Network Usage Fees: The European Commission Plays Politics with the Global Internet

The European Commission is playing politics with the global Internet. It’s time it clearly rejected the idea of “network usage fees” once and for all. What is the European Commission doing? In February 2023, the European Commission launched a public consultation on “The future of the electronic communications sector and its infrastructure,” a highly anticipated …

Building More Affordable and Reliable Internet Access in the Arctic

Last August, Canada’s Northwest Territories experienced great success along with great tragedy. The remote community of Ulukhaktok launched the Arctic’s first community network in the midst of Canada’s worst forest fire season on record. These contrasting events shed critical light on the importance of lowering barriers to access and preventing Internet fragmentation. As smoke and …

Techxit: The UK Declares Its Exit from the High-Tech Startup World

No one in their right mind would now want to start up a high-tech company in the UK. With a last-minute addition to the Online Safety Bill (OSB), the UK government made it clear that startups are no longer welcome in the UK. Previously, the OSB applied to “regulated services” that had to be above …

What’s the Internet Like Today?

Every day as I get my son ready for daycare, I recite seven words: “Hey Google, what’s the weather like today?” The results from this now-‘ritual’ search dictate what he’ll wear, what type of extra clothes I will pack, and whether we’ll need a jacket for the bike ride. Whatever way you seek to learn …

Understanding Net Neutrality and Why It Matters

Imagine you’re watching a live political debate on your phone, streamed by your national public broadcaster. It’s painfully slow. You miss most of what the candidates say as the video freezes and the audio gets choppy. Meanwhile, your next-door neighbor—who pays for the same Internet plan from the same provider—is watching a newly released movie …

Encryption, Bad Bills, and Ripple Effects: How Riana Pfefferkorn Protects the Internet

We spoke with Riana Pfefferkorn, research scholar at the Stanford Internet Observatory, about encryption and protecting the Internet. The post Encryption, Bad Bills, and Ripple Effects: How Riana Pfefferkorn Protects the Internet appeared first on Internet Society.

An Internet Champion for Africa: Remembering Pierre Ouédraogo

On 13 July 2023, the African Internet technical community lost one of its stars, Pierre Ouédraogo, fondly known by his peers as “Pierre O.” Pierre was such an important part of the community that it is difficult to imagine it without him. Not only was he a true Internet champion, he was a great friend …