Internet Governance Forum 2017

The annual Internet Governance Forum (IGF) serves to bring people together from various stakeholder groups as equals, in discussions on public policy issues relating to the internet.

The 12th UN Internet Governance Forum (IGF), hosted by Switzerland at the Palais des Nations in Geneva from 18-21 December 2017, is the world's largest open platform for multi-stakeholder dialogue on digital policy issues. It is open for participation to everybody from all over in the world. There is no fee.

Titled "Shape Your Digital Future!", the IGF 2017 will allow participants to share experiences and to discuss the latest opportunities and challenges of digitisation with representatives from governments, private sector, civil society, the technical and academic communities, and international organisations.
 
The IGF 2017 will address questions relating to cyber security, the data economy, sustainable development, human rights on the internet, as well as the influence of digitisation on our economy, the media landscape and the political system.
 
As in previous years, a delegation from the joint Insafe-INHOPE network will be in attendance, hosting a customary booth in the IGF village to promote Safer Internet Day and the EC's Better Internet for Kids (BIK) agenda - if you're planning to attend IGF, please call by and say hello, have your photo taken with our fantastic SID props, and help us show that SID is a truly global campaign!
 
 
For more information about how Safer Internet Day 2018 was promoted and celebrated by IGF 2017 participants at the Insafe booth in the IGF village, read the dedicated article "Create, connect and share respect: Insafe-INHOPE network booth activities at IGF village".
 
Also at IGF, on Sunday, 17 December 2017, Day 0 of the event, Insafe and INHOPE have organised a panel session titled "Generation Z: Are children conditioned to accept terms and conditions?".
 
According to recent estimates, one in three internet users are children below the age of 18, with an increasing proportion living in the Global South. Members of the so-called "Generation Z" – born after the mid 1990s – can spend up to nine hours a day sharing photos, consuming "content" and talking to friends online. The technical affordances of the internet have made it possible for digital platforms to collect and monetise large amounts of personal information from children. While young social media users will typically consider themselves as proficient, the Growing Up Digital report published by the UK Children's Commissioner in January 2017 found that children sign up for terms and conditions they do not understand. 
 
This IGF session will therefore discussed how far children and young people understand the Terms and Conditions they agree upon when being online, downloading an app or creating an account on social media platforms. 
 
Speakers:
  • Irina Drexler - National coordinator of No Hate Speech Movement Romania
  • Deepak Tewari - Founder and CEO of Oyoty
  • Vanessa Berning - Youth panelist from the Netherlands
  • Wilma Westenberg - Youth panelist from the Netherlands
  • Haris Kyritsis - Student at National Kapodistian University of Athens (NKUA)
  • John Carr - Expert Adviser to the European NGO Alliance for Child Safety Online
Moderators:
  • Sofia Rasgado – Safer Internet Centre Portugal
  • Sabrina Vorbau – European Schoolnet, Insafe Coordination Team

For a more detailed account of the workshop, read the post-event article Insafe network kicks-off IGF 2017 with pre-event on child friendliness of terms and conditions.

For further information, consult the IGF website and follow the debates on Twitter using #IGF2017.