On July 28, the Summer School on Internet Governance, established by the Coordination Center for TLD .RU/.РФ jointly with the Department of International Relations at St. Petersburg State University, summed up the results of the first preliminary elimination phase, held on June 14-26. Ninety-five future specialists took part in webinars, completed practical assignments, and successfully mastered a basic online course that helped them grasp the meaning of key concepts and internet governance models.
A seven-day initial module focused on the school’s subject matter. Video materials and other sources helped the participants study the evolution of the internet and its infrastructure. While preparing for the webinar, they completed practical assignments; for instance, they analyzed a report by the UN Working Group on Internet Governance (WGIG) and compared current internet governance approaches.
Mikhail Anisimov of ICANN opened the program with his interactive webinar. He discussed the concept of internet governance with students, compared centralized and multi-stakeholder models for governing the internet, analyzed their pros and cons, and asked the participants to discuss “hybrid” solutions in the digital age.
In the first lecture section, Anastasia Kazakova (DiploFoundation) showed how the Geneva Dialogue on Responsible Behaviour in Cyberspace is turning diplomatic declarations into real mechanisms for protecting the critical infrastructure. That same day, Karen Kazaryan of the Digital Economy independent non-profit organization told students how expanding big data flows are changing data management regulations and forging one of the most dynamic segments of the IT market.
The next section began with a lecture by Alexei Yefremov from Kutafin Moscow State Law University. He analyzed state support tools for balancing innovations, security and users’ rights during the digital transformation era. Gleb Shuklin, an expert on big data and AI, hosted the final webinar and showed how online effects and competition between ecosystems are forming new approaches toward anti-monopoly regulation and rebooting the balance of power on digital markets.
The main round of the program kicks off this August, with 42 best participants to further study under an additional education program of St. Petersburg State University. They will attend lectures by experts from St. Petersburg State University, Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO), Regional Public Center of Internet Technology (ROCIT) and St. Petersburg State University of Industrial Technologies and Design. They will team up to complete a joint project and a graduation paper (analytical essay). As before, the best works will be posted on the school’s website after August 20. All other students will be able to access videos and open content for the purpose of their independent development.
We congratulate all the participants on successfully completing the first round, and we wish finalists inspiration as their academic career spirals to a new level!
