Internet Democracy Project

On 8 August 2016, Anja Kovacs was interviewed by Greg Macdougall of Equi​tableE​d​u​ca​tion​.ca. It was the first full day of the World Forum on Free Media in Montréal, which happened in conjunction with the World Social Forum happening Aug 9 – 14. Greg and Anja discussed a wide range of topics, including ​‘zero rating’ and net neutrality; state surveillance; public dissatisfaction with Facebook and creating alternatives; and how the internet, capitalism, communications and the link to broader struggles for rights, justice and humanity. You can listen to the full interview here.   More

Not only in India is net neutrality getting regulatory attention. In the EU, for example, it is as well. This letter is an effort by a global coalition of civil society and user organisations to respond to the 5G Manifesto promoted by telecoms operators in the EU to water down the recently adopted EU Regulation on the open internet. In short, the EU’s telecom operators have stated that if strong net neutrality rules are passed, they will not support the development of the planned 5G infrastructure – which the EU institutions are so excited about. But as we argue in this letter, in the EU as elsewhere, 5G and net neutrality should go hand in hand! The letter urges lawmakers in the EU to ensure that rules to protect net neutrality adopted around the world – including in India, Chile and the US – should be upheld in the EU as well.   More

In 2001, the Convention on Cybercrime of the Council of Europe, also known as the Cybercrime Convention or the Budapest Convention, became the first binding international instrument to foster a common criminal policy and international cooperation to battle cybercrime in signatory States. Whether or not India should join the Convention has, since then, been a topic of intense debate. In this paper, we consider the Convention’s major strengths and weaknesses in five areas of crucial importance to Indian stakeholders. To sign or not? There might not be an easy answer, as we will show.   More

In September 2015, news reports noted that India had pitched with the United States (US) for a root zone server to be placed within the country. What to make of India’s request? In order to fully understand the weight, import and potential consequences of India’s stance, it is essential to gain a deeper understanding of the root zone, its functioning and its management, as well as of India’s historical positions on related issues. In this paper, we aim to aid such understanding in several steps as we examine both a variety of technical aspects involved and the larger politico-strategic context in which India’s bid has to be understood.    More

India has repeatedly expressed its support for multistakeholder Internet governance at the global level. If India is to make the system work for its interests, it is the implementation of multistakeholderism at the domestic level that now needs to become a priority   More

While India has become a staunch supporter of multistakeholderism in Internet Governance, it has also stuck by its stance that cybersecurity should remain primarily the responsibility of governments. In the past quarter of 2015, there has been a flurry of bilateral negotiations between India and other countries on cybersecurity. What did these negotiations address, and would multistakeholder involvement really not have contributed additional value? We explore.    More

In June 2015, India made waves in the Internet governance world by finally formally announcing that it would support multistakeholderism. What received less attention is that the government at the same time continued to bat for a pre-eminent role for States in some aspects, most notably those related to security. In fact, early indications are that its support for multistakeholderism have already started to pay it rich dividends in the global arena precisely where India’s cybersecurity interests and demands are concerned. Was India’s embrace of multistakeholderism a purely opportunistic move, or is something more substantive indeed going on?   More

India, a leading developing country in the G77, is poised to play a critical role in the WSIS+10 Review. What is India’s position on key issues likely to be, and which actors and motivations are likely to play a crucial role in shaping its stances? This paper seeks to answer these questions, as well as to highlight opportunities for civil society engagement with the Indian government within this context. It was first published in Kaspar, Lea (ed.) (2015). The Road to WSIS+10: Key Country Perspectives in the Ten-Year Review of the World Summit on the Information Society. London: Global Partners Digital.   More

With the arrival of cyberspace, a whole host of new security and other challenges have arisen which are not always adequately tackled. In order to deal with them more appropriately, India has repeatedly argued for a greater role of the UN in the formulation of international Internet-related public policies, particularly where cybersecurity is concerned. However, as the cybersecurity landscape is rather complex, it brings a range of challenges to especially India’s more ambitious proposals to mobilise the multilateral system. What are those challenges, how can we work through them, and what are possible alternative approaches to cybersecurity-related problems? We investigate.   More

The United Nations General Assembly invited member states, observer states and all relevant stakeholders to provide inputs on the desired elements and content of a ​“non-paper” that will be released at the end of August 2015 and eventually developed into the final outcome document to be adopted in December 2015. This report by Dr Anja Kovacs was the Internet Democracy Project’s official submission to their review of the implementation of WSIS outcomes on development, human rights, funding questions and ICT’s.   More