At the 20th anniversary Internet Governance Forum (IGF 2025) held in Norway, Jovan Kurbalija, Director of the DiploFoundation and head of the Geneva Internet Platform, presented the 8th edition of his book, Internet Governance. For two decades, Kurbalija’s work has served as a reference guide for everyone seeking to understand the inner workings of internet governance and the complex dynamics at the intersection of technology, politics, and human rights.
The previous edition of the book was published nine years ago. Since then, the internet governance landscape has experienced profound transformations. Kurbalija noted that growing confusion in digital policy, particularly in response to the rapid rise of artificial intelligence and renewed debates over internet governance models over the past two years, prompted him to write this updated version.
The 8th edition reflects major developments since 2016. The author focused on the shift to cloud-based solutions, the accelerated digital transformation driven by the Covid-19 pandemic, transition from CPU to GPU in data processing, the rise of satellite internet, and the mainstream adoption of artificial intelligence. The focus remains on the idea that, though the internet is highly technical in its nature, governing it is not only a mission for engineers, but also a multi-tiered political process.
Jovan Kurbalija stressed that technological governance has remained relevant for several decades:
“People tell me that the book helps them understand what internet governance is, and this is the main achievement in my entire career,” he said.
When asked why he kept the title Internet Governance rather than opting for terms like “digital governance” or “data regulation,” Kurbalija noted that most new technology-related issues can still be traced back to the internet, including via TCP/IP protocols. Therefore, he argues that the term “internet governance” remains more precise than “digital governance,” which he said was a more generic term.
Soon, the book will be available for download on DiploFoundation’s website.
Jovan Kurbalija’s book Internet Governance was first published in Russian in 2010. The publication was initiated, sponsored, and promoted by the Coordination Center. The release was timed to coincide with the first Russian Internet Governance Forum (RIGF 2010). Back then, it was the 3rd edition of the book that was translated, which had to be reprinted twice since then because it became very popular among a wide variety of internet user groups. This edition can be found on the Coordination Center’s website.
In 2018, the Coordination Center for TLD .RU/.РФ decided to publish a new version by translating the 7th edition of Diplo’s bestseller. The book has almost doubled in volume since then. The online version is also available on the Coordination Center’s website.
