RSSInternet Community “Call to Arms” Launches auIGF
Global conflict over how the Internet should be governed is nearing a crisis point and the Internet community must come together if we are to preserve an open and stable Internet future.
This was the clear call to arms delivered by Chris Disspain, the CEO of the .au Domain Administration Ltd (auDA) at the opening of the second annual Australian Internet Governance Forum in Melbourne. You can watch his speech here.
“The struggle between those supporters of the current multi-stakeholder system of Internet governance and those that would seek more centralised control has been ongoing,” said Disspain. “The Internet’s informal support frameworks, built on co-operation and trust, have been potentially weakened.
“We need people now to actively join the global effort to ensure the Internet remains open and interoperable. We need to coalesce to promote the concept that decisions about Internet governance must be made within the multi-stakeholder model.”
Disspain is also a member of the Board of ICANN, the global manager of Internet naming and numbering resources, and a member of the UN Secretary General’s Internet Governance Forum’s Multi-stakeholder Advisory Group.
“The challenges that we face are real and immediate. Government-centric organisations like the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) are desperate to fill a vacuum for a range of “orphan issues” confronting policy-makers and all internet users,” he said.
Disspain and auDA are hosts to more than 300 international and national Internet industry leaders, governance experts and community members attending the second year of the auIGF.
One of the Internet’s founding fathers, Dr Stephen Crocker delivered the keynote address. Dr Crocker is the Chair of Board of Directors of ICANN.
Cross posted from the auIGF Blog