World Summit on the Information Society

Inside the Digital Society: Digital governance - Where next? Some thoughts and principles
Inside the Digital Society: Digital governance - Where next? Some thoughts and principles 21 July 2023 David Souter

Following a series of proposals from the United Nations, our columnist considers the future of internet governance, its changing context and principles for how to think about it all. 

Inside the Digital Society: Where’s the (common) good in it?
Inside the Digital Society: Where’s the (common) good in it? 06 June 2023 David Souter

For decades science fiction has alarmed us with the idea that AI will become much smarter than us and take control. Our columnist unpacks the issues of AI's uncertainty, common good, regulation and governance.

How the global internet governance movement began and evolved in the last two decades
How the global internet governance movement began and evolved in the last two decades 11 April 2023 Carlos Afonso

How did the world begin to establish the internet's basic governance rules and try to enable universal access? Carlos Afonso, director of Nupef and co-founder of APC, offers a historical look at the uneven global internet governance movement, from the 1998 International Telecommunication Union (ITU) meeting to the first World Summit on the Inform...

Inside the Digital Society: The future is another country
Inside the Digital Society: The future is another country 05 April 2023 David Souter

New applications like ChatGPT based on AI and large language models are likely to be transformative, a step change in technology like the internet was 30 years ago, but much faster. The technology is now out of the bag and can't be uninvented, and we should move swiftly to figure out its implications, deployment and governance.

Introductory brief: The Global Digital Compact
Introductory brief: The Global Digital Compact 01 March 2023

This introductory brief produced by APC seeks to provide civil society organisations with an initial understanding of the strategic relevance of engaging in the UN-led Global Digital Compact process by developing inputs based on a long-term vision for what we want the internet to be.

Inside the Digital Society: Whither digital governance?
Inside the Digital Society: Whither digital governance? 18 January 2023 David Souter

The UN Secretary-General’s proposal for a Global Digital Compact responds to the evolution of the digital environment since WSIS. Our columnist offers some thoughts on the Compact's value, challenges and how to improve its chances of better outcomes.

Irony, feasting and fasting at the Internet Governance Forum
Irony, feasting and fasting at the Internet Governance Forum 17 January 2023 Y. Z. Yau

The annual Internet Governance Forum's beauty of being non-hierarchical is also its weakness, and the author from APC network member CITAD gives his impressions and analysis of what worked and what could have been better at the latest edition held recently in Ethiopia.

Inside the Digital Society: Children and the internet - How to implement a General Comment
Inside the Digital Society: Children and the internet - How to implement a General Comment 08 December 2022 David Souter

Our columnist writes about how advocates for children’s rights online can build leverage in the digital community and in the United Nations. This post is derived from a presentation at the 2022 conference of The Association of Internet Researchers, and is co-published with the LSE Media and Communications blog.

Inside the Digital Society: What’s happened since the World Summit on the Information Society?
Inside the Digital Society: What’s happened since the World Summit on the Information Society? 16 November 2022 David Souter

Our columnist reflects on what has happened since the first World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), how we might review the past and look forward in hope and trepidation at the future as we approach its 20-year review in 2025.

Inside the Digital Society: Does internet governance require a reboot?
Inside the Digital Society: Does internet governance require a reboot? 21 June 2022 David Souter

A new paper says that the internet and its governance is now suffering from resistance to change, paranoia and a lack of strategic direction and accountability, among other problems. Some thoughts and critiques on the paper's conclusions and recommendations, as well as three ideas that it misses.

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