Internet governance and the information society : global perspectives and European dimensions

The legal, social, and economic implications of the information society permeate every fiber of public life in the real world, influencing politics and policies and testing the limits of traditional notions of law, concepts of regulations, and systems of governance. Uniting an impressive array of authors, this book broaches the challenges of internet governance in the information society. Renowned scholars and practitioners - from, among others, the Council of Europe, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, the United Nations Internet Governance Forum, academia, and business - shed light on both the global perspectives and the European dimensions of internet governance. The book brings together presentations delivered at two workshops organized at the University of Graz as part of a project studying the role of multi-stakeholder participation for the implementation of human rights approaches in a connected world. It identifies 2010 as the year where fundamental decisions on the future of the internet as we know it will be reached. The contributions describe the challenges ahead and the road to travel by. It is essential reading for anyone interested in the future of internet governance.

• List of Contributors p. vii
• List of Abbreviations p. ix
• Preface p. xiii
• Introduction p. 1 Wolfgang Benedek
• Part I Global Perspectives on Internet Governance p. 7
• Multi-Stakeholder Internet Governance: the Role of Governments p. 9 Wolfgang Kleinwachter
• Internet Governance and Human Rights p. 31 Wolfgang Benedek
• E-Inclusion as a Means to Bridge the Digital Divides: Conceptual Issues and International Approaches p. 51 Matthias C. Kettemann
• The Internet Governance Forum: its Development, Function and Future p. 63 Chengetai Masango
• Role and Perspectives of ICANN p. 79 Erich Schweighofer
• Part II European Dimensions of Internet Governance p. 93
• Internet Governance in the OSCE Region: Media Freedom, Human Security and the Multi-Stakeholder Approach p. 95 Christian Moller
• The Council of Europe's Contribution to Internet Governance p. 107 Henrik W. K. Kaspersen
• Regionalizing E-Inclusion: Approaches of the EU and Austria p. 115 Veronika Bauer
• European Internet Policies Between Regulation and Governance: Issues with Content Regulation p. 127 Meryem Marzouki
• The Domain Name System and Internet Governance Based on the Examples of .at Domains and IDNs p. 141 Barbara Schlossbauer and Richard Wein
• Part III Conclusions and Perspectives p. 161
• Internet Governance, Quo Vadis? Meeting the Challenges of Internet Governance in a Multi-Stakeholder Environment p. 163 Matthias C. Kettemann and Veronika Bauer
• Index p. 173