Internet governance (IG) may be more important to you than you realise.
Have you been reading and worrying about cybersecurity threats? Does online surveillance concern you and your colleagues? These are important IG issues. Learning more about IG will help you understand these personal and professional issues, and what can and should be done about them. Net neutrality? Privacy in online storage? Guidelines for cross-border Internet issues? How can regulators enhance and protect without interfering with the innovative principles that are the core of the internet?
The ten-week Introduction to Internet Governance online course introduces IG policy and covers main issues, including infrastructure and standardisation, cybersecurity, legal, economic, development, and sociocultural issues, human rights, and IG processes and actors in dedicated modules.
It also covers broadband policy; management of domain names and IP addresses, including the transition from IPv4 to IPv6; network neutrality; jurisdiction, intellectual property rights, open source and piracy; privacy protection; data security and cybersecurity; child protection; human rights; content management; digital signatures; emerging issues such as policies related to social networks and cloud computing, and more, with space for regional and other issues raised by the participants.
This course can be taken as part of the Advanced Diploma in Internet Governance.
The course content was contemporary and the programme design was comprehensive and reflected a rich diversity of policy issues. The thoughtful mix of lectures, class interactions and readings, coupled with excellent facilitation, inspired a deep engagement and continuous learning from experts as much as the participants. I truly enjoyed the course!
– Mr Samar Verma, Program Officer, Ford Foundation, India
This course helped me a lot in my advisory work in the field of international digital policies and digital governance. I especially enjoyed the weekly class meetings with very active and energising discussions among lecturers and participants, all of them incredible professionals with technical background themselves. Thank you for an extremely insightful course experience!
– Ms Anne Doose, Senior Advisor Digital Governance, GIZ, Germany
The course helped me have a structured knowledge of internet governance, and the class discussions and assignments provided even more insights on IG-related topics.
– Ms Frehiwot Girma Hailemariam, Advisor, INSA, Ethiopia
I found many benefits in the course, but the two major ones which stood out are appreciating the exposure data gets online (data security) and the importance of ensuring that everyone participates in policy work to improve internet experience for everyone.
– Mr Abdalla Omari, Chief Executive Officer, Kenya Network Information Centre (KeNIC)
The Introduction to Internet Governance course gave me a perfect overview over internet governance history, processes, organisations, and the current topics.
– Mr Michael Hausding, Competence Lead DNS & Domain Abuse, SWITCH-CERT
The course takes a unique approach to modern digital diplomacy. As an emerging field, the practical, thorough, and in-depth course materials encourage one’s active participation and interest in diplomacy. Its real-world examples and the excellent network of contacts from diplomatic and international forums to governments, and telecommunications and business communities, has made this course very engaging and rewarding!
– Ms Olita Tupou, Prime Minister’s Office, Tonga
One of the most engaging and interactive online courses I have ever taken. I learned a lot from the cross-cutting expertise and perspectives of the professor and co-participants from the public and private sectors. As a diplomat immersed in more traditional concerns, the course was an eye-opener. Internet governance and digital policy are increasingly important 21st-century concerns. I highly recommend the course to anyone desiring to have a meaningful overview of the multidimensional issues involved, with a view to subsequently deepen their knowledge or make concrete contributions in the international, regional, or local arena.
– Mr Ryan Francis D. Gener, Director, Visa Division, Office of Consular Affairs, Department of Foreign Affairs, Republic of the Philippines
The course was precious as it provided me with a flexible and comprehensive understanding of the intricate interconnections between diverse aspects such as security, privacy, human rights, politics, diplomacy, and infrastructure within the digital realm.
– Mr Nourredine Bessadi, Consultant, Minority Rights Group (MRG), Tunisia
In addition to the formal internet governance forums and conferences, this course is a great way of bridging the conversation between state and non-state actors as it provides a much-needed opportunity to have multistakeholder discussions. I am enrolled in Diplo’s Contemporary Diplomacy (Internet Governance) master’s programme and I believe this course is not only beneficial for academic achievement, but also for supporting and enriching the development of IG with many inputs, ideas, insights, and critiques from diverse government actors, civil society, technical experts, and academics simultaneously.
– Ms Kamilia Kamilia, Researcher, Institute Pelangi Perempuan, Indonesia
The course provided me with a much needed, comprehensive, and all-encompassing overview of all the basic (and partly already in-depth) aspects that govern the ever-increasing digitalisation throughout our workspace, development cooperation, international diplomacy, economy, and social media. The fantastic experts, Diplo’s stellar administration, and the international round of super-engaged and interesting participants from all over the globe ensured this to be both an absolutely fun and enriching course that truly broadened my knowledge.
– Mr Jan Lüneburg, Portfolio Manager EMENA Region /Governance Department / GFA Consulting Group GmbH, Germany
This course has not only broadened my perspective on the challenges and opportunities in internet governance but has also prepared me to address them with a balanced and informed approach. Learning about the multistakeholder approach, which includes collaboration, innovation, transparency, and a human-centric focus, has equipped me to engage more effectively in policy processes. This is crucial for my goal of contributing to shaping the digital future of Malaysia in alignment with global standards while also considering our unique national context.
– Mr Suhaidi Hassan, Professor of Computing Networks, Universiti Utara Malaysia
What will you learn?
How will you learn?
In this course you will interact intensively in discussions with classmates and lecturers from around the world. You will receive guidance and personalised feedback on your classwork from the course team.
How long will you learn?
The course lasts for ten weeks:
Executive Director, Diplo
Head of Digital Commerce & Internet Policy, Diplo
Senior Policy Editor, Diplo
Director of Cybersecurity & E-diplomacy, Diplo
Director of Digital Policy
Executive Director, Diplo US
Director of Knowledge, Diplo
Head of Knowledge Ecology, Diplo
Diplo seeks applications from the following, from both developed and developing countries:
This course may also be of interest to:
Excerpt from course materials
...IG is sometimes used interchangeably with Internet regulation and Internet policy. Although there is a considerable overlap, there are still specific differences between these concepts. Regulation implies the existence of legal rules with prescriptions of behaviour and sanctions, while policy is a broader term, usually referring to a plan to guide decisions and actions.
The course consists of eight modules:
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The Introduction to Internet Governance online course is based on a collaborative learning approach, involving a high level of interaction over a period of ten weeks. Reading materials and the necessary tools for online interaction are provided in a virtual classroom.
Each week, participants study and discuss course materials and complete additional online activities. At the end of the week, participants and lecturers meet to discuss the topic of the week. For successful completion, this course requires a minimum of 5 to 7 hours of study time per week.
Participants are invited to join Diplo’s global internet governance online community of over 1,400 members, and to attend monthly webinars and other IG-related events and activities.
Participants who successfully complete the course receive a certificate issued by Diplo, which can be printed or shared electronically.
All course applicants must have regular internet access (broadband is preferred).
Applicants for certificate courses must have:
The fee for this course is €690.
Note: Diplo alumni can benefit from a 15% discount on the fee for this course.
A limited number of partial scholarships are available for diplomats and others working in international relations from developing countries. Discounts are available for more than one participant from the same institution.
You can apply for this course as:
Fill out the short form to start your application process for this course. You will receive an instruction email on how to continue.
Applying for financial assistance? Please indicate this on the application form, upload your CV, and a motivation statement that should explain how your participation will benefit you, your institution and/or your country, and should include:
Please note that financial assistance from Diplo is available only to applicants from developing countries!
Late applications will only be considered if there are spaces available in the course.
Diplo reserves the right to cancel this course if enrolment is insufficient. In case of cancellation, Diplo will notify applicants shortly after the application deadline. Applicants who have paid an application fee may apply this fee towards another course or receive a refund.
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