Abstract: 2013 marks the tenth anniversary of the United Nationsâ World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS). Although neither a forum focussed exclusively on âInternet governanceâ nor the first discussion of the topic, WSIS marked the start of a global, decade-long debate on how the Internet is, and should be, managed.
A decade later, the Internet has grown exponentially, bringing about massive cultural, social and economic change. And yet, many of the political and policy issues around its governance largely remain the same and are regularly debated in a wide range of fora. This article draws upon historical experiences in the Internet governance debate to explain and assess current discussions and to cast a wary eye into the future.
This article by Chris Disspain, CEO, .au Domain Administration Ltd (auDA) and ICANN Board Director and Paul Szyndler, General Manager, International and Government Affairs, auDA is available for download in full in the June 2013 edition of the Telecommunications Journal of Australia at telsoc.org/journal/2013-06/navigating_multi-stakeholder_morass_past_present_future_internet_governance