The Internet is a force for good and we must work together to keep it that way. The Internet has become increasingly central to many of our lives and societies, allowing us to accomplish things in moments that less than a decade ago were impossible. For communities coming online, the Internet is a connection to opportunity and empowerment.
At the same time, as we look around and ahead, the forces at work to shape the Internet’s future are increasingly divergent from values that powered its past. The growth in the number of connected devices has opened cracks in our shared security. Broad and long-standing norms that have ensured the Internet’s smooth operation are diluted by the pursuit of narrowing interests. One-size-fits-all business and policy models have edged out innovative approaches to connecting the next billion people. The rise of consolidated centers of power and control has undermined collaborative processes and distributed responsibility. Open standards are being abandoned in favor of closed platforms.
We are at a pivotal moment in the Internet’s development. We risk losing the opportunity to shape the Internet’s future if we fail to act. To meet the challenges we face, we are organizing our efforts into three interconnected areas of work:
- Undertaking sustained and comprehensive campaigns to advance a set of focused priorities through positive action,
- Strengthening and extending the Internet Society community and organization to build a stronger foundation for realizing our vision, and
- Fostering and incubating initiatives that respond to a changing environment and position our community for future success.
This approach is informed by the 2017 Global Internet Report: Paths to Our Digital Future which collected and crystalized the diverse views and perspectives of a global community that cares deeply about how the Internet will evolve and how it will impact humanity over the next 5-7 years. Beyond identifying key issues, the process of developing the report demonstrated the capacity of our broad community to join together to make a difference in the world. In the coming year, we are more explicitly in our plans harnessing the potential of this collaboration. And, we will further invest in strengthening our global community and the organization that supports it.
We believe the voices of people around the world are key to the Internet’s future. The Internet fuels individual empowerment and collaborative innovation. Supporting and engaging people who use the Internet are our highest priorities; they have been our common and enduring causes. We have pursued these goals for 25 years, and the Internet Society community is uniquely positioned to advance them in the coming years. During the 2017 InterCommunity event, thousands of us gathered together to celebrate our 25th anniversary with the energy and conviction we need to move boldly into the future.
It is our concrete conviction that in these challenging times we must act. We must focus. We must proceed with urgency. We must prioritize achievement over activity. We must sustain our efforts. This is our plan to do exactly that.