Internet Governance Forum (IGF) 2016: Notes on Dynamic and Progress
ELSAM, Guadalajara –Until this year, IGF has commenced its 11th years, after being extended by UN, as a space to unite all the stakeholders in internet technology usage: government, private sector, academician, technician, international organization and civil society. The 11th meeting was held in Guadalajara, Mexico on 6-9 December 2016 to update with several issues and new progress, as departing from the previous year. Wahyudi Djafar, one of ELSAM’s researchers, got the chance to participate in the forum.
In its development, particularly related to human rights, IGF is still being acknowledged as an important platform to facilitate a dialogue on human rights and internet governance policy. Furthermore, human rights on internet become more important and prominent issue in IGF meeting. It is not only in the context of fulfillment of civil and political rights, but is also to include its role to support the sustainable development goals. In this year’s meeting, the topic on cyber security has been widely highlighted. A number of sessions discussed the challenges derived from the raising number of internet usage, and threat of security on the internet usage and development. The stakeholders emphasized on the steps needed to take in terms of cyber security, by working together with all stakeholders and international agencies.
Another topic which continuously become the concern is related to the importance of ensuring the protection to privacy rights in internet technology usage. Such issue kept sounding in the IGF forums, especially due to surveillance practices carried out by intelligence agents and law enforcers. In many countries, they – for the sake of national security and law enforcement – often intrusively incept the communication and private life of their citizens to collect data and information (data mining). Another quite interesting discussion is the correlation between the internet governance and economy, social and cultural rights as a concrete example of the big data usage as a reference in the improvement of basic social service and poverty eradication. Other than governance, big data and fulfilment of ecosoc rights, the topic discussed in related to privacy rights an an effect of data mining practices.
Another recent discussion during the IGF meeting was the online based violence, including the spreading of hate speech whose tension got increased in line with the more massiveness of social media and internet use. Therefore, it needs the participation of all parties within, not only to establish a legal framework but also the technical instruments and digital literacy. Adding to the substantive contents in the governance, the effectiveness and multi stakeholders approach have been questioned. It also includes where the position of the stakeholders, being as a process, substance or result? In response to such question, the stakeholders agreed to continuously emphasize the importance of multi stakeholders to overcome the emerging challenges in terms of internet use, including its relation with human rights. IGF was also encouraged in order to help ensure that internet is utilized to activate the sustainable development and to promote human rights globally.
