Impact Report 2021 Staying Connected in a Changing World

Globe

Foreword from Our
President and CEO

Video message from President and CEO Andrew Sullivan introducing the Internet Society’s 2021 Impact Report.

Transcript

“We cannot now
doubt, if we ever
could, the importance
of an open, globally
connected, secure,
and trustworthy Internet.”

Andrew Sullivan President and CEO of Internet Society

There’s been a seismic shift in how
the world uses the Internet.

For many, the Internet has become the foundation of our lives, and we rely upon it without giving much thought to what makes it work or who makes it possible.

Its stability gives us stability, allowing people on nearly every continent to move seamlessly between their offline and online lives.

And yet, billions of people must navigate this seismic shift without trusted, reliable Internet access.

How can we make sure everyone can access basics: healthcare, work, human connection? And who is advocating for communities who find themselves on the wrong side of this digital divide?

Fueled by a new sense of urgency, in 2021 we created a roadmap to address these questions. It outlined how, with our global community, we can grow and strengthen the Internet for future generations: an Internet that is open, globally connected, secure, and trustworthy. This impact report is our word to you that we haven’t veered from this path.

The world is shifting.
We cannot leave anyone behind.

Growing the Internet

There remains a troubling pattern of digital divides. Globally, approximately three billion people are offline, with people in developing and least-developed countries far more likely to be offline than those in developed countries. These divides are also widening between rural and urban areas, along income, gender, and ethnic lines, and for people with disabilities.

In areas with access, inadequate local infrastructure can make the Internet slow and costly, essentially putting it out of reach for many people, while Internet shutdowns can put entire countries in the dark.

Around the world, in 2021 we approached these deepening divides with community-driven and advocacy efforts.

Working in close collaboration with local champions, we built and expanded 33
community networks
, empowering communities in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Europe,
and North and South America to create their own Internet connections.

Internet Society built and expanded 33
community networks
Scolarships

To help communities build the right skills, policies, and resources for networks to thrive, we funded more than 300 scholarships for the 2021 Inter-American Telecommunication Commission (CITEL) course on building wireless community networks in Latin America and the Caribbean, empowering a new generation to create connections with and for their communities.

In Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe Map

In Zimbabwe

We worked with national operator TELONE to establish the Murambinda community network. This helped inform changes to Zimbabwean regulation to allow the use of 2.4 and 5 GHz spectrum for rural broadband connectivity.

In Kenya

After we advocated with the Association for Progressive Communications, the Communications Authority of Kenya drafted a Licensing and Shared Spectrum Framework for Community Networks, which initiated a review of regulatory fees.

In Kenya
Kenya map
In Ethiopia
Ethiopia Map

In Ethiopia

We provided comments on Ethiopian Communications Authority’s draft directives for the telecoms market. This resulted in the authority changing its draft to allow community networks.

In Papua New Guinea

We worked with the regulator to establish the island’s first community network, which was funded using the government’s Universal Access and Services Fund. As a result, the regulator included community networks in its 2022 project proposals for the fund, opening new doors for financing.

In Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea map

Spotlight Story

Spotlight Story Ethiopia

Regulatory Changes Open the Door for First Community Network in Ethiopia

The Internet Society led a series of technical discussions with the Ethiopian Communications Authority (ECA) to share international experiences of community networks, including in Kenya and Zimbabwe. Preparations are now underway for a new community network to bring Internet access to close to 5,000 people in the unserved rural community of Abichikili and two nearby towns in northwestern Ethiopia.

We also helped Ethiopia’s Ministry of Innovation and Technology implement its new Digital Transformation Strategy, approved in 2021, which seeks to build Internet infrastructure and expand community networks, establish connectivity in rural areas, strengthen Internet governance, and improve digital services.

Read the Full Story

We don’t just want to deploy the Internet, we want to make sure people can use it for development. We want agriculture to be supported by the Internet so their farming can become more modern. There is immense importance to this, for access to information, education, agriculture, and health benefits.

Tesfa Tegegne Director of Bahir Dar University STEM Incubation Center and the technical head of the community network project in Abichikili

Making the Most of Spectrum

Access to spectrum, which allows people to transmit data via radio waves, is key to empowering communities to make their own connections. Advocating alongside organizations like the Dynamic Spectrum Alliance, we continued urging countries to increase the amount of available licensed spectrum, lower its cost, and free the use of unlicensed spectrum for Wi-Fi solutions.

In 2021, 8 countries opened spectrum space to Wi-Fi:
Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, and Peru. There are ongoing consultations in Argentina and Mexico to make spectrum available to community networks.

Eight countries opened spectrum space to Wi-Fi

To address the estimated 7 in 10 residents of rural tribal lands in the United States who lack access to fixed, high-capacity, affordable broadband, we backed training, funding, and advocacy efforts to empower these tribal communities to access free spectrum offered by the Federal Communications Commission under a special license. So far, at least 200 tribes have licenses, and several community networks are being planned, built, or expanded.

Licenses

Spotlight Story

Spotlight Story Spectrum

Spectrum Access Helps One Tribal Community Weather Emergencies

In July 2021, we hosted the hands-on Tribal Broadband Bootcamp. The week-long event focused on building community networks for tribes who had received free spectrum through the FCC.

After receiving its spectrum license in March of 2021, the Yurok Tribe built a solar-powered wireless tower in the village of Requa, equipping it with fire and weather cameras.

By the end of the year, the network had grown nearly 50 percent, reaching 250 homes. The Yurok Tribe’s ultimate goal is to reach all 921 addresses.

Read the Full Story

[The Internet Society has] given us resources and connected us with other tribal communities. But they support us to solve our problems ourselves. They just want to know how they can help.

Jessica Engle Tribal Broadband Bootcamp attendee

Going Above and Beyond Access

Online traffic continued to grow in 2021, pushing Internet infrastructure and capacity close to its limits.

60%

Networks

Increase seen by some local
networks during peak hours

29%

Global Bandwidth

Increase in global
bandwidth

285x

Data Consumption

Data consumption
from 2011 to 2021

We need robust infrastructure to support the Internet’s growth—during times of crisis and periods of relative calm.

Internet exchange points (IXPs) are part of healthy Internet infrastructure. By keeping traffic local, they make the Internet faster, cheaper, and more reliable.

Launched 6 New Internet Exchange Points

6 New IXPs

Strengthened 20 Existing Exchanges By donating equipment and providing technical training

Strengthened 20 Existing Exchanges

Spotlight Story

Spotlight Stories Americas

Boosting Internet Exchange across the Americas

Internet resilience in the face of natural disasters has been a major driving force for Haiti’s IXP. With funding from the Internet Society and other organizations, Haiti’s IXP now has additional servers, management software, and automation tools, making the Internet in Haiti even more resilient.

In Panama, we worked to strengthen the country’s InteRed IXP. In 2021, the donation of key equipment and training by the Internet Society helped reinvigorate the IXP, driving traffic and attracting new members.

In Bolivia, a similar story unfolded. In the years since its launch in 2013, PIT Bolivia’s IXP experienced stagnation. Today, PIT Bolivia has doubled its traffic every six months—rising from 1.4 Gbps in February 2020 to 13 Gbps in November 2021. In support of this effort, the Internet Society donated switches, enabling PIT Bolivia to double its capacity, and provided Mutually Agreed Norms for Routing Security (MANRS) training to help secure Internet routing. These improvements have helped boost traffic, membership, and performance, reducing latency from 600–700 milliseconds to 11.

Read the Full Story

The Internet Society is like our angel. It is a regional articulator, enabling this type of project to work.

Carlos Sanabria PIT Bolivia IXP’s general manager

Understanding the Internet and Its
Impact on Our Lives

We can’t address the issues facing the Internet if we don’t have strong data to guide our work. The Internet Society Pulse platform curates data from trusted sources to provide a clearer picture of the health, availability, and evolution of the global Internet.

Internet Society Pulse

21
More data added

Added More Data
by collaborating with 21
new data partners

49
Reordered 49 government-manded

Recorded 49 government-mandated
Internet shutdowns:

  • Totaled over 1,076 days of disruption
  • 17 full national shutdowns
  • 26 regional disruptions
  • 6 service limitations
2
Focus Area

Added 2 New Focus Areas
Resilience and Centralization

Spotlight Story

Harold Adjaho

Harold Adjaho, Benin Chapter President

Security consultant and engineer Harold Adjaho joined the Internet Society Benin Chapter in 2015 and became chapter president in 2020.

Fearing an Internet shutdown during the 2021 presidential elections, the chapter proactively launched a campaign, reaching out to local and international rights organizations. They contacted local media, blasted #CoupezPasInternet (#DontCutTheInternet) social media messages, published an open letter, and publicized it through a Facebook live conference and Tweetup, garnering international media coverage. They later monitored Internet outages and saw no disruptions.

Read the Full Story

Strengthening the Internet

As the world evolves, Internet security and trust must keep pace. Telework, e-learning, telemedicine, online financial transactions, e-government, and online advocacy continued to grow in 2021. Cybercrime also went up—by a factor of six since the beginning of the pandemic, according to some estimates.

In response, the Internet Society shifted, too. We enhanced tools that empower people to protect their data, helped secure global routing, and, as always, safeguarded the bedrock of the Internet itself.

Protecting the Internet’s Core

The Internet has been surprisingly resilient during the upheaval of the past few years. In other words, it’s working exactly like it’s supposed to. To keep it this way, we’ve developed the Internet Impact Assessment Toolkit to see how a policy, business decision, or technology could affect the Internet.

In 2021, we added the Internet Impact Brief: a quick analysis to help make better decisions about the Internet—and decide if a deeper assessment is needed. With our community, we produced Internet Impact Briefs to look at emerging policies in: Asia, North America, Europe.

In Canada

We advocated against Bill C-10 (Online Harms Act) with a letter to the Prime Minister. This helped delay the bill’s consideration by committee, leading to its demise with the parliamentary cycle.

Canada
Canada Map
Brazil
Brazil Chile Mexico

In Brazil

We advocated with chapters and partners against potentially damaging aspects of proposed legislation, contributing to the bill being repealed.

In Europe

We published a brief on the Revised Directive on Security of Network and Information (NIS2), which recommended removing from the directive the topic of root servers. We shared our findings with European Parliament policymakers, who ultimately voted to remove it.

Europe
Europe Map

In 2021, Mutually Agreed Norms for Routing Security took many
steps to increase the long-term resiliency of Internet routing.

750
588
Number of participants

Number of participants
grown in one year

60+ Countries Represented

60+ Countries Represented

MANRS Launched:

Equipment
Vendor Program

Promotes routing security features on network equipment and provides support and training on how to use them

MANRS ROA
Stats Tool

Visualizes the state of the Resource Public Key Infrastructure (RPKI) to promote its security

MANRS for CDN
and Cloud Providers

Enhanced actions for content delivery networks and cloud operators

RPKI Week

More than 500 participants walked away from this first-ever event with even more knowledge and resources to help safeguard the Internet’s core

MANRS

MANRS Ambassador Program

13

Guided 13 Fellows

Guided 13 Fellows

60

60 regional training sessions

Who delivered more than 60 regional training sessions

1,000

Which reached over 1,000 network engineers and administrators

Which reached over 1,000 network engineers and administrators

15 countries
location sign

In 15 countries across
6 continents

Spotlight Story

Zobair Khan

Zobair Khan, MANRS Ambassador 2021

Zobair Khan has had a lifelong interest in improving Internet security. He was active in three Network Operators Groups when he first heard about the Mutually Agreed Norms for Routing Security (MANRS) at a conference. A senior manager for Fiber@Home Limited, a Bangladeshi telecommunications network, Zobair dug in and adopted the norms for his company.

In 2021, he was selected as one of five MANRS Ambassadors. The ambassadors provide mentorship, training, guidance, and feedback to the global routing security community. Supervising six fellows, Zobair and the other ambassadors organized 47 different activities for nearly 1,600 network operators in 28 countries and regions.

Read the Full Story

Shielding Private Information
from Prying Eyes

Encryption helps keep our data secure and private. Because it’s essential to a trusted Internet, we work to protect encryption from harmful legislation and we urge people to safeguard their information by using it. Much of our recent activity has been done through the Global Encryption Coalition, an advocacy group we founded with partners Center for Democracy & Technology and Global Partners Digital.

In 2021, the Global Encryption Coalition more than doubled its membership, increasing from 120 to 256 members. We celebrated the first-ever Global Encryption Day in October 2021 to champion strong encryption, telling governments that weakening it puts people, communities, and entire nations at risk.

80+ Events Worldwide

80+ Events Worldwide

Over 4 Million People Participated

4-million-People

The Global Encryption Coalition weighed in on European Commission consultations on the Commission’s draft strategy to protect children online. The draft included two proposals that would weaken end-to-end encryption. In response, the Internet Society organized a joint Global Encryption Coalition submission and hosted a webinar for small businesses on the importance of encryption in the European Union.

In addition, the Portugal Chapter led 12 European chapters in submitting a joint letter to the Commission, drafted a position paper, and did media outreach. They also held meetings with decision-makers, including the Portuguese presidency of the European Parliament. As a result of these advocacy efforts, the Commission has postponed any announcement of its planned strategy. In addition, crucial wins in member states have been bolstered by the new pro-strong-encryption stance of the German Government, creating a more favorable environment around encryption when discussions about the EU’s draft strategy resume.

Spotlight Story

government sign

Belgian Government Drops Encryption-Weakening Items from Its Data Retention Law after Internet Society Advocacy

In mid-2021, the Belgian government proposed a draft law on data retention in electronic communications that would force companies to decrypt end-to-end encrypted messages whenever requested by law enforcement.

The Internet Society and the Belgian Chapter mobilized a wide-ranging campaign to convince the Belgian Government to remove the anti-encryption text. The campaign consisted of an open letter that garnered 107 signatures, media outreach by the Belgian Chapter and other local allies which resulted in at least 40 articles in local media, and a staff member asking a pro-encryption Member of the European Parliament to speak to the Belgian Minister of Justice.

In October, the legislation was delayed. Two months later at a Federal Council of Ministers meeting, the government approved a version of the law that removed the backdoor requirement. It now says, “To promote digital security, the use of encryption is free.”

Read the Full Story

Our advocacy prompted the Belgian Justice Ministry to admit that law enforcement can’t access end-to-end encrypted communications without breaking the security of all users.

Ryan Polk Senior Policy Advisor at Internet Society

Empowering People to Take Action

The Internet’s resilience reflects the people who developed it—and the people who do something every day to strengthen it and keep it growing.

These people make up our global community, from individual members to chapters to partners to organization members to special interest groups. Each part of our community plays a vital role in keeping the Internet a force for good—through their passion, expertise, and drive.

Partnering to Change the
Internet for the Better

In 2021, we partnered with one of our organization members, LACNIC, and the regional LAC-IX to help upgrade the peering infrastructure at five IXPs. They gathered local and regional stakeholders, shared best practices, and provided capacity building and technical support.

Their involvement and support made it possible for the IXPs to grow. With their partnership, we were able to help IXPs across Latin America provide a better, faster, and more affordable Internet.

Partnering to Change the Internet

Partnering for Digital Equity

In 2020, we launched the Truist EPIC Grant with our partner the Truist Foundation, which offered funding for five diverse, low-income communities in the Southeast United States to connect to their own broadband networks. In 2021, the five communities created their own networks.

By early 2022, these communities will have access to a broadband Internet connection:

Map - North Carolina, Florida, Alabama

North Carolina

Wave 7 Communications
City of Wilson

Florida

Duval County Public Schools
City of Williston

Alabama

The Tuskegee Housing Authority

Nurturing and Making New Connections

Rose Croshier, a policy fellow at the Centre for Global Development in Washington, D.C., stumbled upon the Internet Society while doing research on developing countries’ use of space-based telecommunications. Inspired by our work, she decided to become a member. It just so happened to be during our first-ever Community Week, where she made new connections that will make a lasting impact.

“I got pointed in the right direction for references that I’m now using in my work. Some of the contacts I made during that community week are now some of my go-to people. It was just a great resource to trade information, gain a common understanding of key issues and counter-narratives, and to find out who is writing about it.”

She plans to remain a member for a long time, saying, “I’ll keep returning to [the] Internet Society, both to learn and contribute and to stay open to new ideas.”

Spotlight Story

Eileen Cejas

Eileen Cejas, Youth Special Interest Group Leader and Board Member

Eileen Cejas, a lawyer from Buenos Aires, has been an individual member of the Internet Society since 2014. Active in Internet governance, she has organized local Youth IGF events, served as an Internet Society IGF Youth Ambassador, and organized the Global Citizens Dialogue on the Future of Internet.

In 2021, Cejas ramped up her involvement. She organized a Youth Summit event in collaboration with the Youth Internet Governance Forum (IGF) Poland, teaching young people about Wikidata and encouraging them to engage on digital rights. She also became a mentor for the IGF Youth Ambassador Program in 2021. “The experience has been life-changing,” she says.

She now sits on the board of the Internet Society’s global Youth Observatory as regional engagement director for Latin America and the Caribbean, where her passion is helping create a new generation of Internet leaders.

Read the Full Story

Spotlight Story

Nojus Saad

Nojus Saad, Internet Governance Forum Youth Ambassador

Nojus Saad has made it his mission to promote the health and digital inclusion of women and disadvantaged communities. He founded the nonprofit, Youth for Women Foundation, in 2018. After he was selected for our IGF Youth Ambassador Program in 2020, he shifted the nonprofit’s focus toward digital health, literacy, and bridging the digital divide.

As part of the program, Saad received a US$10,000 grant to start digital literacy training for more than 80 underserved young people in Iraq. He also attended the 2021 IGF in Poland, where he was a panelist and advocated for digital health inclusion of marginalized groups. His work is being recognized in other ways, too. He won the Diana Award for his domestic violence campaign, became a senior Fellow at ICANN, and became a regional ambassador at the International Telecommunications Union.

Read the Full Story

Local Action. Global Change.

Chapters are central to our work, bringing together members to run programs and activities dedicated to making a difference locally, informing policy, and educating the public about Internet-related issues. In 2021, our chapters acted locally to help us advance our mission globally.

Tab Map 1
Armenia Pin
Bolivia pin
Belgium pin
Washington DC pin

The Armenia Chapter connected rural libraries, supported Internet radio, and supported an Internet Availability Center at the Armenian Society for Blind and Visually Impaired People.

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The Bolivia Chapter launched a community network using a satellite antenna in the remote rural community of Suri, Bolivia, connecting its health center and allowing students to study without migrating—a first.

Close Bolivia

The Belgium Chapter spearheaded a project to reach thousands of undocumented migrants in Brussels by extending Wi-Fi access to urban parks they frequent.

Close Belgium

In 2020–2021, the Greater Washington, D.C. Chapter and four local organizations launched multiple community Wi-Fi hotspots in underserved neighborhoods in Baltimore, Maryland. The hotspots connected homes, schools, churches, and community centers.

Close Washington
Tab Map 2
Brazil Pin 1
Brazil Pin
Brazil Pin

After completing training on regulatory issues and public policies commissioned by the Brazil Chapter, six community networks applied for ANATEL licenses, which they obtained in 2021. They can now apply for funding and public programs.

Close Brazil 1

The Guinea Chapter’s winning 2021 Chapterthon project, which involved training on the technical aspects of community networks, may influence regulation in favor of these networks. Guinea’s Ministry of Information and Communications Technology has asked the chapter to send a brief and documentation so they can change regulation.

Close Guinea

The Rwanda Chapter’s Smart Teacher project has provided smartphones and training for teachers of G.S Nyirarukobwa.

Close Rwanda
Map 3
Gabon Pin
Haiti Pin
Gambia Pin
Benin Pin
Uganda Pin
Gabon Pin

The Haiti Chapter delivered STEAM coding training for 20 girls and boys aged 7–11, and the Yemen Chapter developed a digital training and technical support project for and by women. Both were 2021Chapterthon winners. “We can exchange knowledge and experiences with one another. We can learn more and more,” says a Yemeni participant.

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The Gambia Chapter’s Chapterthon 2021 entry was a Hackathon for Kids, where, after an intensive week of training, children built products like a motion detector home alarm, a smart trash bin, a traffic light, and a smart walking stick for the blind.

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The Chapter in Benin focused on boosting digital literacy among girls, while the one in Mali is helping small women-led businesses with marketing initiatives and teaching women with disabilities how to earn an income using online messaging services.

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The Somalia Chapter is educating Internet users, particularly young people, about mobile payments, working with others to improve digital literacy, and preparing to roll out a platform that combines online, mobile, and offline learning services to enable continuous access to educational resources.

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The Uganda Chapter organized digital security training for people with disabilities to empower them to ensure their digital rights are respected and to manage online threats.

Close Uganda
Map 4
Israel Pin 2
Estonia Pin
Hong Kong Pin

The Israel Chapter raised concerns about a Ministry of Communications proposal to require communications companies to provide detailed information on customers’ communication consumption.

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The Estonia Chapter pushed lawmakers to end the mass collection of metadata by carriers and Internet providers.

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The Hong Kong Chapter raised concerns about a Chinese anti-doxxing bill that goes against the principles of an open and unrestricted Internet. They flagged a larger privacy bill for many of the same reasons.

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Map 5
Botswana Pin
Brazil Pin
Israel Pin
Belgium Pin

The Botswana Chapter developed digital skills training for lawmakers and politicians so they can be proactive in advocating for Internet policies that promote a secure Internet for all.

Close

The Brazil Chapter built a platform raising awareness of how encryption can empower LGBTQIA+ people to explore the Internet, connect, and meet others securely.

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The Israel Chapter created Block, a “cyber protection center” website with online protection information, training, and tutorials for individuals and small businesses.

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The Belgium Chapter created isTrust, a free open-source browser extension to check if a website can be trusted or not.

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Work to Connect the Unserved, Underserved, and Marginalized

The Armenia Chapter connected rural libraries, supported Internet radio, and supported an Internet Availability Center at the Armenian Society for Blind and Visually Impaired People.

The Bolivia Chapter launched a community network using a satellite antenna in the remote rural community of Suri, Bolivia, connecting its health center and allowing students to study without migrating—a first.

The Bolivia Chapter launched a community network using a satellite antenna in the remote rural community of Suri, Bolivia, connecting its health center and allowing students to study without migrating—a first.

In 2020–2021, the Greater Washington, D.C. Chapter and four local organizations launched multiple community Wi-Fi hotspots in underserved neighborhoods in Baltimore, Maryland. The hotspots connected homes, schools, churches, and community centers.

Targeted Interventions to Create Digital Equity

After completing training on regulatory issues and public policies commissioned by the Brazil Chapter, six community networks applied for ANATEL licenses, which they obtained in 2021. They can now apply for funding and public programs.

The Guinea Chapter’s winning 2021 Chapterthon project, which involved training on the technical aspects of community networks, may influence regulation in favor of these networks. Guinea’s Ministry of Information and Communications Technology has asked the chapter to send a brief and documentation so they can change regulation.

The Rwanda Chapter’s Smart Teacher project has provided smartphones and training for teachers of G.S Nyirarukobwa.

Digital Literacy and Empowerment Projects

The Haiti Chapter delivered STEAM coding training for 20 girls and boys aged 7–11, and the Yemen Chapter developed a digital training and technical support project for and by women. Both were 2021Chapterthon winners. “We can exchange knowledge and experiences with one another. We can learn more and more,” says a Yemeni participant.

The Gambia Chapter’s Chapterthon 2021 entry was a Hackathon for Kids, where, after an intensive week of training, children built products like a motion detector home alarm, a smart trash bin, a traffic light, and a smart walking stick for the blind.

The Chapter in Benin focused on boosting digital literacy among girls, while the one in Mali is helping small women-led businesses with marketing initiatives and teaching women with disabilities how to earn an income using online messaging services.

The Somalia Chapter is educating Internet users, particularly young people, about mobile payments, working with others to improve digital literacy, and preparing to roll out a platform that combines online, mobile, and offline learning services to enable continuous access to educational resources.

The Uganda Chapter organized digital security training for people with disabilities to empower them to ensure their digital rights are respected and to manage online threats.

Advocacy Work for Encryption

The Israel Chapter raised concerns about a Ministry of Communications proposal to require communications companies to provide detailed information on customers’ communication consumption.

The Estonia Chapter pushed lawmakers to end the mass collection of metadata by carriers and Internet providers.

The Hong Kong Chapter raised concerns about a Chinese anti-doxxing bill that goes against the principles of an open and unrestricted Internet. They flagged a larger privacy bill for many of the same reasons.

Innovative Solutions to Privacy and Security Concerns

The Botswana Chapter developed digital skills training for lawmakers and politicians so they can be proactive in advocating for Internet policies that promote a secure Internet for all.

The Brazil Chapter built a platform raising awareness of how encryption can empower LGBTQIA+ people to explore the Internet, connect, and meet others securely.

The Israel Chapter created Block, a “cyber protection center” website with online protection information, training, and tutorials for individuals and small businesses.

The Belgium Chapter created isTrust, a free open-source browser extension to check if a website can be trusted or not.

Conclusion

2021 was a banner year for strengthening and growing the tool we all have come to rely upon. As more changes take place around us at a whirlwind pace, the Internet remains a dependable landscape…for most of us. Protecting it, cultivating it, and allowing it to take shape in areas where access is limited or non-existent will remain our goal during the upcoming years.

From community network building in rural regions of the Americas to implementing IXPs throughout local areas in Africa, to improving routing security throughout the world, the Internet Society has pushed through policy, empowered people, and kept the Internet free and fair as it grows and faces new challenges.

With the world shifting, we must do more than cling to the Internet as it exists now. We must work to open access and reliability to those still in need. We don’t know what will come next, but we do know the Internet will always be a part of it. It remains steadfast, so we, too, can remain steadfast. In our mission. In our optimism. And in our actions.

Join us in our growing global movement of people creating
a bigger and stronger Internet for everyone.