Maxwell
student spearheads involvement in Internet Governance Conference
Students
from across the University are participating in the online event, November
10-13.
Syracuse
University is serving as a “remote hub” of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF),
an international, online conference focused on current topics in public policy
related to the Internet. The conference is now under way in João Pessoa,
Brazil, and will run through Friday, November 13. Campus access to the sessions
will be offered in Maxwell’s Global Collaboratory and at SU’s iSchool (see
below).
Among key
organizers of SU involvement is current MPA student Kevin Risser, whose degree
work is concentrated on Internet governance. Other students organizing and
participating in the event represent Maxwell, the iSchool, and the College of
Law. Risser says he chose to attend Syracuse University for its deep
connections to Internet rights and policy. He explains that “not a lot of young
people are aware of, or are working on, the decisions being made. It is our
hope that [this remote hub] piques students’ interest with regard to Internet
governance and policy . . . and serves as a resource for people who might be
interested in learning more about the significance of their rights on the
Internet.”
Established
by United Nations mandate, the IGF is a platform for multi-stakeholder dialogue
on public policy issues related to Internet governance, such as its stability,
security, and future expansion. Topics this year range from education, freedom
of expression, gender, and privacy on the Internet.
All sessions of the IGF conference will be streamed at the
remote hub headquarters, staffed by student volunteers 8:30 a.m.- 4 p.m. in 121
Hinds Hall. In addition, two sessions with SU-student participation will be
held in Maxwell’s Global Collaboratory.
One of those
sessions, taking place November 13, pertains to the Charter of Internet Rights
and Principles, a document (already translated into 22 languages) describing
proposed rights that many hope will become the prototype for cyber rights in
the future. Syracuse University students are submitting comments on this
document and developing a “study guide,” the latter intended as a more
accessible companion for those who wish to begin understanding this emergent,
crucial issue. As one of the relatively few young people involved in this work,
Risser hopes that the study guide will help to involve more of his peers.
Risser adds, “The choices that are made, even within the next year, with regard
to Internet policy will have a huge impact on young people for many years to
come.” This session will run 7-8:30 a.m. on November 13.
Also, on November 12, students will participate in a
workshop on the “Right to be Forgotten,” a privacy concept widely accepted in
Europe but not currently part of the Charter of Internet Rights and Principles.
The session begins at 7 a.m. on Thursday, November 12, and is open to the
public.
Risser is
undertaking, with iSchool master’s student Winston McCarty, an independent
research project concerning the Right to be Forgotten and how it might emerge
in the United States with its unique legal system. Having come to Maxwell by
way of Phoenix, Arizona, Risser grew fascinated with the work of Internet
policy when he worked on — and began to examine — social media for Arizona
State University’s W. P. Carey School of Business. Since that time, he has
interned at the Brookings Institution’s Center for Technology Innovation and
worked as a research intern for the Consortium for Science, Policy &
Outcomes at Arizona State University. These positions developed his interest in
the governance aspect of Internet policy and eventually motivated his decision
to join the Maxwell School. In the future, he hopes to continue this work,
either at the federal level or at a think tank that focuses on Internet policy
issues. 11/10/15