State of the Net Conference 2019

Once upon a time "Internet governance" discussions were limited to technical matters such as root zones and domain name functions, and multi-stakeholder processes prevailed. Yet the last five years have laid bare the awesome power of the Internet as a global force for good and for mischief. Starting with the Snowden revelations in 2014 through accusations of election meddling in 2016, a jarring series of events have forced governments and Internet stakeholders worldwide to reassess the appropriate processes for Internet governance. Now Internet issues such as AI, automation, cyber-weapons, deep-fakes, privacy, disinformation, cybersecurity, and human rights are fraying the existing agreements for governing the Internet. Recently, French President Macron issued a "Paris Call" to fill what he sees a void in Internet governance. At the same time the United Nations is racing to adopt its own governance rules. In this high stakes, geopolitical game of chess, what will prevail?