The intersection of technical development of the internet and policy

Event report

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The session was formed out of a realisation that while a great deal of information on Internet governance exists in various forms, there is no central repository that captures all Internet governance matters. This motivated the organisers of the session to begin addressing this issue. The organisers chose a Wiki format to develop their Internet governance repository. A Wiki can best be understood as ‘a website or database developed collaboratively by a community of users, allowing any user to add and edit content’.

The intent of using a Wiki approach is to provide an easy route for people new to Internet governance or those seeking information on various areas within Internet governance. The organisers expect that the various facets of Internet governance would be shared, and that having everyone invited would allow for the reference information to be clearer and for the articles to be improved so that the Wiki on Internet governance can be a valuable knowledge repository.

Mr Daniel Krupka (German Informatics Society) continued the walk-through of the Wiki and showed the science and media hubs that are available for relevant content. Additionally, as the most recent Youth IGF occurred yesterday, the Wiki is being used to track issues that came up during that session. The expectation is that all Youth IGF activities that are occurring globally would be tracked within this repository as well. The organisers invited feedback, ideas, and suggestions from everyone to help improve and develop the repository.

In the audience feedback, a participant from Brazil asked how the content would be developed on particular issues. In response, the organisers explained that the idea is to invite subject matter experts to be responsible for particular topics and to ensure that the content is kept updated through an initial commitment of 12-18 months. Additional feedback from Benin addressed issues around language translation and gaining support from people to translate the content.

The final part of the discussion focused on content review and whether an advisory committee would be in place to review and validate the content. The organisers explained that at this stage, there is no formal review structure for submitted content as the initial focus is to encourage participation and the growth of the repository.

By Andre Edwards