A new Dynamic Coalition (DC) will be announced at the upcoming Internet Governance Forum (IGF 2020), which aims to create recommendations, work plans and actions to deploy Internet standards and ICT best practices in more rapid ways. We are calling on the community to fill in a five-minute survey to help us prioritize its work. We invite everyone to join this effort.
The Dynamic Coalition for Internet Standards, Security and Safety (DC-ISSS) has emerged from the IGF report ‘Setting the standard for a more secure and trustworthy Internet’, which sought to identify the causes of slow deployment of said standards and best practices but also provides recommendations and potential actions to speed up deployment.
The recommendations address the main identified causes, including the need for:
- Building a business case — when ICT services or products are procured by governments and industry, make sure standards and best practices are in the procurement requirements.
- Security by design — set minimum requirements on Internet of Things products.
- Education — change education curricula to meet security challenges and Internet architecture, among others.
As for the actions, which the report refers to as “pressure points”, there’s a need for:
- More elaborate information exchange after Internet standards are published.
- Involvement of actors that can put pressure on manufacturers and service providers such as consumer advocacy institutions, regulators, media, and parliamentarians.
- The above to be addressed through awareness campaigns.
- To create a level playing field for all involved in deployment.
The DC-ISSS plans to act upon these and other recommendations and actions, and initiate global stakeholder cooperation that will have a positive impact on economic and social well being through helping digital technologies to transform everybody’s daily lives.
The intended outcomes of the DC-ISSS will be recommendations for actions by key policymakers and decision-takers that will enable security-related Internet standards and best practices to be deployed more rapidly and with greater determination and commitment.
Get involved
By involving stakeholders like yourself we believe that we can, at last, make a difference in making deployment more effective and widespread. It has to stop being a primarily technical debate, and instead, change into an Internet healthcare topic.
As a first step, the coalition needs to prioritize its work and decide on its work plan. A preparatory session for this purpose will be held during the IGF 2020 on Wednesday, 4 November at 09.40 – 11.10 (CET). A short questionnaire has been drawn up to help with this process.
We’d appreciate, in addition to considering the invitation to join the coalition, you could complete the short survey — it will not take more than five minutes. The survey will be open until 7 October 2020.
Not everyone can nor has to participate actively in the DC, but we are in search of those seriously interested in taking this topic further. After deciding on the priorities for the workload in 2021 and beyond, the DC is in need of experts to work on content together and for liaisons who are able to share information with the respective communities, gather comments, share positions and help build commitment for the final outcomes of the DC.
The formal launch of the DC-ISSS will be held in a separate session on Friday, 6 November from 10.10 – 11.40 (CET) when the establishment of thematic working groups will be announced, and the work program presented. This will be followed by an online discussion with stakeholders. You are cordially invited to this as well of course.
Further information about the DC-ISSS can be found on the IGF website and you’re invited to join the DC-ISSS email list to receive updates and be informed of its progress.
Please also bear in mind that in order to participate in the work of the DC-ISSS you need to register for IGF 2020. Registration is free.
Finally, to realize the goals of the DC and to actively support the experts and liaisons, a secretariat has been created. Should your organization be able to support this work financially, please contact me on this topic.
If you have any questions about the aims of the DC-ISSS, its objectives and the process for planning its work, please do not hesitate to get in touch. And of course, I and the support team comprising Mark Carvell and Marten Porte would welcome any thoughts and suggestions you may have for making this important DC a success in achieving its objectives in creating greater security and safety online for all users worldwide.
Wout de Natris is based in The Netherlands as an independent consultant on Internet governance and security.
The views expressed by the authors of this blog are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of APNIC. Please note a Code of Conduct applies to this blog.