The Second European Multidisciplinary Conference on Global Internet Governance Actors, Regulations, Transactions and Strategies (GIG-ARTS 2018) will take place from 26 to 27 April in Cardiff. The conference theme is ‘Overcoming Inequalities in Internet Governance: framing digital policy capacity building strategies’. DiploFoundation is a partner to the conference and represented on the Programme Committee. Diplo’s Ms Marilia Maciel and Dr Katharina Höne will also speak at the conference.
Connectivity infrastructure is constantly expanding, while Internet access is incessantly growing across countries, regions and socio-political contexts. In this context, new and crucial questions emerge from a governance and security perspective. As for the latter, new connectivity calls for cybersecurity capacity building strategies aiming at secure digital infrastructure.
At the same time, from a governance perspective, traditional powers in the governance of the Internet are increasingly challenged from newly connected actors who demand more influence in the transnational debate around digital policy development.
As a result, despite claims for equal representations and diversity since the first World Summit on Information Society in 2003, the narrowing of the digital divide opens new and key questions: Whether and what inequalities exist in Internet governance decision making? How is the rapidly changing Internet geography and sociography reflected in the governance of the Internet? Moreover, in order to increase awareness and enhance involvement of newly connected countries in national and transnational digital policy developments, what are the best Internet governance capacity building strategies available? How do newly connected countries and actors build their digital policy capacity, and do they develop an active role in the transnational Internet governance debate?
Whether in newly or early connected countries, various kinds of divides persist across socio-cultural and political contexts, reflecting if not extending societal and socio-economic inequalities. Are such renewed forms of inequalities and discriminations adequately addressed in Internet governance debates? What are the requirements for digital policies to actually empower people and uphold their individual and collective rights online?
The GIG-ARTS 2018 conference is organised by the Centre for Internet and Global Politics / School of Law and Politics / Cardiff University, in partnership with DiploFoundation, the ECPR Standing Group on Internet and Politics, the Global Internet Governance Academic Network (GigaNet), the IAMCR Communication Policy and Technology Section, and the ICA Division Communication Law & Policy.
For more information and the final programme visit the conference website.
