Is a More Democratic Internet Possible?

In summer 2020, Germany will present to the United Nations suggestions for the reform of the global cooperation infrastructure. At the core of this process rest the questions: Who will decide on the rules and development of the Internet? Will it be states? States in cooperation with the private sector and civil society? Given the political, societal, and economic importance of the Internet, this reform will be a crucial turning point coming to define the future of global communication and cooperation. Germany’s contribution to this process alongside the role of the countries of the Global South will be essential for a people-oriented and sustainable digitalisation.

This GIGA Forum, organised in cooperation with the Leibniz Institute for Media Research | Hans-Bredow-Institut (HBI), analyses the reform process, reveals potential pitfalls, and sheds light on the prospects of reformed global regulation of the Internet.

Introduction and moderation: PD Dr. Matthias C. Kettemann is Research Program Head at the Leibniz Institute for Media Research | Hans-Bredow-Institut (HBI) in Hamburg, Germany.

Panel: Dr. Rudolf Gridl is Head of the Division “Internet Governance and International Digital Dialogue” in the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi) in Berlin, Germany.

Dr. Julia Pohle is Senior Researcher in the Research Group “Politics of Digitalization“ at the Berlin Social Science Center (WZB), Germany.

Prof. Dr. Bert Hoffmann is Lead Research Fellow at the Institute for Global and Area Studies (GIGA) in Hamburg, Germany.