On March 5, a section on the topic of Internet fragmentation by the Country Code Names Supporting Organization (ccNSO) was held as part of the 79th ICANN meeting. Experts discussed various aspects of Internet fragmentation and also made their proposals to combat it. The challenges faced by governments and organizations in balancing national interests and global interactions were also addressed. Participants focused on the importance of promoting a multi-stakeholder approach to Internet governance and ensuring the protection of human rights, privacy and security online.
The session was moderated by Annaliese Williams (.au), Chair of the ccNSO Internet Governance Liaison Committee. During the session, participants discussed the work of the Policy Network on Internet Fragmentation (PNIF), an IGF intersessional activity to further the discussion on and to raise awareness of the technical, policy, legal and regulatory measures and actions that pose a risk to the open, interconnected and interoperable Internet. The objectives of the PNIF - over an envisaged 2 year timeframe - are to offer a systematic and comprehensive framework to define Internet fragmentation, its intended and unintended causes, and its potential effects; collect and analyze case studies to fine-tune and complement this framework; establish shared principles, recommendations or codes of conduct that prevent fragmentation and preserve the open, interconnected and interoperable nature of the Internet.
Bruna Martins dos Santos (PNIF) in her speech noted that there is no need to create new bodies in the field of Internet governance, but it is necessary to improve coordination between existing ones. A lack of collaboration between Internet governance organizations and standards-setting bodies can lead to a fragmented Internet, resulting in disparate and overlapping rules and requirements. “Fragmentation can create negative consequences
for the entire global community, both at the technical level and at the level of interaction with end users,” concluded Bruna Martins.
She also presented measures that will help prevent Internet fragmentation, including:
- Avoiding duplicative mandates
- Avoiding closed forums with closed/exclusive participation
- Taking action with the right measures and at the right level
Demi Getschko (.br) presented the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee's (CGI.br) vision on Internet fragmentation. In particular, according to the expert, the principles underlying the Global Network, such as freedom, network neutrality, security and stability, human rights, cooperative democratic governance and inclusivity, should not change. “I would like to recall the words of the famous writer Gilbert Keith Chesterton: “We are learning to do a great many clever things…The next great task will be to learn not to do them,” the expert concluded.
