    Union cannot find an effective solution for<span> </span><a
href="https://www.wired.co.uk/article/biden-eu-us-data-privacy-executive-order"
style="box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(43,43,43);text-decoration:underline"
                      target="_blank" moz-do-not-send="true">cross
                      border data flows</a>, what are the chances for
                    less aligned countries like India or Brazil?
                    Moreover,<span> </span><a
href="https://www.reuters.com/technology/china-leads-us-global-competition-key-emerging-technology-study-says-2023-03-02/"
style="box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(43,43,43);text-decoration:underline"
                      target="_blank" moz-do-not-send="true">China</a><span> </span>has
                    become more competitive and now influences the way
                    technology is deployed internationally. In 2005,
                    China was a country that was majorly consuming
                    technology, supplied by the west; today, it is a
                    noteworthy competitor, a<span> </span><a
href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/23738871.2020.1805482"
style="box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(43,43,43);text-decoration:underline"
                      target="_blank" moz-do-not-send="true">leader</a><span> </span>in
                    standards’ development and a major<span> </span><a
href="https://www.cnbc.com/2019/10/08/china-is-exporting-surveillance-tech-like-facial-recognition-globally.html"
style="box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(43,43,43);text-decoration:underline"
                      target="_blank" moz-do-not-send="true">exporter</a><span> </span>of
                    technology globally. </p>
                  <p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:1.5em
0px;color:rgb(84,84,84);font-family:Raleway,sans-serif;font-size:17px;font-style:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;word-spacing:0px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255);text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial">Even
                    if we disregard these concerns as ephemeral and
                    believe that the global order is going through a
                    phase of existential crisis, the fact that the
                    Secretary General aims to channel Internet policy
                    issues through the UN’s multilateral system is
                    alarming. When looking at the issues the “Global
                    Digital Compact” will seek to address, one cannot
                    help but wonder whether the ultimate goal is to
                    create a centralized system where the UN sits at the
                    top. For example, the point about connecting all
                    people to the Internet, including schools, is pretty
                    much what the ITU’s and UNICEF’s<span> </span><a
                      href="https://giga.global/about-us/"
style="box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(43,43,43);text-decoration:underline"
                      target="_blank" moz-do-not-send="true">GIGA</a><span> </span>project
                    aims to do. Similarly, the item on introducing
                    “accountability criteria for discrimination and
                    misleading content” happens to be the issue that
                    UNESCO is seeking to address through its “<a
                      href="https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000384031.locale=en"
style="box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(43,43,43);text-decoration:underline"
                      target="_blank" moz-do-not-send="true">Guidelines
                      for regulating digital platforms</a>”. Both the<span> </span><a
href="https://www.itu.int/en/action/ai/Pages/default.aspx"
style="box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(43,43,43);text-decoration:underline"
                      target="_blank" moz-do-not-send="true">ITU</a><span> </span>and<span> </span><a
href="https://en.unesco.org/artificial-intelligence"
style="box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(43,43,43);text-decoration:underline"
                      target="_blank" moz-do-not-send="true">UNESCO</a><span> </span>are
                    having separate tracks around artificial
                    intelligence; and, the UN already has a data
                    protection and privacy<span> </span><a
                      href="https://www.unglobalpulse.org/policy/un-privacy-policy-group/"
style="box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(43,43,43);text-decoration:underline"
                      target="_blank" moz-do-not-send="true">group</a>.
                    It feels like the mechanisms and organs are in place
                    for Internet governance to move substantively under
                    the auspices of the UN’s multilateral system.</p>
                  <p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:1.5em
0px;color:rgb(84,84,84);font-family:Raleway,sans-serif;font-size:17px;font-style:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;word-spacing:0px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255);text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial">Despite
                    any verbal<span> </span><a
href="https://www.itu.int/hub/2022/10/establishing-the-global-digital-compact-qa-with-amandeep-singh-gill/"
style="box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(43,43,43);text-decoration:underline"
                      target="_blank" moz-do-not-send="true">assurance</a><span> </span>that
                    the “Global Digital Compact” is meant to be
                    inclusive, placing Internet governance under the UN
                    is a big gamble. The multistakeholder model is
                    already under pressure and scrutiny and it will not
                    survive any attempt at undermining it. In a
                    statement, delivered at the First Informal
                    Consultation with Member States on the Global
                    Digital Compact, Cuba, on behalf of the G77 and
                    China group,<span> </span><a
                      href="https://www.g77.org/statement/getstatement.php?id=230130"
style="box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(43,43,43);text-decoration:underline"
                      target="_blank" moz-do-not-send="true">said</a>:
                    “While we acknowledge the relevance of stakeholder
                    inputs in this process, the Group strongly
                    emphasizes that this should remain a Member State
                    driven process throughout and should respect States’
                    ownership over their own development pathways.” At
                    the same time, in 2025 WSIS is up for review and
                    stock will be taken on whether it has managed to
                    deliver on its promise. The IGF, WSIS’ main outcome,
                    will be scrutinized. Nothing, and no one, can
                    guarantee that consensus will be reached regarding
                    its future. And, the fact that Russia, a strong<span> </span><a
href="https://www.belfercenter.org/publication/governing-cyberspace-state-control-vs-multistakeholder-model"
style="box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(43,43,43);text-decoration:underline"
                      target="_blank" moz-do-not-send="true">adversary</a><span> </span>of
                    the multistakeholder model, is pitting to host the
                    IGF that year may be seen as the ironic epilogue of
                    the multistakeholder chapter.</p>
                  <h2>The Road Ahead</h2>
                  <p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:1.5em
0px;color:rgb(84,84,84);font-family:Raleway,sans-serif;font-size:17px;font-style:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;word-spacing:0px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255);text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial">With
                    this in mind, here is what is in front of us. </p>
                  <p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:1.5em
0px;color:rgb(84,84,84);font-family:Raleway,sans-serif;font-size:17px;font-style:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;word-spacing:0px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255);text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial">On
                    the one hand, the Digital Compact could, in theory,
                    be seen as an attempt to re-energize a community
                    that, for some time, has been sitting comfortably in
                    the fuzziness of multistakeholderism. The term, in
                    itself, has been used (and abused) so much that it
                    has become empty of substance. At the same time, the
                    Internet Governance Forum (IGF),
                    multistakeholderism’s quintessential body, has
                    suffered from fatigue, complacency and a lack of
                    vision. There is an opportunity for the Internet
                    community to come together and rethink what the
                    model means and what they want out of it. For this
                    to happen, however, the UN must not only commit but
                    further ensure that the modalities around the way
                    the Digital Compact will be negotiated adhere to an
                    inclusive, collaborative framework. </p>
                  <p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:1.5em
0px;color:rgb(84,84,84);font-family:Raleway,sans-serif;font-size:17px;font-style:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;word-spacing:0px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255);text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial">On
                    the other hand, there is a probable scenario where,
                    gradually, the UN takes over Internet governance;
                    should this happen, the fate of the Internet is
                    pretty much sealed. In this scenario, we should
                    anticipate an environment with limited participation
                    for civil society, the Internet’s engineering
                    community, academia and businesses, lack of checks
                    and balances, bureaucracy and long negotiations.
                    Think of the recent historic<span> </span><a
href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/mar/05/high-seas-treaty-agreement-to-protect-international-waters-finally-reached-at-un"
style="box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(43,43,43);text-decoration:underline"
                      target="_blank" moz-do-not-send="true">deal</a><span> </span>to
                    protect international waters, which has taken two
                    decades in the making, and you start to get the
                    picture. Only, unlike oceans that are generally
                    static, the Internet cannot sit around for two
                    decades as states negotiate a framework for its
                    future. </p>
                  <p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:1.5em
0px;color:rgb(84,84,84);font-family:Raleway,sans-serif;font-size:17px;font-style:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;word-spacing:0px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255);text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial">What
                    is key to consider is that the multistakeholder
                    model is important not because of the transformative
                    results it has produced. In fact, it has not managed
                    to do that. The importance of the multistakeholder
                    model should otherwise be calculated. The model has
                    been key in legitimizing multi-actor participation
                    without requiring permission from governments; this
                    is crucial as an increasing number of states try to
                    silence opposing voices and create echo chambers in
                    order to justify their inward-looking digital
                    strategies. Another way to think about the
                    multistakeholder model is through transparency; the
                    model has proven capable to shed light on the
                    actions taken by different actors and how they may
                    conflict with the Internet’s established norms and
                    principles. </p>
                  <p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:1.5em
0px;color:rgb(84,84,84);font-family:Raleway,sans-serif;font-size:17px;font-style:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;word-spacing:0px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255);text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial">The
                    Internet community has fought long and hard for its
                    right to be part of the conversation on the future
                    of the Internet, and to hold governments accountable
                    for actions that are against its openness, global
                    reach and interoperability. If we don’t pay
                    attention, these crucial qualities may disappear on
                    a whim.</p>
                  <div style="box-sizing:border-box;border:0px solid
rgb(255,255,255);width:737.271px;clear:both;display:block;overflow:hidden;background-color:rgb(255,255,255);margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;padding:0px;color:rgb(84,84,84);font-family:Raleway,sans-serif;font-size:17px;font-style:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;word-spacing:0px;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial">
                    <div style="box-sizing:border-box;padding:20px">
                      <div
                        style="box-sizing:border-box;float:left;padding:0px
                        20px 20px"><a
                          href="https://techpolicy.press/author/konstantinos-komaitis/"
style="box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(43,43,43);text-decoration:underline"
                          target="_blank" moz-do-not-send="true"><img
                            alt="Konstantinos Komaitis"
src="https://techpolicy.press/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/1623256330138.jpeg"
style="box-sizing:border-box;max-width:100px;height:100px!important;border:none;width:100px!important;border-radius:50%"
                            moz-do-not-send="true" width="100"
                            height="100"></a></div>
                      <div
                        style="box-sizing:border-box;font-size:18px;line-height:25px;margin:20px
                        0px 0px 20px;display:block"><a
                          href="https://techpolicy.press/author/konstantinos-komaitis/"
                          rel="author"
                          style="box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(43,43,43);text-decoration:none"
                          target="_blank" moz-do-not-send="true"><span
                            style="box-sizing:border-box">Konstantinos
                            Komaitis</span></a></div>
                      <div
                        style="box-sizing:border-box;display:block;margin:5px
20px;color:rgb(2,2,2)!important;font-size:14px!important;line-height:21px!important">
                        <div style="box-sizing:border-box">
                          <p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:5px 0px
12px;color:rgb(2,2,2)!important;font-size:14px!important;line-height:21px!important">Konstantinos
                            Komaitis is a veteran of developing and
                            analyzing Internet policy to ensure an open
                            and global Internet. Konstantinos has spent
                            almost ten years in active policy
                            development and strategy as a Senior
                            Director at the Internet society. Before
                            that, he spent 7 years as a senior lecturer
                            at the university of Strathclyde, Glasgow,
                            UK, where he researched and taught Internet
                            policy. Konstantinos is a public speaker
                            having talked at many events around the
                            world, including a TedX talk, and a writer
                            having written for various outlets including
                            Brookings, Slate, TechDirt, and EuroActive.
                            He holds two Master degrees and a doctorate
                            and he is the author of a book on domain
                            name regulation. He co-hosts the “Internet
                            of Humans Podcast”. He is currently a
                            non-resident fellow and a senior researcher
                            at the Lisbon Council.</p>
                          <p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:5px 0px
12px;color:rgb(2,2,2)!important;font-size:14px!important;line-height:21px!important"><br>
                          </p>
                        </div>
                      </div>
                    </div>
                  </div>
                  <br>
                  <pre cols="72">
</pre>
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