Global cooperation and regulation key in addressing multilayered threats posed by new technology

The Internet Governance Forum (IGF) concluded today with a consensus highlighting the importance of the rule of law and global cooperation to ensure a safe cyberspace. The three-day Forum, under the title ‘Internet of Trust, brought more than 3,000 participants from 143 countries together to confront issues ranging from cyber security to ethics, fake news and the spread of disinformation, hate speech, data as a cross-cutting issue, regulation of the internet and people’s rights online.

The Internet Governance Forum (IGF) concluded today with a consensus highlighting the importance of the rule of law and global cooperation to ensure a safe cyberspace. The three-day Forum, under the title ‘Internet of Trust, brought more than 3,000 participants from 143 countries together to confront issues ranging from cyber security to ethics, fake news and the spread of disinformation, hate speech, data as a cross-cutting issue, regulation of the internet and people’s rights online.

Addressing high-level attendees at the closing of the Forum, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Strategic Coordination, Fabrizio Hochschild, stressed that it was necessary to address the global deficit of trust between and within countries, noting that the industry, governments as well as individual users need accountability for their actions.

“Society, including a digital one, cannot function without trust.” He further highlighted that change is needed to safeguard the public core of the Internet and in supporting the Sustainable Development Goals, especially in today’s landscape of rapid technological changes.
https://www.un.org/development/desa/en/news/administration/2018-internet-governance-forum-closes.html

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Internet Governance Forum 2018: Joint Declaration from European Commissioner Mariya Gabriel and Members of the European Parliament
At the Internet Governance Forum 2018 in Paris, European Commissioner Mariya Gabriel and Members of the European Parliament Miapetra Kumpula-Natri, Gunnar Hökmark, Julia Reda, Yana Toom and Julie Ward signed a common Declaration.

This year‘s Internet Governance Forum took place alongside the Paris Peace Forum, on the occasion of the hundredth anniversary of the end of World War I, recognising that increasingly peace, security and stability must involve the digital realm. In the wake of two catastrophic wars in the last century, both the United Nations and the European Union projects were created, two milestones that continue to remind us every day of the importance of appropriate models and institutions for governance. More than ever we now need to ensure that we are well equipped for good governance of the cyber sphere.

The internet must be reclaimed as a common good for humanity that can drive improvements in society and the economy. Building and maintaining an open, transparent and inclusive system of internet governance will help to ensure these benefits accrue to all.
https://ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/en/news/internet-governance-forum-2018-joint-declaration-european-commissioner-mariya-gabriel-and

We Won’t Save the Internet by Breaking It
On the anniversary of the armistice ending the First World War, more than 40 countries stood together for security online by signing the Paris Call for Trust and Security in Cyberspace. The call, which sets out a list of challenges the world needs to tackle, seems to be promising on paper. From hacking to harming the public core – all of this needs to be addressed. And it needs to be addressed urgently.
https://www.internetsociety.org/blog/2018/11/we-wont-save-the-internet-by-breaking-it/

EURALO and CENTR Sign MoU at IGF 2018

EURALO and CENTR announced Tuesday they signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) alongside the 2018 Internet Governance Forum (IGF) in Paris to formalise their existing relationship promoting internet coordination activities in Europe

EURALO and CENTR announced Tuesday they signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) alongside the 2018 Internet Governance Forum (IGF) in Paris to formalise their existing relationship promoting internet coordination activities in Europe.

In their announcement, the European Regional At-Large Organization (EURALO) and the Council of European National Top-Level Domain Registries (CENTR) note that both parties have pledged to collaborate for the promotion of Internet coordination activities in the European region.

More specifically, they will continue to encourage awareness of each other’s activities and mission, as well as jointly organising capacity-building events and other meetings, trainings, projects of workshops related to Internet policy and governance. They will also continue to promote Internet development in the European region and an open, bottom-up, multistakeholder Internet governance model.

“I am very pleased to sign this Memorandum with CENTR on behalf of EURALO,” said Olivier Crépin-Leblond, chair of EURALO. “The aim of EURALO, as defined by our community, is to have at least one At-Large Structure in every country of our region. Collaborating with CENTR will reinforce the multistakeholder model that has already generated great opportunities, starting with National and Regional IGFs. Thanks to CENTR for considering this collaboration and to AFNIC for proposing that we sign this document at the IGF in Paris.”

“The IGF provides us with an excellent opportunity to strengthen and formalise the collaboration between EURALO and CENTR,” Jörg Schweiger, CENTR Chair said. “CENTR Members have a long tradition of closely working together with their local Internet Communities. EURALO is well represented in those communities, and we look forward to our increased collaboration and information exchange on a regional level and for our work in the international environment.”

There are 5 RALOs, of which EURALO is one, that unite ICANN’s At-Large Structures (ALSes) and individual members based on their geographic regions. As the information conduit and facilitators, RALOs disseminate information from ICANN, promote the participation of their members, and channel the regional user point of view to ICANN. Each RALO is governed by its own organising documents, including a Memorandum of Understanding with ICANN. Playing a key role in ICANN’s regional strategies, several RALOs partner with ICANN to facilitate the development of critical infrastructure for the Domain Name System.

EURALO unites European Internet end-user voices within the At-Large community. EURALO consists of Internet-related civil society and consumer interests, representing their views in the bottom-up, consensus-based, multi-stakeholder ICANN policy development process.

CENTR is the European association of country-code top level domain (ccTLD) registries.

Internet Commerce Association Says Increases in .COM Registry Fee Unjustified

Last week the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) announced an extension of its contract with Verisign to run the .com registry, which includes repealing Obama-era price controls and allows for increases of up to 7% in the prices .com registry fee in each of the last 4 of the 6-year term of the Registry Agreement. But the Internet Commerce Association says these increases are unjustified.

Last week the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) announced an extension of its contract with Verisign to run the .com registry, which includes repealing Obama-era price controls and allows for increases of up to 7% in the prices .com registry fee in each of the last 4 of the 6-year term of the Registry Agreement. But the Internet Commerce Association says these increases are unjustified. Continue reading “Internet Commerce Association Says Increases in .COM Registry Fee Unjustified”

Google Announces .DEV Sunrise to Commence 16 January

During the Chrome Dev Summit keynote Monday, Google announced the launch dates for their .dev new gTLD, a secure domain they’re aiming at developers and technology. Google is billing it as the ideal domain name that’s suitable for everything from tools to platforms and programming languages to blogs.

During the Chrome Dev Summit keynote Monday, Google announced the launch dates for their .dev new gTLD, a secure domain they’re aiming at developers and technology. Google is billing it as the ideal domain name that’s suitable for everything from tools to platforms and programming languages to blogs. Continue reading “Google Announces .DEV Sunrise to Commence 16 January”

Romanian ccTLD Domain Name Tops Weekly Sales Chart in Quarter Million Dollar Sale

Casino.ro was the biggest sale of the fortnight ending 14 October, according to Domain Name JouDomain Name Journal logornal’s chart of top reported sales, selling for €220,000 ($255,200) to be the year’s 23rd biggest sale to date, while jobster.com came in second in another big sale, selling for $200,000

Casino.ro was the biggest sale of the fortnight ending 14 October, according to Domain Name JouDomain Name Journal logornal’s chart of top reported sales, selling for €220,000 ($255,200) to be the year’s 23rd biggest sale to date, while jobster.com came in second in another big sale, selling for $200,000.

Third and fourth were a pair of .kr domain names – golftv.co.kr and golftv.kr – which sold for €60,000 ($69,600) and €50,000 ($58,000) respectively. Equal fourth was bobet.com. All 5 domain names, and the top 8, were brokered by Sedo, along with 16 of the top 20 sales for the 2 week period.

Despite ccTLD domain names doing well at the top of the chart, .com domains took out 12 of the top 20. In addition to the .ro and 2 .kr sales, there were 2 .net and one each for .ca, .co and .jp.

To check out the Domain Name Journal chart of top reported sales for the fortnight ending 14 October in more detail, go to:
http://dnjournal.com/archive/domainsales/2018/20181024.htm

Consensus On The Application of Rule of Law and UN Charter to Make Cyberspace Safe

Increased global cooperation was a common thread in discussions around cyber security and online rights during the second day of the Internet Governance Forum now taking place in Paris. Stakeholders from government, private sector and civil society engaged in over seventy multilingual sessions taking place on issues relating to new technologies, both in person and online.

Increased global cooperation was a common thread in discussions around cyber security and online rights during the second day of the Internet Governance Forum now taking place in Paris. Stakeholders from government, private sector and civil society engaged in over seventy multilingual sessions taking place on issues relating to new technologies, both in person and online.

With cybersecurity and privacy high on the agenda, French Government representative David Martinon, Ambassador for Cyber diplomacy and the Digital Economy, linked laws on cybersecurity to democratic oversight, stating that it is the government’s responsibility to safeguard its citizens. “Cyber security is all about protecting people.”
https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/blog/2018/11/consensus-on-the-application-of-rule-of-law-and-un-charter-to-make-cyberspace-safe/

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Internet Governance Forum (IGF) – Opening Ceremony
Internet governance was one of the most controversial issues at the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) and at the subsequent WSIS+10 review by the General Assembly in the wake of the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2015.

Cognizant of the fact that any Internet governance approach should be inclusive and responsive, the WSIS mandated the Secretary-General of the United Nations to convene the Global Internet Governance Forum (IGF) for multistakeholder policy dialogue. The convening of the IGF was announced by the Secretary-General of the United Nations on 18 July 2006.
http://webtv.un.org/watch/-internet-governance-forum-igf-opening-ceremony/5966397668001/

Has President Macron Thrown Multistakeholderism Under the Bus at UN IGF 2018 Paris? by Khaled Fattal
Today, President Macron threw down the gauntlet to President Trump and the US administration on Multistakeholderism. In his welcome address to IGF 2018 Paris a few hours ago, President Macron challenged IGF to become more relevant by reinventing itself in factoring in multilateralism into IGF's non-decision-making body and to move beyond the mere talk-ship lip service it has been for the last 13 years.
http://www.circleid.com/posts/20181113_has_president_macron_thrown_multistakeholderism_under_the_bus/

The Internet Is Splitting in Two Amid U.S.-China Spat

Western bigwigs were a no-show at China’s biggest web conference. But in their absence, the local overseers of the nation’s technology industry were only too happy to plug their unique vision for the global internet.

Western bigwigs were a no-show at China’s biggest web conference. But in their absence, the local overseers of the nation’s technology industry were only too happy to plug their unique vision for the global internet.

Unlike 2017, when Tim Cook and Sundar Pichai graced the World Internet Conference in Wuzhen, this year’s gathering was a decidedly domestic affair, presided over by the likes of Tencent Holdings Ltd. Chairman Ma Huateng. Given the floor, they again pushed the concept of a rigidly policed medium that — nonetheless — is a wellspring of innovation to revolutionize businesses and modernize the Chinese economy.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-11-09/the-internet-is-splitting-in-two-amid-u-s-dispute-with-china

Facebook will let French regulators study its efforts to fight hate speech

Facebook will open its doors for French regulators to study its approach to combating hate speech online, marking the latest attempt by governments around the world to figure out new ways to thwart toxic, derogatory content from spreading on social media.

Facebook will open its doors for French regulators to study its approach to combating hate speech online, marking the latest attempt by governments around the world to figure out new ways to thwart toxic, derogatory content from spreading on social media.

Under a six-month arrangement announced on Monday, French investigators will monitor Facebook’s policies and tools for stopping posts and photos that attack people on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, sexuality or gender. From there, aides to French President Emmanuel Macron hope to determine “the necessary regulatory and legislative developments” to fight online hate speech, a government official said.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2018/11/12/facebook-will-let-french-regulators-study-its-efforts-fight-hate-speech/

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Macron and tech giants launch 'Paris call' to fix internet ills
France and U.S. technology giants including Microsoft on Monday urged world governments and companies to sign up to a new initiative to regulate the internet and fight threats such as cyber attacks, online censorship and hate speech.

With the launch of a declaration entitled the ‘Paris call for trust and security in cyberspace’, French President Emmanuel Macron is hoping to revive efforts to regulate cyberspace after the last round of United Nations negotiations failed in 2017.
https://in.reuters.com/article/cyber-un-macron/macron-and-tech-giants-launch-paris-call-to-fix-internet-ills-idINKCN1NH0G6

In Paris, governments and tech giants commit to securing cyberspace
French President Emmanuel Macron is appealing to policymakers and the tech industry to work together to secure the internet, protect democracy, copyright and free speech, and fight online scourges like fake news and terrorist recruitment.

During a speech at the Internet Governance Forum on Monday in Paris, he issued a declaration dubbed the Paris Call for Trust and Security in Cyberspace. It's designed to make the internet secure and trustworthy. It was drawn up by the French government based on discussions at the Internet Governance Forum and the Paris Peace Forum, which is also underway in the French capital this week.
https://www.cnet.com/news/french-president-emmanuel-macron-calls-for-trust-and-security-in-cyberspace/

France to 'embed' regulators at Facebook to combat hate speech
Facebook will allow French regulators to “embed” inside the company to examine how it combats online hate speech, the first time the wary tech giant has opened its doors in such a way, President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday.

From January, Macron’s administration will send a small team of senior civil servants to the company for six months to verify Facebook’s goodwill and determine whether its checks on racist, sexist or hate-fuelled speech could be improved.
https://in.reuters.com/article/france-facebook-macron/france-to-embed-regulators-at-facebook-to-combat-hate-speech-idINKCN1NH1UM
https://uk.reuters.com/article/us-france-facebook-macron/france-to-embed-regulators-at-facebook-to-combat-hate-speech-idUKKCN1NH1UK

Cybersecurity: Paris Call of 12 November 2018 for Trust and Security in Cyberspace
On 12 November at the UNESCO Internet Governance Forum (IGF), President Emmanuel Macron launched the Paris Call for Trust and Security in Cyberspace. This high-level declaration on developing common principles for securing cyberspace has already received the backing of many States, as well as private companies and civil society organizations.

A call to tackle new threats together

Cyberspace, which is becoming increasingly central to our lives, is a place of opportunity, but also of new threats. The growth in cybercrime and malicious activity can also endanger both our private data and certain critical infrastructures.

In order to respect people’s rights and protect them online as they do in the physical world, States must work together, but also collaborate with private-sector partners, the world of research and civil society.
https://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/french-foreign-policy/digital-diplomacy/france-and-cyber-security/article/cybersecurity-paris-call-of-12-november-2018-for-trust-and-security-in

Marginalized voices must be ‘included and amplified’ in digital technology space: UN Chief
New thinking is needed to better address deep gender gaps in access to digital technologies, seek out networks of the increasingly active elderly population, and support young people facing a rapidly transforming labour market, UN Secretary-General António Guterres told delegates on Monday, at the 2018 Internet Governance Forum (IGF), hosted in Paris by the UN Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Mr. Guterres told the assembled delegates that he wants the Panel, and the IGF, to inspire new language on digital cooperation, weaving stories into a global narrative, and to included and amplify the weak and the missing voices: “I urge your digital discussions to move beyond the so-called ‘usual suspects’. Digital growth affects everyone, and traditionally unheard and marginalized voices should be more visibly involved in the IGF’s work. Get stories from people with disabilities, who are among the most creative users of digital technology.”
https://news.un.org/en/story/2018/11/1025491

Indiana University among first to endorse Paris Call for Trust and Security in Cyberspace
Indiana University has joined in endorsing the Paris Call for Trust and Security in Cyberspace, a document calling for international cooperation in the realm of cybersecurity, presented today by French President Emmanuel Macron at the Paris Peace Forum.

The declaration was made at the 13th annual meeting of the Internet Governance Forum, hosted by the French government at the headquarters of UNESCO in Paris. Because of its leadership in the area of internet governance and cybersecurity, IU was encouraged to be an early signatory of the document along with universities in Asia and Europe and research centers affiliated with universities around the world.
https://news.iu.edu/stories/2018/11/iu/releases/12-paris-call-for-trust-and-security-in-cyberspace.html

The Internet Governance Forum takes place this week in Paris. Here’s why it matters.
The Internet Governance Forum (IGF) is a global dialogue that brings together a wide range of stakeholders to exchange information and discuss how to make sure the Internet and its related technologies work for everyone.

Sometimes described as the world’s biggest digital policy incubator, the IGF takes place under the auspices of the United Nations (UN) and is hosted this year by the French Government, taking place at the headquarters of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) from 12-14 November 2018.
https://iccwbo.org/media-wall/news-speeches/internet-governance-forum-takes-place-week-paris-heres-matters/

Facebook Failed to Police How Its Partners Handled User Data

Facebook failed to closely monitor device makers after granting them access to the personal data of hundreds of millions of people, according to a previously unreported disclosure to Congress last month.

Facebook failed to closely monitor device makers after granting them access to the personal data of hundreds of millions of people, according to a previously unreported disclosure to Congress last month.

Facebook’s loose oversight of the partnerships was detected by the company’s government-approved privacy monitor in 2013. But it was never revealed to Facebook users, most of whom had not explicitly given the company permission to share their information. Details of those oversight practices were revealed in a letter Facebook sent last month to Senator Ron Wyden, the Oregon Democrat, a privacy advocate and frequent critic of the social media giant.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/12/technology/facebook-data-privacy-users.html

Germany opens door to deal on EU digital tax at December meeting

German Finance Minister Olaf Scholz said he favours getting a binding deal on a European Union digital tax at a meeting of EU finance ministers in December, and that he supports the French model for the move.

German Finance Minister Olaf Scholz said he favours getting a binding deal on a European Union digital tax at a meeting of EU finance ministers in December, and that he supports the French model for the move.

France has long been the main supporter of the tax, but has grown increasingly frustrated with German hesitation over the details after Berlin agreed in principle to the idea in June.
https://in.reuters.com/article/eu-tax-digital-germany/germany-opens-door-to-deal-on-eu-digital-tax-at-december-meeting-idINKCN1NH15K
https://uk.reuters.com/article/us-eu-tax-digital-germany/germany-wants-binding-deal-on-eu-digital-tax-at-december-meeting-idUKKCN1NH10B