During this event, we want to assess the current situation, share lessons learned, and enter into a discussion with practitioners. We will bring together high-level practitioners and expert researchers to unpack the emergence of digital foreign polic...
In November 2020, Switzerland introduced its Digital Foreign Policy Strategy, marking a new phase in its efforts to shape the governance of digital issues. For decades, Switzerland has been at the forefront of international digital developments. It h...
26 Jan 2021
Blog post
All countries (albeit with differences in emphasis depending on their circumstances and capabilities) recognise that digitisation plays a role in foreign policy. In the age of digitisation, diplomacy too is shifting and adapting to the new landscape....
Topic page
The Geneva Internet Platform (GIP) aims to provide simple and evidence-based access to and analysis of the complex fields of Internet governance and digital policy. The GIP’s particular focus is on building the capacity of diplomatic missions, intern...
7 Jan 2021
Blog post
Precise agriculture, monitoring water use, remote medicine – these are just some of the developments enabled due to the expanding use of Internet of things (IoT) devices. There is no doubt that IoT devices can improve our lives. At the same time, how...
16 Dec 2020
Blog post
Three hundred years ago, Charles Bonnet was born in the thriving intellectual epicentre of Geneva. Botanist, lawyer, philosopher, psychologist, and politician were but a few parts of what was a rich life of academic pursuits.
This genuine renaissa...
11 Dec 2020
Blog post
For delivering secure-by-design digital products, companies currently lack market incentives. Just as governments need industry for developing smart regulations and policies, the industry needs governments for setting the tone and impetus for the mar...
9 Dec 2020
Blog post
How can Geneva not only maintain but increase its relevance on the digital stage in the years to come? What steps does it need to take today to keep attracting stakeholders, conferences, and initiatives tomorrow? How can it work with other science an...
7 Dec 2020
Event
The Geneva Digital Atlas features digital governance tours combining virtual and physical experiences in dealing with standardisation, data, cybersecurity and other pressing issues of our times.
We invite you to join us for this event on Monday, 3...
30 Nov 2020
Event
The Internet, as we know it today, has evolved from a platform of the tech, academic, and research elite, to a tool for the general public, given its wide adoption by the mainstream modern society (Naughton, 2016). Without the benefit of hindsight, f...
16 Nov 2020
Blog post
TheInternet Governance Forum (IGF) 2020will be held online, under the overarching theme 'Internet for human resilience and solidarity' with a programme developed around four main thematic tracks: data, environment, inclusion, and trust.
...
9 Nov 2020
Event
By Katarina Andjelkovic, Andrijana Gavrilovic, and Natasa Perucica
75 years after the signing of the UN Charter and the creation of the UN, the world is coping with challenges that were unimaginable back in the day. Established to maintain i...
2 Oct 2020
Blog post
On 26 August 2020, the Digital Finance Task Force (DFTF) launched its report entitled ‘People’s Money: Harnessing Digitalization to Finance a Sustainable Future’. The 100-plus-page document develops on the work of the UN High-Level Panel on Dig...
27 Aug 2020
Blog post
Ms Grace Mutung’u researches on information and communications technology (ICT) policy in Kenya and Africa, with specialisation in digital rights, governance, and development. She has been involved in ICT policy development over the past ten years an...
People
What are connected objects? Consider home assistants, smart thermostats, fitness wearables and connected cars to name but a few which advocate the advantages of convenience, home efficiency, health monitoring, safety, and security. Collectively known...
8 Aug 2020
Blog post
Internet governance (IG) is a particularly challenging puzzle when viewed from the perspective of countries in the Global South. Many of these countries are asymmetrically integrated and constrained by structures of dependence established by more adv...
28 Jul 2020
Blog post
Robust and inclusive Internet governance must reflect the growing relevance of the Internet for global economic, social, and political life. Many small and developing countries in general and their civil societies in particular are excluded from inte...
Basic page
‘This is what we have now. We can say this kind of research has been done in human behavior. We can refer to other kind of research that focuses on machine learning systems. Not only the AI systems, but try to understand the origins of these system...
27 Jan 2020
Blog post
Welcome to 2020, and to our annual collection of digital policy predictions – with a difference. This year, the predictions are organised around 20 keywords into what we have called a dictionary. They also address a longer timeframe than that of prev...
20 Jan 2020
Blog post
As the new year begins, let’s take a look back at the major developments that shaped digital policy in 2019.
Some issues were in focus throughout the year, such as those related to tackling the spread of online misinformation and violent extremism....
20 Jan 2020
Blog post
When Greta Thunberg travelled by boat and train to attend the recent UN Climate Change Summit in 2019, she sent a wake-up call to diplomats and policymakers to search for innovative digital diplomacy tools, such as online conferencing, to reduce flyi...
8 Jan 2020
Blog post
On Friday, 20th December, from 17.00 to 19.00h CET, at the Centre for the Promotion of Science in Belgrade, Dr Jovan Kurbalija, director of DiploFoundation, Dr Biljana Scott, senior lecturer at DiploFoundation and an associate of the Chinese Institut...
20 Dec 2019
Event
This week (26-29 November), thousands of diplomats, tech experts, parliamentarians, and NGO activists will gather in Berlin for the 14th annual meeting of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF). As a part of terroire digitale approach, I try to link the...
24 Nov 2019
Blog post
...
22 Nov 2019
Event
No single global entity regulates the Internet. Digital policies are in constant flux as the spread of technology and culture have repercussions around the world. The EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) has caused the rest of the world to re...
12 Nov 2019
Blog post
What is in store for the next quarter? The new European Commission is expected to start its work on 1 December; Libra is expected to face more scrutiny; the 14th Internet Governance Forum, in Berlin, is around the corner; and, much more.
Join us for...
24 Oct 2019
Event
The most recent Report on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) estimates that 6% of the world’s population is likely to continue living in extreme poverty by 2030, and least developing countries will most likely fail to meet their industrialisatio...
24 Sep 2019
Blog post
'Who do I call if I want to call Europe?' asked Kissinger a few decades ago. The essence of Kissinger’s question could easily translate to the digital context: who do we call to solve our digital problems? And I would even go a step further...
5 Sep 2019
Blog post
Brad Smith, president of Microsoft, will discuss some key aspects of the report, as well as the role that Geneva and its surrounding region can play in building an inclusive and trustworthy digital world.
He will be joined by Doris Leuthard, former...
2 Sep 2019
Event
The Indonesia Lokadata Conference (ILOC) 2019 will address the most strategic issue in data discourse: How data is used to make policies. Organised by Lokadata and Beritagar.id in collaboration with the Ministry of National Development Planning and t...
28 Aug 2019
Event
After its promotion in November last year in Beijing, the Chinese translation of ‘An Introduction to Internet Governance’ is now available online for free download.
The book is globally recognised as a leading publication on digital governance tha...
8 Aug 2019
Blog post
The challenges in the digital sphere are met with a multitude of calls for action and declarations worldwide. In this spirit, EuroDIG 2019 has sent a strong signal on the need for stakeholders to strengthen their co-operation within the digital ecosy...
26 Jul 2019
Blog post
Technological innovation is creating new possibilities. Artificial intelligence developments are moving at a fast pace, and the applications of blockchain are increasing. Solutions for an improved digital architecture – which maximise the benefits of...
2 Jul 2019
Event
21st century life is fundamentally shaped by digital technology. Comprehending the discourse of ‘cyber’, ‘digital’, and ‘technology’ seems as taxing as it does problematic. Moreover, digital space is one where data and identity mix, overlap, and inte...
20 May 2019
Event
Dr Bastiaan Quast is a researcher at the International Telecommunications Union (ITU). His interests include artificial neural networks (R and Phyton), machine learning, data science, microeconomic estimators, quantum machine learning, and complexity...
People
The second Western Balkans Digital Summit will bring together more than 3 000 participants to take regional digital co-operation to the next level. Senior representatives from governments, international institutions, businesses, community organisatio...
3 Apr 2019
Event
Ms Melinda Clem is Vice President Strategy for Afilias, the world’s second largest domain name registry. She has worked in corporate development, strategy, and marketing positions in the domain name registry industry since 2000, and with Afilias sinc...
People
Al-based applications are already in use in numerous areas of life and present a great opportunity to increase prosperity and growth. At the same time numerous questions arise over the long-term impact of AI technologies on humankind. This is why the...
28 Feb 2019
Event
Populism is spreading. The global economy is more fragile. A trade war between the USA and China is under way. And tech companies are arousing growing angst. This is how The Economist has described the start of 2019.
The digital realm is mirroring...
5 Feb 2019
Blog post
The de-briefing will inform the Geneva Internet community and other interested parties about the outcome of these meetings and their plans for the future. The HLP.DC will table its final report in May 2019. The final report of the GCSC is expected at...
25 Jan 2019
Event
Low and middle income countries are rolling out sophisticated digital identification systems. Will they be a panacea for social and economic inclusion, or are they another way to control people’s personal information?
For generations, peopl...
21 Jan 2019
Blog post
Originally from theCzech Republic, Dr Tereza Horejsova is currently based in Washington DC.Joining Diplo in 2012, Tereza has had an international career in academiaand the non-governmental sector in the Czech Republic, the United Ar...
People
This course aims to assist professionals in Washington, DC to actively follow the increasingly relevant fields of digital policy and Internet governance (IG).
The course will benefit individuals directly working or engaging with Internet-related p...
Course
While cyberspace and information and communications technology (ICT) can deliver significant benefits to society, the growing use of ICT by state and non-state actors for malicious purposes – threatening not only peace and security but also the entir...
25 Oct 2018
Event
Prof. Michael Kende is a visiting professor at the Graduate Institute of Geneva and Senior Advisor at Analysys Mason. He is the former Chief Economist of the Internet Society, and prior to joining the Internet Society, Michael was a partner at Analys...
People
This blended learning course, combining online learning with weekly face-to-face meetings, will be delivered by DiploFoundation from 8 October to 5 December 2018.
The course will benefit diplomats who follow Internet-related policy fields (e.g. te...
8 Oct 2018
Event
An interactive online capacity development programme
Internet governance (IG) has become one of the most important policy areas of our time. Topics like privacy protection, human rights online, and cybersecurity are increasingly in the focus of gl...
Course
Technology has great potential to help deliver the SDGs, but it can also be at the root of exclusion and inequality. We need to harness the benefits of advanced technologies for all.
-UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, at the closing of...
31 Jul 2018
Blog post
Background:
’The year 2018 represents a tipping point for the Internet and its governance. Processes that have been evolving are now starting to mature. Policy decisions are needed. If Internet governance is consumed by inertia or controlled by th...
11 Jul 2018
Event
As Executive Director Government Affairs and Public Policy, Ms Anne-Rachel Inné serves as the American Registry for Internet Numbers (ARIN)’s primary link to governments of US, Canada and 26 Caribbean economies. Immediately prior to working for ARIN,...
People
Connectivity infrastructure is constantly expanding, while Internet access is incessantly growing across countries, regions and socio-political contexts. In this context, new and crucial questions emerge from a governance and security perspective. As...
26 Apr 2018
Event
International law applies to the digital space. This was one of the conclusions reached by the UN Group of Governmental Experts in 2013, which then turned to address how it applies to the Internet and the use of ICTs.
A lunch dialogue on Dig...
16 Apr 2018
Event
The normal business cycle of a company operating across borders – such as Internet companies like Google, Apple, and Facebook – involves offering goods or services for a profit, paying taxes, and reinvesting the money.
Many Internet companies base...
8 Apr 2018
Blog post
The Cambridge Analytica case putting Facebook and other Internet companies under scrutiny, taxation issues in focus again as the European Commision issues tax proposals and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) releases&nb...
3 Apr 2018
Blog post
Internet companies’ behaviour under scrutiny, governments exerting more pressure on companies to remove illegal content, and new legal measures planned to tackle fake news were among the main digital policy developments in January 2018.
These and ...
12 Feb 2018
Blog post
A group of participants from all over the world will attend a workshop in Malta, the first stage of the 2018 Master/Postgraduate Diploma programme. This well-established annual programme attracts diplomats, staff from international organsiations, par...
5 Feb 2018
Event
The Geneva Internet Platform (GIP) and DiploFoundation, in cooperation with the Permanent Mission of Switzerland to the UN, are offering a course for diplomats posted at permanent missions to the UN. The course aims to help participants u...
Course
‘Trade: Behind the headlines’ is the theme of this year’s World Trade Organization (WTO) Public Forum. Taking place this week in Geneva, it is bringing together policy makers, civil society and business representatives, and researchers, to discuss th...
27 Sep 2017
Blog post
Plus de la moitié des discussions politiques en matière de numérique ont lieu à Genève. L’impact de ces discussions dépasse le cadre européen, étant donné qu’elles affectent souvent les utilisateurs au niveau global. Le dernier trimestre de l’année 2...
22 Sep 2017
Event
Six months into 2017, the digital weather remains unsettled. Various crises brought occasional storms. Internet growth and innovation triggered a few sunny spells. The digital weather remains similar to the annual forecast for 2017.
This mid-year ...
24 Jul 2017
Blog post
New! Photos from the event.
The Swiss-Polish Innovation Day provides guidance and insights about the relevance of digitalisation and shows ways how to shape a successful digital ecosystem. The event consists of two main parts:
...
23 May 2017
Event
Also of interest: The WannaCry ransomware cyber attack in detail (GIP Digital Watch observatory)
The webinar will provide an analysis of the main technological, geopolitical, legal, and economic aspects of the ransomware. Experts from different fi...
18 May 2017
Event
...
26 Jan 2017
Event
...the coming year may well be remembered
as a turning point in US and world history.
Joseph Stiglitz
Joseph Stiglitz’s prediction applies to the digital realm as well. The political and economic turbulence ahead of us in 2017 wi...
10 Jan 2017
Blog post
The field of artificial intelligence (AI) has seen significant advances over the past few years, in areas such as smart vehicles and smart building, medical robots, communications, and intelligent education systems. These advances are expected to hav...
29 Oct 2016
Blog post
With contributions from Curators of the GIP Digital Watch observatory
The United States presidential campaign has polarised positions around many issues. For the most part, many of them make sense in the US political context. A few, such as future...
9 Oct 2016
Blog post
Why has Pokémon Go become such an ‘instant’ success? How does it - and augmented reality in general - affect different areas in digital policy? And what will augmented reality (AR) look like in the future? These questions - and more - were in focus d...
20 Sep 2016
Blog post
With more than 3 billion users, Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and the Internet are the engine and driving force of today’s world. This applies to the economy, to health, to education, and to sustainable development. But the lock-i...
29 Sep 2016
Event
The summer months were uncharacteristically busy for Internet governance. NATO declared cyber to be the fourth military domain, while the EU-US Privacy Shield was approved. The Microsoft judgment will impact other jurisdiction cases, while e-commerce...
12 Sep 2016
Blog post
The Geneva Internet Platform and DiploFoundation welcomed Geneva-based Ambassadors for a briefing on digital policy, led by Dr Jovan Kurbalija, on 7 September 2016. The briefing was aimed at ambassadors who have recently presented their credentials i...
8 Sep 2016
Blog post
More than half of Internet governance issues are addressed in Geneva, from cybersecurity, to intellectual property and from child safety to human rights. To become optimally prepared for the upcoming digital policy discussions, the Geneva Internet Pl...
20 Sep 2016
Event
The following topics will be discussed in further detail:
What is augmented reality, and how does Pokémon Go fit into larger technical developments?
Is a separate cyberspace still identifiable, and what are the legal consequences of the incre...
15 Sep 2016
Event
DiploFoundation’s ‘Internet governance (IG) building under construction’ illustration is symbolic of the ever-changing world of digital policy. A new iteration sees new elements that denote emerging trends, in addition to the existing robust foundati...
22 Jul 2016
Blog post
The critical Internet infrastructure is no longer a dry tech-geek topic.
It has drawn attention from the wider Internet community through discussions on Internet names and numbers (domain names such as .amazon, .wine), the Internet of Things (sel...
Course
Internet governance (IG) may be more important to you than you realise.
Have you been reading and worrying about cybersecurity threats? Does online surveillance concern you and your colleagues? These are important IG issues. Learning more about IG...
Course
Today’s headlines often feature the word ‘cyber’, reporting on threats related to the virtual world: online child abuse, stolen credit cards and virtual identities, malware and viruses, botnets and denial-of-service attacks on corporate and governmen...
Course
Two doors inspired my interventions at a panel on the Digital Magna Carta organised by the New America NYC and the Swiss Consulate in New York: the fascinating bronze entrance door to the U.S. Supreme Court Building, and the cockpit door, which remai...
4 Apr 2015
Blog post
[Update] Internet governance, e-diplomacy discussed during Asian lecture tour: read the day-by-day account of Dr Kurbalija's lecture tour in Kuala Lumpur (12 March), Singapore (13 March), Bangkok (16 March) and Jakarta (17 March)
[Update] View ...
12 Mar 2015
Event
[Update] The photo gallery for the Digital Diplomacy event (morning) is here; the photo gallery for the workshop (afternoon) is here
[Update] Dr Jovan Kurbalija's presentation from the morning event is here
[Update] Press release by the Ministry of...
2 Feb 2015
Event
How to improve inclusion in the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) process through online resources, tools, and facilitation was one of the points of discussion at the IGF 2015 Open Consultations and Multistakeholder Advisory Group (MAG) meetings in Gen...
11 Dec 2014
Blog post