Leaders from the G8 countries gathered in Paris and adopted a statement that contains an extensive discussion on the future of the Internet. The resolution follows the "e>G8 Forum" which brought together mostly business leaders and government leaders. Civil society organizations objected to the lack of meaningful participation by NGOs and Article 19 expressed concern about the need to safeguard of Freedom of Expression.
On May 5-6, 2011, GigaNet and American University are co-hosting a conference in Washington, D.C. on "Global Internet Governance: Research and Public Policy Challenges for the Next Decade." The two-day conference, which includes key government officials and Internet policy experts, aims to engage policy makers and feature scholarly presentations on peer-reviewed papers. Topics include privacy, IP addressing, world affairs, the ICANN regime, and freedom of expression. The Public Voice recently co-sponsored an Internet townhall at the ICANN40 meeting in San Francisco to discuss emerging issues for the online community. Those who wish to attend the American University event can register online, and remote participation is available for those outside of the D.C. metropolitan area.