As face-to-face and public discussions from classrooms to business meetings have been forced to move online exclusively, the substantial increase in traffic is already straining the world’s internet infrastructure. What are the long-term implications of this surging demand? How will the design of the internet change to accommodate the video and other tech platforms that we will increasingly rely on? How will governments and companies manage the surge in traffic and what will it mean for internet shutdowns and censorship? How will this dynamic affect the next range of internet standards meetings which will be taking place virtually for the first time in three decades?
This webinar convened leading experts to understand the changing landscape for internet infrastructure and technology in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Key issues included the responses of telecom providers and technology companies to the recent surge in traffic and the policy reforms and standards needed to adapt to the new demands of a digital society.
Speakers
Mehwish Ansari, Article 19
Joseph Lorenzo Hall, Internet Society
Niels ten Oever, University of Amsterdam
Maria Xynou, OONI
Moderator
Michael Brennan, Ford Foundation
Video archive
Password: PROTOCOL
Co-sponsored by Ariadne Network, Human Rights Funders Network, Neighborhood Funders Group, and Rockefeller Brothers Fund.
