The 2008 Internet Governance Forum
The Internet Governance Forum (IGF) is a multi-stakeholder forum for policy dialogue on issues of Internet governance. The establishment of the IGF was formally announced by the United Nations Secretary General in July 2006 and since then three annual forums have been organized. With the slogan "Internet for all", the third annual meeting of the IGF took place in Hyderabad, India on December 3-6, 2008.
The third IGF, which was held in the aftermath of terrorist attacks in Mumbai, brought together governments, the private sector, civil society, and the academic and technical communities to debate Internet governance and related public policy issues, exchange information, as well as share good practices. In all, close to 1,300 participants from 94 countries attended the meeting, which was webcast with video and audio streaming. The proceedings of the main sessions were transcribed and displayed in the main session hall in real time and streamed to the Web. Remote hubs held parallel meetings in Argentina, Brazil, India, Pakistan, Columbia, Serbia and Spain.
The Third IGF focused on 5 main sessions which were organized in 3 thematic days under the following headings: "Reaching the Next Billion", "Promoting Cyber-Security and Trust", "Managing Critical Internet Resources". The last day covered "Emerging Issues - the Internet of Tomorrow" and "Taking Stock and the Way Forward". Parallel to the main sessions, 87 self-organized workshops were held, including meetings of the IGF dynamic coalitions, best practices and open forums.
The Government of India hosted the Meeting, which was chaired by Mr. Thiru Andimuthu Raja, India's Union Cabinet Minister for Communications and Information Technology. Opening addresses were made Mr. Jomo Kwame Sundaram on behalf of the Secretary General of the United Nations, Mr. Nitin Desai, special advisor to the Secretary General for Internet governance and chairman of the multistakeholder Advisory Group, Mr. Damodar Reddy, Minister for IT, government of Andhra Pradesh, and Minister Andimuthu Raja, Union Cabinet Minister for Communications and Information Technology of the Government of India.
UN representative, Mr. KWAME SUNDARAM stated during the Opening Session:
"The IGF is not a new organization or agency, and rather than being a decision-making body, the IGF is a space, a platform, for frank and enlightened debate. The forum provides a unique opportunity for all stakeholders to foster innovative dialogue under the auspices of the United Nations. The forum shapes and informs the decision-making processes of other institutions and governments and prepares the ground for negotiations that will take place in intergovernmental as well as other forums."
In the summary of the conference, Chairman ANDIMUTHU RAJA noted:
"The role of the IGF in building an Internet society which was inclusive, human centered and geared to development". Mr RAJA also indicated that "Access to information by the people helped democracy by having transparency in the functioning of the government and enhanced the participation of the people in the governing process. Without appropriate information, people could not adequately exercise their rights as citizens".
In 2010, the United Nations General Assembly will decide if its extend the initial five years mandate of the IGF, based on a review of its work as well as its achievements. The next IGF meetings will be held in Cairo, Egypt, on 15-18 November 2009 and in Vilnius, Lithuania in 2010.
IGF Workshop 2008
The Future of Online Privacy
Online advertising and behavioural targeting
Organized by
Electronic Privacy Information Center
In collaboration with
Search engines' and Internet portals' appetite for user information for Internet advertising has been at the forefront of the international debate on threads to online privacy. Their business models rely on the collection of the interests, actions, habits and traits of Internet users worldwide. A younger generation of Internet users, above all children and teenagers, spend more time using search engines, social networks and virtual communities, disclosing and sharing vast quantites of personal information that are used to compile individual digital dossiers. These profiles, which can be shared, combinded and further analysed using data-mining techniques, are the essential input for online advertisement and bahavioural targeting. The resulting technical exposure of the individual behind an Internet user challenges existing privacy safeguards. Moreover, the Internet advertisement sector is consolidating and with it the different digital dossiers --- a trend that seems to escape any scrutiny of the effect on online privacy.
Data protection authorities and government officials have started analyzing these emerging privacy topics in their national, regional and international agendas. Consumer and civil society organizations at the last OECD Ministerial Meeting on the Future of the Internet Economy have pointed out that "this consolidation between search engines and online advertising companies, data retention and Internet advertising practices will give unprecedented control over personal information that will seriously affect Internet users, including children, and it will threat competition for online marketing business". The OECD Civil Society Declaration point out that "dominant Internet firms are moving to consolidate their control over the Internet. It is vitally important for the OECD to develop a better understanding of the challenge industry consolidations pose to the open Internet."
Mr. Angel GURRÍA, the Secretary General of the OECD at the closing remarks of the OECD Ministerial Meeting on the Future of the Internet Economy stated that "the OECD Privacy Guidelines have "stood the test of time", but that the growth of business models built around data mining and the multiplication of social networking sites require that we understand and ask ourselves: "[W]hat are the risks, what are the benefits and how to adapt policy to this new environment?"
The purpose of this workshop is to follow up on those privacy questions raised by the OECD Secretary General as well to addressed the intersection of antitrust and privacy on the online adverstisment world. The event seeks to discuss how online privacy will be affected by the consolidation of online marketing advertisement models and which should be the role of all the stakeholders in this critical area? This Workshops is focused on consumer privacy and data protection and new business models around online adverstisment, Web 2.0, search engines and data retention practices. This topic was raised as an emerging issue during the closing remarks of the IGF in November 2007 in Rio as well as at the closing remarks done by the OECD Secretary General at the OECD Ministerial Meeting on the Future of the Internet Economy.
The panel will include members of the different stakeholders:
Katitza Rodriguez - katitza (at) datos-personales (dot) org
This is a listing of events which may be useful for civil society to participate, connect and network on issues relating to information and communication technologies and policies.
Madrid - Spain. The Public Voice: Global Privacy Standards in a Global World
November 3, 2009
Sharm El Sheikh - Egypt. United Nations. IV Internet Governance Forum November 15-18, 2009
OECD 2008 Ministerial Meeting on the Future of the Internet Economy
Civil Society Privacy Conference
Montreal
Sept. 25, 2007
OECD Participative Web Forum
Ottawa
Oct. 3, 2007
Participation in the World Summit on the Information Society Internet Governance Caucus »
Visit The Public Voice coalition on Ning!
The Public Voice Civil Society Meeting: "Next Generation Privacy Challenges and Opportunities"
The Public Voice
Jerusalem
October 25, 2010
