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Be Careful Someone is Watching You Online!
The 8th meeting of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF), Bali, Indoneasia, 22-15 October 2013 has just ended.
The beautiful City of Bali in Indonesia hosted over 2000 participants from over 120 countries made up of Internet governance experts, civil society, governmental and intergovernmental organisations officials, international social and economic development practitioners, members of the academic and technical communities, private sector representatives and other inquiring global citizens for the 8th meeting of the Internet Governance Forum. About the same number followed the meeting online.
The theme was “Building Bridges – Enhancing Multistakeholder Cooperation for Growth and Sustainable Development”.
Proceeding the Forum was the one day High level meeting held on the 21st of October were Ministers of UK, Brazil, Indonesia and members of parliament of some countries, technical communities and experts were present to discuss the issue of internet security and multistakholderism approach to resolving the online threats including spam, hacking and phishing.
The uniqueness of this year’s Forum was the fact that the major focus was on security of online users, human right and privacy in the face of the recent revelation about government-led Internet Surveillance activities. It was more or less an IGF of surveillance. Thus building trust more than other issues was on the lips of most participants.
There were 135 focus Sessions, workshops and open forums, Flash Sessions and other meetings in the 4-day event. Yours truly paneled 6 of such sessions including reporting on NIGF outcomes, WAIGF outcomes and a paper presentation on the social role of NIRA: guaranteeing everlasting success in susstainable growth and development (workshop 92). Other informal meetings took place along the corridors and offices, bilateral talks, etc were common features at the 8th IGF.
It was fruitful and engaging with a great hospitality of Indonesian tea, coffee and excess food. The Hotels were green with colourful flowers, hot but surrounded with waters that one cannot but go to swim after each day’s business. However, there was bandwidth challenge at the meeting venue, so much that I could not read my mails on my Apple I-pad.
There were 7 participants from Nigerian government, private sector, civil society and academia.
Meanwhile Sunday Folayan, the Vice President of NIRA attended AFRINIC 19 in Cote D’Ivore between October 22 to 27; where he not only represented NIRA but also a board member of AfriNIC and facilitated workshops with AfNOG.
Subsequent edition will bring to you the highlights of the 8th IGF conclusions and take homes from there as well as AfriNIC 19.
Yours Sincerely,
Mrs. Mary Nma Uduma
President/CEO, NIRA |
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Experts warn against internet fragmentation
Some 10 leading organisations responsible for the coordination of the Internet technical infrastructure globally ended its meeting in Montevideo, Uruguay reinforced their commitments, warning against fragmentation of future Internet.
Those at the meeting, according to the Director of Global Media Affairs at the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) Mr. Brad White, named Adiel A. Akplogan, CEO, African Network Information Center (AFRINIC); John Curran, CEO, American Registry for Internet Numbers (ARIN); Paul Wilson, Director General, Asia-Pacific Network Information Centre (APNIC); and Russ Housley, Chair, Internet Architecture Board (IAB).
Also in attendance were Fadi Chehadé, President and CEO of ICANN; Jari Arkko, Chair, Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF); Lynn St. Amour, President and CEO, Internet Society (ISOC); Raúl Echeberría, CEO, Latin America and Caribbean Internet Addresses Registry (LACNIC); Axel Pawlik, Managing Director, Réseaux IP Européens Network Coordination Centre (RIPE NCC) and Jeff Jaffe, CEO, World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), as attendees.
The meeting reportedly rose after considering and insisting that the Internet and World Wide Web have brought major benefits in social and economic development worldwide.
The leaders also discussed the clear need to continually strengthen and evolve these mechanisms, in truly substantial ways, to be able to address emerging issues faced by stakeholders in the Internet.
“Both have been built and governed in the public interest through unique mechanisms for global multistakeholder Internet cooperation, which have been intrinsic to their success,” they said, even as they also discussed the clear need to continually strengthen and evolve these mechanisms, in truly substantial ways, to be able to address emerging issues faced by stakeholders in the Internet. Readmore |
Safety: Internet users must imbibe digital culture
In order to have internet safety, it is important to imbide the digital culture, says the President, Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NIRA), Mrs. Mary Uduma.
She made this opinion during the 2013 forum of the Commonwealth Telecommunication Organisation (CTO) which held in Abuja recently, advocating it’s a new tradition which must be embedded into the mindset of internet users.
According to her, it is a vital component of the responsibility of all internet community stakeholders – most especially the users to see as a golden rule if effective cybersecurity ecosystem must be entrenched.
“No cybersecurity initiative will work without it, just like internet without the people,” she declared, maintaining that internet safety goes beyond security matter, which means “… it is a social response matter.”
Mrs. Uduma explained that security is the welfare responsibility of the government, whereas safety is the responsibility of the people, however, government, she said, has a big role to play from policy and guidance perspectives.
She further prescribed some 10 critical issues that must be addressed to enthrone internet safety including “Inappropriate contents as duly classified, online backdoor distributive channels, misuse and abuse of IT devices and critical internet resources, users abuse and exploitation materials, User personal vulnerability, and digital harm and exposure risk critical to personal safety and national image.”
In addition, she said digital device safety and mobile protection, Internet security and online safety illiteracy, vendor neutral safety counter-measures, as well as the local internet community safety capability gap, form crucial part of the essentials.
She therefore, submitted that lack of internet safety has a variety of consequences on the economy, socio-security, innovations and development. Readmore. |
ICANN gives green light for new gTLD delegation
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) has given green light for the delegation of the first new generic Top Level Domains (gTLDs), according to the Vice President, gTLD operations at ICANN, Ms Christine Willett.
"The time has come! Today, the first four domains from ICANN's New Generic Top-Level Domains Programme were cleared to proceed to delegation," Willett declared, stressing that this step marks the start of a measured roll out of new gTLDs, which are designed to expand opportunities for businesses, communities and Internet users around the world.
These first new gTLDs, or strings as they are called in the domain name industry شبكة (xn--ngbc5azd) – the Arabic word for “Web” or “Network” Registry : International Domain Registry Pty. Ltd;онлайн (xn--80asehdb) – Russian for “Online” Registry: Core Association; сайт (xn--80aswg) – Russian for “Web site” Registry: Core Association; and 游戏 (xn--unup4y) – Chinese for “Game” Registry: Spring Fields, LLC
She pointed out that all four of these new strings are Internationalized Domain Names (IDNs), which are currently available as Second-Level Domains and country code Top-Level Domains, but this would be the first time non-Latin characters could be used in a generic TLD.
She noted that building on the addition of Internationalized country-code TLDs in 2010, the move is an effort to create a more inclusive Internet.
The Registries operated by these IDN gTLDs, she said, successfully completed a rigorous application process designed to protect the stability of the Domain Name System (DNS), while introducing new gTLDs into the Internet. Readmore |
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