The UK government’s recent demand for Apple to create a backdoor in its end-to-end encrypted cloud services raises alarming concerns for online safety, privacy, and cybersecurity. This panel discussion will explore the global implications of this move, particularly how it could set a dangerous precedent for weakening encryption and jeopardizing online safety for individuals, businesses, and civil society.
PANEL Farzaneh Badiei – Founder, Digital Medusa Charles Mok – Trustee, Internet Society Callum Voge – Director of Government Affairs and Advocacy, Internet Society HOST Godsway Kubi – Lead Facilitator, Online Safety SIG
On Friday March 21 2025, at 11:00 EAT (08:00 UTC) the Internet Society Ethiopia Chapter (ISOC Ethiopia) hosts a webinar ‘Digital Parenting Online‘.As technology becomes an integral part of everyday life, parents face new challenges in guiding their children through the digital world. This webinar aims to provide parents, guardians, and educators with practical insights into responsible digital parenting. The session will explore strategies for managing children’s online presence, ensuring digital safety, and fostering a balanced approach to technology use. Experts in child safety, online safety specialists, and digital literacy will share actionable tips to help parents create a safe, productive, and positive digital environment for their children.
SPEAKERS Jennifer Kaberi – Founder Mtoto News (slides) Theorose Elikplim Dzikenu – Research Assistant at Kent State University
Moderator: Dr. Asrat Mulatu – President, Internet Society Ethiopia Chapter
On Wednesday 19 March 2025 at 18:00-19:30 CET (17:00-18:30 UTC) the Internet Society Norway Chapter (ISOC Norge) will hold its Årsmøte (AGM) at Rebel in Oslo. IGF 2025 Host Country Co-Chair Ole-Martin Martinsen will open proceedings with a keynote ‘Norges rolle i styringen av Internett‘ = ‘Norway’s role in the governance of the Internet” which will be webcast live via YouTube. It will be spoken in English.
SPEAKER Ole-Martin Martinsen – Director for Digitalization and Emerging Technologies, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Norway.
On March 11-12 2025 the ICANN NextGen Participants presented at the ICANN82 Community Forum in Seattle. The ICANN NextGen program is an outreach initiative, aimed at undergraduate and graduate students, designed to engage the next generation of internet users in ICANN’s work and policy development processes.
01 AI and the Future of DNS Security – Minahil Fatima, Wilfrid Laurier University – yt | txt | sum | slides 02 WHOIS Data & Post-GDPR Domain Privacy – Shreya Shivakumar, Columbia University – yt | txt | sum | slides 03 A Study of Unwanted DNS Traffic at b-root.server – Dipsy Desai, University of Southern California – yt | txt | sum | slides 04 K-12 Students and the Future of the Internet – Miracle Onyebuchim, University of Maryland, Baltimore County – yt | txt | sum | slides 05 How Material Access May Help Bridge the Gendered Digital Divide – Khadija Mian, Georgetown University – yt | txt | sum | slides 06 gTLDs and Brand Strategy: Aligning Domain Names with Business Sectors – Vinny Adjibi, Georgia Institute of Technology – yt | txt | sum | slides 07 Youth as Stakeholders in Internet Governance – Wyatt Jerome, University of Alberta –yt | txt | sum | slides 08 The Future of Digital Equity: Charting the Next Phase of the Affordable Connectivity Program – Boluwatife Jide-Olugbade, Georgia Institute of Technology – yt | txt | sum | slides 09 Digital Sovereignty for Indigenous Communities – Justin Langan, University of Manitoba –yt | txt | sum | slides 10 Biases in Decision Making and Policy Development – Heidi Huseman, University of Central Oklahoma – yt | txt | sum | slides
Despite multiple attempts over the last several sessions, Congress has been unable to enact legislation aimed at protecting children online. What does the future look like for KOSA, COPPA 2.0, and KOSMA? What other ideas are being looked to to protect kids online? Experts will examine current legislative proposals, their potential to reshape privacy, platform accountability, and digital safety, and the future trajectory of online protections for kids.
SPEAKERS
Maureen Flatley – Stop Child Predators
TBD – Common Sense Media Ash Johnson – Senior Policy Manager, Information Technology and Innovation Foundation
Andrew Zack – Policy Manager, Family Online Safety Institute
Moderator: Miranda Nazzaro, Technology Reporter, The Hill
The concept of core Internet values has been a cornerstone of the Internet’s architecture. However, with seismic shifts in technology, governance models, and geopolitical dynamics, these values require adjustment to remain relevant in today’s rapidly evolving environment. This session examined how such adjustments could affect ICANN’s remit and mission. It explored the balance between preserving foundational principles and adapting to emerging realities, leveraging insights from technological, governance, and geopolitical trends, alongside ICANN’s operational experience. The discussion will identified necessary changes, their implications for ICANN, and strategies to address these challenges while upholding its core purpose.
This video has been lightly edited for clarity.
PANEL Vinton Cerf – Chief Internet Evangelist, Google Tripti Sinha – Chair, ICANN Board of Directors Olivier Crépin-Leblond – Chair, Dynamic Coalition on Core Internet Values Preetam Maloor – Head, Emerging Technologies Division, ITU
INTERVENTIONS Adiel Akplogan – VP, Technical Engagement, ICANN Olga Cavalli – Associate Professor, University of Buenos Aires James Galvin – SSAC Liaison, ICANN Board of Directors David Lawrence – IETF Liaison, ICANN Board of Directors Jennifer Chung – Vice President, Policy, DotAsia Organisation Avri Doria Tijani Ben Jemaa – Executivr Director, Fédération Méditerranéenne des Associations d’Internet (FMAI) Bruna Martins dos Santos – GNSO / IGF MAG Sébastien Bachollet – Chair, EURALO Farzaneh Badiei – GNSO / Digital Medusa Alejandro Pisanty – Professor, National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) Nenad Orlic – GNSO / RNIDS
MODERATORS Pari Esfandiari – At-Large Advisory Committee (ALAC) Alejandro Pisanty – Professor, National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM)
Monday 10 March 2025, the North American Regional At-Large Organization (NARALO) presented a roundtable ‘DNS Abuse and AI: Combatting and Enabling Threats‘ at ICANN82 in Seattle. This session aimed to better understand the emerging capabilities of AI in pattern analysis and machine learning to either prevent or promote DNS abuse, in particular approaches to detecting anomalies, leveraging machine learning for system protection, and addressing broader abuse issues that can inform DNS-specific challenges, and the impact that this may have on individual end-users of the internet as it relates to user privacy and overall functioning of the DNS. This video has been lightly edited for clarity.
PANEL Ana Cristina Amoroso da Neves – GAC Portugal /Vice Chair, UN CST / Head, Portugal Internet Governance Office Jeff Bedser – Member, SSAC / CEO, CleanDNS Tim Maurer – Senior Director, Global Cybersecurity Policy, Microsoft
PANEL Grant Spellmeyer, President and CEO, ACA Connects Tim Donovan, President and CEO, Competitive Carriers Association Greg Hale, CEO, LTC Connect Sarah Morris, Former Deputy Administrator, National Telecommunications and Information Administration (Acting)
On Monday 7 April 2025 at 18:00 EET (16:00 UTC) the Internet Society Egypt Chapter (Internet Masr ) presents the third in its infrastructure webinar series with a briefing session ‘Powering Up Digital Infrastructure‘. Ahmed Abdel-Latif will will explore the challenges involved in energy policy, explore the sustainability agendas of global players, highlight the renewable energy potential, and even touch on innovative use cases of nuclear energy, all in the scope of data center & AI platforms. (This event was previously scheduled for March 11 2025)
SPEAKER Ahmed Abdel-Latif, MEA Digital Infrastructure Expert
On Sunday 23 March 2025, at 5:45pm IST (12:15 UTC) the Internet Society India Mumbai Chapter (ISOC Mumbai) will host a webinar ‘Interplanetary Internet Race 2.0‘ with special guest Vint Cerf, a past Chair of the Interplanetary Networking Special Interest Group (IPNSIG).
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