I joined the Working Group on Internet Governance with very low expectations of how my input would be received. The reason is simple: this was a Group that was to deliver a report on a very sensitive (read “political”) area of the Internet. Where the urban legend said the Internet could not be regulated or controlled, this Group would say that there is a chokepoint in the hands of one government-appointed entity. I saw the recommendations as giving a selection of ammunition to the diplomats and their ilk to pick and choose. At the end of it all, however, I am pleased to say that my expectations have been more than met, and not just because they were set low. Perhaps because the subject matter is new. Perhaps because governments did lack expertise and thus had no choice but to look to the Group for help. Or perhaps it was because the report did make sense. Whatever the “real” reasons, I found that diplomats and their ilk were prepared to and did indeed listen. (…)
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