Arab Roadmap for Internet Governance (Available in English language only)

The term "Internet Governance" has been on the table for almost 15 years now, since its formal introduction during the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS). The term is quite controversial, simply because the Internet has become such a widely-used tool, to an extent that each person could have his/her understanding of Internet governance. Typically, telecommunications specialists would associate Internet governance with the development of technical infrastructure and Internet protocols.

Computer specialists would rather associate the very same term with the development of different standards that would make Internet applications interoperable, such as XML (eXtensible Markup Language) or Java. Communication specialists emphasize the content transferred through the Internet and the various jurisdictions that would apply to this content. Civil society activists would view Internet governance from the perspective of freedom of expression, privacy, and other fundamental human rights. Lawyers are mainly concerned with disputes that may occur and their resolution. More recently plenty of discussions about threats related to the Internet (cyber security and cybercrime) are being carried out as part of political discussions, especially when it comes to the use of the Internet as a "secure communication channel" by terrorist groups. 

This roadmap is available in English language only.