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"INTERNET CROSSROADS: WHERE TECHNOLOGY AND POLICY INTERSECT"
June 18-21, 2002
Arlington, VA (outside Washington, DC)

CALL FOR CONTENT -- INET 2002

A conference in three themes

  • Technology
  • Uses of the Internet
  • Governance, Legislation, and Regulation

http://www.isoc.org/inet2002/cfc
SUBMISSION DEADLINE: 15 DECEMBER 2001

The Internet Society is pleased to announce the 12th Annual INET Summit, to be held 18-21 June 2001 in Arlington, VA, just outside Washington, DC.

This year's theme is "INTERNET CROSSROADS: WHERE TECHNOLOGY AND POLICY INTERSECT." Despite the collapse of the dot-coms, the Internet continues to develop at an accelerating pace. New technologies and standards provide Internet users with new capabilities--and pose difficult challenges for policy makers. What are the most outstanding technological innovations that will have a far-reaching effect on the Internet? How will decisions on Internet standards determine how the Internet is used? What are the policy implications of new Internet technologies? How are decisions being made on the standards and policies that will shape the Internet? How are Internet users around the world creating new uses for networking technology?

THREE THEMES
The conference will be organized around three thematic tracks.
1. TECHNOLOGY
Even as the Internet becomes pervasively established as a communications infrastructure, it continues to experience rapid change. Innovation constantly creates new fields of opportunity and usage, often rendering established technologies obsolete. Updated protocols, new levels of convergence among media and devices, multilingual domain names, authentication, peer-to-peer networks, wireless applications, and increased bandwidth and related capabilities are just a few of today's areas of rapid change on which the conference will focus.
2. USES OF THE INTERNET
New and diverse uses of the Internet continue to emerge. The Internet's impacts are multiple and contradictory, as it supports both cultural diversification and homogenization, hate speech and greater societal openness, and business bubbles and economic development. This track will focus on Internet uses in areas like education, health, economic development, and cultural expression.
3. GOVERNANCE, LEGISLATION AND REGULATION
The policy issues raised by the Internet are especially complex at the global level, where no effective Internet governance authority exists. Institutions like the IETF, ICANN and the W3C are shaping collective decision-making about the future of the Internet, but the respective roles of government, business, developing countries, and civil society are still being worked out. Topics here include border-crossing aspects of privacy, surveillance, security, intellectual property, free speech, content, taxation, and decision-making.
OFFICIAL LANGUAGE
The official language of the conference is English with some limited translation available by special prearrangement. Some limited financial assistance will be available for participants or invited speakers with specific needs. High-speed connectivity and audio/visual equipment will be provided on-site in the session rooms.
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
Please submit your proposal by 15 DECEMBER 2001, using the web interface at:
http://www.isoc.org/inet2002/cfc
Possible formats for proposals
  • Presentation
  • Moderated Panel
  • Topic oriented workshop
  • Demonstration
  • Poster


Questions or comments to inet2002@isoc.org.

New Links
Support the Seattle Statement and a New Public Sphere!
In May, 2000, activists at the "Shaping the Network Society" symposium developed the "Seattle Statement" calling for a new public sphere in which citizens can freely participate in determining their own destiny and the destiny of our communities. It is our belief that the civic sector must take an immediate and decisive role if the evolving new communication and information infrastructure is to truly serve people and communities.
The "public sphere" is the totality of "settings" including physical spaces and communication "spaces" where people can meet and exchange ideas. It is through the use of these "spaces" that democratic societies are created and maintained. Without a multitude of thriving "public spheres" worldwide the people's ability to manage their affairs equitably and effectively is impossible.
Large computer and media companies and government institutions can't be relied upon to build the "public sphere" that citizens and communities need. For that reason we must take an active role in defining the services, technologies, and policies that will support the needs of the people and the earth in the new millennium.
Please get involved with this struggle! If you support the development of inclusive, democratic public spaces -- in both virtual and non-virtual realms -- then please help carry this work forward.
You can electronically "sign" the Seattle Statement at http://www.scn.org/cpsr/diac-00/seattle-statement.html.
Seattle Statement
The world is becoming globalized and communications technology is an important part of that process.
The human race is faced with a multitude of major problems that are receiving inadequate attention.
Civic society throughout the world has enormous -- insufficiently tapped -- resources including creativity, compassion, intelligence, and dedication which can help address these problems.
At the same time civic society is undervalued and threatened.
Information and communication technology offers enormous potential for civic society for education, health, arts & culture, social services, social activism, deliberation, agenda setting, discussion, and democratic governance.
Active, informed citizen participation is the key to shaping the network society. A new "Public Sphere" is required.
The KnowNet Initiative
We have initiated a section on upcoming events relating to ICT and Knowledge Management on our website at http://www.knownet.org (under the events section) and also at our mirror website at http://www.cddc.vt.edu/knownet
The KnowNet initiative centers around using and propagating ICT models for creating an open system for recognising, valuing, enriching and sharing of local knowledge, in parallel with human capacity building efforts. This will lead to a two-way process of people accessing information and knowledge for development and also information and knowledge finding its way to the probable users.
KnowNet aims to empower communities to use ICT models for creating of Livelihood Opportunites, to evolve better Coping Mechanisms, and seek better Governance to improve their Quality of lives, on the basis of their own knowledge and efforts.