Report of the Working Group on Internet Governance (WGIG)

As mandated by the first phase of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), the Secretary-General of the UN set up the WGIG. This report offers a working definition of Internet governance. It also identifies four public policy issues relevant to Internet governance (infrastructure, network security and cybercrime, intellectual property rights (IPRs) and international trade, and capacity-building) and assesses the adequacy of current governance arrangements in addressing them. It also reviews the roles and responsibilities of all stakeholders in Internet governance: governments, the private sector, and civil society. Furthermore, recommendations related to Internet governance mechanisms including forum function, global public policy and oversight, institutional coordination, and regional and national coordination, are made. Recommendations to address Internet-related issues including administration, IP addressing, interconnection costs, cybercrime, spam, freedom of expression, meaningful participation in global policy development, data protection and privacy rights, consumer rights, and multilingualism are made as well.