Organisations & initiatives
Organisations & initiatives working on Internet Governance. (Featured in alphabetical order)
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Organisations & initiatives working on Internet Governance. (Featured in alphabetical order)
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is an international non-profit, human rights, public policy, and advocacy group dedicated to an open and free Internet. Access Now hosts the Summit Series each year, and also initiated the campaign against Internet shutdowns.
They also host specialised working groups, such as:
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) also advocates for Internet freedom.
Members include researchers from a wide range of disciplines and locations who are contributing to research, teaching, and engagement in local, regional, and international debates on Internet governance.
Additional resources include:
The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) has multiple Internet governance-related resources, including:
The Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) is a key organization involved in the development of technical standards and protocols – the basic traffic rules of the Internet that define how information travels across the network, and who can connect to whom and to what content. Housed within the Internet Society, the work of IETF encompasses protocols that range from Internet Protocol (IP), the basic language that enables two devices to communicate, to applications like email.
It features chapters all over the world, and ISOC members are involved in every aspect of Internet governance. Some of their resources include:
It is endeavoring to build a network of open Internet advocates who champion the democratic values and principles that should guide the future development of the Internet.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has multiple resources that pertain to Internet freedom, freedom of expression, and more. They include:
They also produce , such as the following resource:
26 recommendations on content governance: for lawmakers, regulators, and company policy makers
Access Now : Understanding the “Right to be Forgotten” Globally
in the Age of Artificial Intelligence
Proposals for Regulating Internet Apps and Services: the Digital Rights Impact of the “over-the-top” (OTT) Debate
Transparency Reporting
The Association for Progressive Communications () is an international network of organizations that was founded in 1990 to provide communication infrastructure, including Internet-based applications, to groups and individuals who work for peace, gender equality, human rights, protection of the environment, and sustainability.
They have multiple and other resources relevant to journalists and media development organizations such as:
of the Internet
Global Information Society Watch ()
The Broadband Commission on Sustainable Development – a joint International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and UNESCO venture that publishes an annual report titled ““
The Council of Europe produces many relevant on Internet freedom, freedom of expression, algorithm transparency, and more.
Draft on promoting a favourable environment for quality journalism in the digital age
Draft on media and information literacy in the digital environment
No press freedom without
is a non-profit foundation established by the governments of Malta and Switzerland. Diplo works to increase the role of small and developing states, and to improve global governance and international policy development.
One of its initiatives, the GIP Digital Watch , is a comprehensive Internet governance and digital policy observatory that provides monthly updates about digital policy as well as tracks issues and policy developments. Some of their resources include:
Contribute to the DiploFoundation
DiploFoundation’s IG acronym
Monthly
Read the Introduction to Internet Governance (7th edition) (for free)
Sign up for one of their online courses, such as the
Stay updated with upcoming Internet policy
Subscribe to the
Freedom House has multiple resources relevant to , including:
The Global Internet Governance Academic Network () is an international association of academic researchers.
Launched in 2008, the Global Network Initiative () is a multi-stakeholder initiative that helps companies respect freedom of expression and privacy rights when faced with government pressure to hand over user data, remove content, or restrict communications.
For more information, see the and their Country Legal Frameworks Resource (). GFMD became an official member of GNI in June 2019.
Content Regulation and Human Rights: Analysis and Recommendations ()
Global Partners Digital () is a social purpose company working to protect and promote human rights values online, and the governance processes that uphold and further these values. Their two main priorities are to grow the number of civil society groups engaging in the internet policy and governance arena, and to make governments, public authorities, international institutions, and businesses aware of the benefits of internet policies and governance processes that promote and protect human rights. Relevant resources include:
A Rights-respecting of Online Content Regulation by Platforms
Content regulation laws threaten our freedom of expression. We need a
for Multistakeholder Cyber Policy Development
GPD’s Organisational Development
GPD’s to David Kaye’s report on platform content regulation
GPD’s to the UK’s Online Harms White Paper
How to Engage in Cyber Policy
Some on the updated UN Resolution on Human Rights and the Internet
to the Digital World: Cybersecurity Policy for Human Rights Defenders
World of Encryption
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) is the organisation responsible for operating the Domain Name System (DNS), which is essentially the equivalent of the Internet’s phone book – holding the registry of all Internet Protocol (IP) addresses and domain names. It is governed by an international, multi-stakeholder community. ICANN holds three each year, rotating among the different regions. For more information, see the following resources:
Apply for the ICANN Fellowship if you’d like to be introduced to ICANN and want to take part in its work
– A non-profit organisation dedicated to providing a community-developed wiki on ICANN and Internet governance
Generic Names Supporting Organization () list of stakeholder groups and constituencies
GNSO document
GNSO – a compilation of all active and/or open projects within the GNSO
a group or constituency, such as the Non-Commercial Stakeholders’ Group ()
Join a working group – e.g., the Middle East and Adjoining Countries Strategy Working Group ()
Learn about how to write ICANN policy via the Noncommercial User’s Constituency’s (NCUC) Policy Writing
Participate in meetings
Read the ICANN
a public comment
Visit and take a free course
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers () is a professional body that primarily works at the physical (infrastructure) layer of the Internet. It develops international standards for modern telecommunications and ICT hardware, such as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, and is a key area of engagement vis-à-vis strengthening Wi-Fi security standards.
Development and
IFLA and the
What is ?
The International Telecommunication Union () is the United Nations body responsible for global radio spectrum and satellite orbit management. Working primarily at both the physical (infrastructure) and logical (protocols, standards, and applications) layers, it also develops certain technical standards that ensure networks and technologies seamlessly interconnect. Additionally, it works to improve access to ICTs to underserved communities worldwide. Key resources include:
Radio management
from the Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development
The Internet Governance Caucus () is a civil society network on Internet governance and Internet rights. It offers an open space where each group can present and advocate for the initiatives that they believe offer the best positive agenda for advancing broadly shared civil society interests in Internet governance. Participate by signing up for their .
The Internet Governance Project () is a leading source of independent analysis of global Internet governance. It is comprised of a group of professors, postdoctoral researchers, and students hosted at the School of Public Policy at the Georgia Institute of Technology. For more information, see the IGP to Internet governance.
The Internet Society () is a non-profit organisation that was founded in 1992 to provide leadership in Internet-related standards, education, access, and policy.
Apply for an to the IGF (when the call opens each summer)
Apply for a to attend one of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) meetings
Become a (for free) and a chapter
Check out their , such as the
ISOC’s online “Shaping the Internet: History and Futures”
ISOC’s to the Internet ecosystem
Join the ISOC Policy or other
Participate in an as part of the Next Generation Leaders program (NGL)
Young journalists and students: for ISOC’s Youth@IGF programme (ages 18-25)
The Media and Development Forum (Forum Medien und Entwicklung – ) is a network of German institutions and individuals active in the field of media development cooperation. In addition to hosting an annual Symposium, they also feature many relevant . You can also join their .
is a non-profit technology organisation that is also heavily invested in digital policy discussions and protecting human rights online. In addition to creating technology like code, apps, and the Firefox browser, Mozilla also engages in policy development, advocacy, and curates resources like the annual and related toolkits.
Human Rights & The Internet (HRI) is a special section of focusing on various technology-related rights issues.
The project is a collaborative initiative by the Center for International Private Enterprise (), the National Democratic Institute (), and the Center for International Media Assistance ().
to be an Open Internet Leader
Democratic for an Open Internet
Ranking Digital Rights () works to promote freedom of expression and privacy on the internet by creating global standards and incentives for companies to respect and protect users’ rights.
They fulfill their mission primarily by publishing the , which evaluates the world’s most powerful Internet, mobile, and telecommunications companies’ disclosed policies and practices affecting users’ freedom of expression and privacy.
Reporters Without Borders (RWB), or Reporters Sans Frontières (RSF), is based in Paris, France, and promotes and defends the freedom to be informed and to inform others throughout the world. They have multiple publications, and also produce the annual . Other resources include:
– A help desk featuring information on training, digital security guides, and FAQs/dangerous misconceptions
: principles for the global information and communication space
Internet Governance – The of Reporters Without Borders
The Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at Oxford University publishes an annual , which tracks digital news consumption across countries, and provides timely data and analysis for industry, regulators, and academia.
Fostering Freedom Online: The Role of
Freedom of Connection, Freedom of Expression: The Changing Shaping the Internet
Internet Universality
Media Development Indicators: A for Assessing Media Development
Steering for Knowledge Societies: A Rights, Openness, Access, and Multi-stakeholder Perspective
UNESCO Journalists’ Safety
UNESCO Series on
World in Freedom of Expression and Media Development
Established in 2009 by the inventor of the World Wide Web, Sir Tim Berners-Lee, the seeks to advance the open web as a public good and a basic right.
They offer multiple resources such as , as well as initiatives and projects including:
Alliance for Affordable Internet () – Working to make Internet access more affordable and inclusive. A key resource they public is the annual
for the Web
– It measures the prevalence and impact of open data initiatives around the world
– Guides and supports governments as they implement shared open data principles, standards and best practices
– Employs a combination of research, incubation, training, and engagement to ensure that open data is used to address practical problems in developing and emerging economies
– The first measure of the web’s contribution to social, economic, and political progress, studying 86 countries across the world
– a global coalition working to defend, claim, and change the future of the Web
