Action Plan 2022 – Internet Society

Three decades ago, it was an ordinary object you’d find in a kitchen: a wok. But through ingenuity and the desire to make the world a better place, it was repurposed as a Wi-Fi antenna, making Internet access possible for those hardest to reach.
There is no doubt about it: The Internet has unleashed human creativity, determination, and innovation—and since the Internet Society’s founding 30 years ago, people have applied these qualities to address the world’s biggest challenges.
The Internet needs these people.
Growing, protecting, and strengthening the Internet has been essential for decades, yet the next 30 years will be pivotal. Right now, we have the chance to shape how the world accesses and uses the Internet.
The actions we take now are critical.
The Internet Society’s Action Plan 2022 provides a roadmap to keep the Internet a resource for everyone, everywhere.
For decades to come.
Accelerating technological innovation and the digitization of essential services like healthcare and education are leading to a wider digital divide. Inequalities are deepening, with some countries, communities, and regions are benefitting from fast, affordable Internet connections, while others lack access altogether. This must change.
In 2022, the Internet Society will grow the Internet by helping community networks succeed; developing local Internet ecosystems and strengthening cross-border interconnection; supporting new and established technical communities; measuring the health, availability, and evolution of the Internet; and exploring opportunities related to Low Earth Orbit satellites (LEOs).
For nearly half the world, on every continent in rural, remote, and even urban communities alike, each day without Internet access is a day of lost opportunity. Community networks are a way to bridge this connectivity gap.
Community networks are a way to bridge
the connectivity gap.
A considerable amount of money is spent every year to route Internet traffic through expensive international links. This circuitous route negatively impacts the user experience and increases local Internet costs. Increased costs can delay user uptake and opportunity. Reports and studies have shown that Internet Exchange Points (IXPs) are not only effective in improving the end-user experience and lowering cost of access, but they also prompt development of the local Internet ecosystem and cross-border interconnection.
IXPs improve the end-user experience, lower cost of access, and prompt development of local Internet ecosystems and cross-border interconnection.
The Internet Society remains committed to growing the peering ecosystem through the development of IXPs across the globe and to strengthening interconnection so that the Internet is cheaper, faster, and more resilient.
Technical communities—including Network Operator Groups, National Research and Education Networks, Domain Name System Forums, Regional Internet Registries, and peering forums—are at the heart of a sustainable local Internet ecosystem. They play a vital role in identifying communities in need, nurturing strong technical experts, and building relationships with local partners with whom we collaborate.
Technical communities play a vital role in identifying
communities in need, nurturing strong technical
experts, and building relationships with local partners.
The Pulse platform is a valuable resource for policymakers, researchers, journalists, network operators, civil society groups, technologists, and Internet enthusiasts who rely on trusted data and insights to influence outcomes for an open, globally connected, trustworthy, and secure Internet.
Since its launch in 2020, Internet Society Pulse has provided meaningful, reliable, and understandable data about the health, availability, and evolution of the Internet.
Internet Society Pulse has provided meaningful, reliable, and understandable data about the health, availability, and evolution of the Internet.
Companies such as SpaceX, Amazon, OneWeb, Telesat, and others are racing to launch large systems of Low Earth Orbit satellites (LEOs) to provide Internet access. Could they help bridge the digital divide, particularly in rural regions, or will they create more challenges?
We will explore the pros and cons of LEOs for addressing the digital divide—and what factors policymakers and technologists should think about when examining them.
Could LEOs help bridge the digital divide or will they create more challenges?
The Internet was built to be built upon. Its open architecture makes it a critical resource for people across vast distances to come together to innovate and create for the greater good. This open architecture, however, leaves the structure and regulation of the Internet vulnerable to powerful parties.
In 2022, the Internet Society will promote and defend the Internet by equipping people to protect the strong foundation of the Internet, advocating for end-to-end encryption, securing global routing, facilitating knowledge exchange about network and distributed system security, and examining the many ways digital sovereignty is interpreted by those who seek to assert it.
The Internet is for everyone, but it’s not just our privilege to use it. It’s our collective responsibility to protect it. Over decades, the Internet has become a critical resource offering those with access virtually infinite opportunities to innovate and work together for the collective good.
To protect the Internet, we must illustrate what the Internet needs to work for everyone, champion Internet impact assessments as a best practice in decision-making processes, and place community at the forefront of advocacy efforts to make sure policy and technology developments support the Internet Way of Networking.
The Internet is for everyone, but it’s not just our privilege to use it. It’s our collective responsibility to protect it.
We continue to observe governments around the world making policy choices that could undermine encryption, which puts people’s personal security and privacy at risk, threatens economic development, and compromises the Internet’s global trustworthiness. We stand against policies or legislation that would encourage or force companies to weaken or limit the use of strong encryption.
We will continue to focus on advocacy, with the aim of engaging policymakers who have the power to either endorse use of strong encryption or to undermine it.
We will equip the Global Encryption Coalition and the Internet Society community with the tools needed to help increase awareness of the value of encryption.
From sending email to streaming videos, to making financial transactions, information travels across the Internet constantly. The global Internet routing system ensures the information arrives at its intended destination. However, by virtue of being open, the Internet’s global routing system is vulnerable to leaks, errors, and even attacks from nefarious actors. These can lead to misdirection of traffic and denial of service, resulting in reputational damage, lost revenue, and exposure of sensitive data.
We will continue to promote routing security and aim for broader uptake by network operators in routing security measures. Additionally, we will continue providing ongoing support to transition MANRS to a community-designed and community-led effort.
By virtue of being open, the Internet’s global routing system is vulnerable to leaks, errors, and even attacks from nefarious actors.
In 2022, we will continue to facilitate knowledge sharing, information exchange, and development of future generations of security experts by hosting the annual Network and Distributed System Security Symposium (NDSS). In its 27^th year, the NDSS symposium continues to evolve as it strives to grow the technical content and collaboration opportunities while exploring, we hope, the new possibilities of hybrid physical/virtual conference formats.
In its 27^th year, the NDSS symposium continues to evolve as it strives to grow the technical content and collaboration opportunities.
The term “digital sovereignty” is increasingly being used to rationalize government measures and policies that target or impact the Internet. Some of these could have negative consequences on the way the Internet operates and its utility to the global community.
Ultimately, this work advances the Internet Society’s and the wider community’s thinking as it relates to digital sovereignty and the Internet way of building networks by conducting a policy development process on the topic. Our hope is that the position will provide a foundation for future analysis.
The term “digital sovereignty” is increasingly being used to rationalize government measures and policies that target or impact the Internet.
Change happens when people with different opinions, ideas, and expertise engage in collective action toward a common goal. Our community of energetic and committed Individual Members, Organizational Members, Chapters, and SIGs bring positive change for the Internet by taking action in their own communities and regions. Through activities like volunteering, fundraising and advocacy, the Internet Society comes together to make the Internet bigger and stronger.
We will continue to empower Internet champions to take concerted action, focus on opportunities that support sustainable growth and greater impact, and amplify the positive impact we can achieve together.
In 2022, our efforts will include: strengthening our community by equipping them with the knowledge and resources they need; growing our pool of Internet champions through learning and fellowship opportunities; implementing improved tools that our community uses to connect with one another; pursuing partnership and funding opportunities to scale our efforts; and leveraging our subject matter expertise to shape legal precedent that aligns with our mission.
Our chapter leaders are a key to building local communities that thrive. We will support them with training, networking opportunities, and fundamental knowledge about Internet Society projects to ensure they have the tools they need to build local solutions to global Internet challenges.
Our chapter leaders are a key to building local communities that thrive.
The Internet Society community is made up of people everywhere who care about the Internet. Working together, we apply our diverse experiences, knowledge, and passion so everyone can benefit from the Internet. There are many ways for Internet Society members to get involved, including joining a special interest group and/or standing group where Internet Society members discuss shared topics of interest.
In 2022 we will help our special interest and/or standing groups to develop workplans and support them in achieving their 2022 goals.
Last year, our members shared feedback about what’s most important to them. At the top of the list were opportunities to network and get to know each other, exchange knowledge, learn from one another, and solve problems together.  With this feedback in mind, in 2022 we will deliver pragmatic content like newsletters, toolkits, and case studies. 
Opportunities to network and get to know each other, exchange knowledge, learn from one another, and solve problems together.
We will continue to focus our outreach to a broader, more diverse range of partners and potential funders, including private foundations, corporations, individuals, development banks, multilateral and international governmental organizations, and nonprofit associations. In doing so, we ensure sustainable growth, public support, and active participation of our partners which, in turn, advances and protects our ability to deliver on our mission and vision for years to come.
Sustainable growth, public support, active participation of our partners advances and protects our ability to deliver on our mission and vision.
When people are trained on technical, business, and/or policy aspects of growing and strengthening the Internet, they can more effectively build, promote, and defend it.
Through Learning @ Internet Society, our training and development program, we build the expertise of those who share our mission, so they are equipped with the knowledge they need to champion the Internet.
We build the expertise of those who share our mission, so they are equipped with the knowledge they need to champion the Internet.
Our impact is amplified when we equip the Internet champions of the future and empower the Internet champions of today.
To develop and equip our network of Internet champions, we will continue to offer the Early Career Fellowship, the Internet Governance Forum Youth Ambassador Program, and Internet Engineering Task Force Policy Program. We will also launch our Mid Career Fellowship, which is designed for Internet leaders who seek to advance their Internet-related careers by leveling up their skills and expertise.
Our impact is amplified when we equip the Internet champions of the future and empower the Internet champions of today.
Our community of dedicated individuals, organizations, and volunteers rely on software systems to stay connected to fellow community members and to engage with our efforts to make the Internet bigger and stronger.
We will continue efforts to modernize our platforms, including our association management and relationship management systems. We will ensure these platforms meet the needs of our community and provide the support they need to bring about global change in favor of an open, globally connected, trustworthy, and secure Internet.
We will continue efforts to modernize our platforms, including our association management and relationship management systems.
As an expert voice for a bigger, stronger Internet, we are positioned to offer subject-matter and technical expertise to courts. The new amicus curiae “friend of the court” initiative will help shape legal precedent in favor of an open, globally connected, trustworthy, and secure Internet. It will also create avenues for strengthening collaboration with our organizational members and building alliances with other organizations.
We anticipate four other organizations that are similarly committed to Internet-related matters will seek our support in the coordination of, or sign on to their briefs.
As an expert voice for a bigger, stronger Internet, we are positioned to offer subject-matter and technical expertise to courts.
Through the Internet Society’s 30 years, the Internet has evolved to have a profound impact on our society, changing the way many of us live. Fittingly, the very nature of this growth—rapid, exponential—has led us to a tipping point. As the Internet has shaped much of what our world looks like now, our society has begun to shape the Internet in profound ways, too.
Whether natural or human-made, barriers exist that keep billions of people on the wrong side of the digital divide—and as you read these words, policies are being debated that could harm the Internet as we know it.
Where our society lands on both these issues will resonate for decades to come.
Imagine a world in which every single person who wants to, can access the Internet enjoying all its benefits free of interference from those who wish to regulate it.
We have a chance to make this vision a reality now. To create an equitable and accessible Internet for everyone. This Action Plan shows us how.
By working alongside our global community, we will ensure the Internet is for everyone.
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