- 64 % of Internet users assess Internet Governance to be a theme of strategic importance for the German economy
- 76% reject stronger regulation of the Internet through politics
- eco calls for the expansion of established Internet Governance structures and a continuation and strengthening of the multi-stakeholder model
“Who owns the Internet?” or put another way, “Who should control the Internet?” These questions are currently being discussed in the context of international Internet Governance negotiations – most recently at the 49th ICANN Conference in Singapore, which comes to an end today. German Internet users are taking a clear stand: less political regulation, more self-administration – this, in summary, is the result of a new representative survey of one thousand Internet users aged between 18 and 65 from all over Germany, undertaken by the opinion research institute TNS Emnid for eco – Association of the German Internet Industry e.V.
According to the survey, the great majority of Internet users (76 percent) are of the opinion that the free, open and de-central structure of the Internet is a basic requirement for the democratic participation of all users. Regulatory measures through politics should, as a result, only be implemented in those places where it is absolutely necessary. There was, however, a clear rejection by Internet users of the push for re-nationalizing the Internet. More than half of the respondents (51 percent) do not see their civil rights or even national security as put at risk by the Internet, and are against the German Federal Government plans for the creation of a German or European Internet.
Strong multi-stakeholder model as alternative to the US leadership role
A leading role in Internet administration has been played by the US Government to date, which, through its Commerce Department, supervises the Internet address administration of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers. The USA now wants to give up this control function by September 2015. How ICANN’s control over the Domain Name System by should be organized from next year on is still unclear and is at the center of international negotiations such as the ICANN meeting in Singapore, which comes to an end today.
The majority of the Internet users questioned (around 40 percent), according to the eco survey, are of the opinion that the EU should take on more responsibility for Internet Governance, followed closely by international organizations like, for example, the United Nations, which 35 percent of the Internet users would like to see being more strongly involved in Internet administration. At the same time, a third of respondents (32 percent) also see a direct responsibility for Internet Governance lying with the users themselves.
This public opinion speaks in favor of the expansion of a strong multi-stakeholder model in Internet administration, just as eco’s recently published paper, the Guidelines for the Future Design of Internet Governance, calls for: “The multi-stakeholder model has proven itself to be a reliable concept for the dialogue between various players and for the regulating of fundamental Internet functions. In order to strengthen it in the long-term, we need a strong legitimation process for all institutions and people involved in Internet Governance,” said Oliver Süme, eco Director of Policy and Law and Vice Chairman. Control of Internet administration through national regulation or inter-governmental organizations is no alternative, Süme said.
The eco Guidelines on Internet Governance can be downloaded here.