Barkha Manral

Organization:

Founder of IIRO

Country:

India

Email:

barkha.manral [at] nkn.in

Blog:

https://barkhablogs.substack.com

Facebook:

Barkha Manral

LinkedIn:

Barkha Manral

Twitter:

@manralbarkha

	Featured in the ICANN 78 - Hamburg Playing Card Deck

Barkha Manral is a professional with a strong background in technology, Internet governance, and policy. She has expertise in cybersecurity, data governance, and network infrastructure, with over five years of experience in technical and communications roles.She is found of Indian Internet Research organisation.

She is also deeply involved in Internet governance initiatives at national, regional, and global levels. Barkha has been an ICANN Fellow twice, an APSIG Fellow, and an active contributor to organizations like APRALO, ISOC (Delhi Chapter), and NetMission Academy. She has moderated workshops at the IGF, led capacity-building efforts, and organized community-driven Internet governance forums, including Youth IGF India.She also initiated the LOCAL APIGA India chapter which was commenced in O.P.Jindal Global University, Sonipat, Haryana, India.Beyond her professional roles, Barkha is a part of a small NGO in Uttarakhand, focused on digital upskilling and empowering women to achieve financial independence through technolog.

She is currently exploring opportunities in tech policy, research, and freelancing, with a particular interest in roles related to Internet Policy and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in the tech industry. Additionally, she has co-authored two technical books and has contributed to major projects, including the National Knowledge Network (NKN) project in India.

Barkha was featured in the ICANN 78 - Hamburg Playing Card Deck

Interest and Skill Sets[edit | edit source]

Wired and Wireless Networks
Domain Name System
Writing technical blogs (available at https://technicalblogsbarkha.blogspot.com/)
Proofread the handbook - “TUNE INTO WLC” (ISBN No - 978-93-5419-656-0 and Copyright No L-97828/2020) and co-authored the book “AN INTRODUCTION TO CYBER THREAT INTELLIGENCE” (ISBN No - 978-93-5419-269-2 and Copyright No L-98405/2021).
Policymaking and curating

India Internet Research Organisation[edit | edit source]

The Indian Internet Research Orgnaisatiob (IIRO) is a bottom-up initiative started by a group of dedicated volunteers who understand and utilize the potential of the Internet to drive progress, innovation, and social change. IIRO members comprises of Technology enthusiasts, activists for digital rights, leaders of Internet governance, cyber security professionals, and other activists. All of them come together to work towards their common goal of building an inclusive and secure digital ecosystem in India.

The aim of IIRO is to seek perform relevant research, policy advocacy, and community mobilization focused on shaping the future of the internet in India. Our priority areas are internet governance, cyber security, digital rights, cutting edge technologies, access and inclusion, and online safety. We work together with scholars, government officials, civil society, and business professionals in order to start conversations and propose solutions that are beneficial to the entire community.

Believing in the free exchange of ideas, sharing of information, and grassroots engagement, we strive to make sure that the newest digital policies and innovations serve the public interest. As a volunteer-driven organization, we are actively willing to conduct workshops, research projects, and community discussions to provide people with the tools needed for impactful engagement in global and national Internet governance.No matter who you are - a student, researcher or policy maker - if you’re passionate about the Internet, we welcome you at IIRO. Help us enhance the future of the digital space in India by contributing, collaborating, and making an impact.

Internet Governance[edit | edit source]

She entered the world of Internet governance in 2020. Her journey of understanding and growth led her to the Youth Internet Governance Forum-India, where she joined as an Organizing Committee member for the 6th edition. This marked the beginning of her learning and development journey. She became a fellow at ICANN78 and engaged with ICANN's Advisory Committee RALOs. Regionally, she became involved with NetMission.Asia as an ambassador and is currently an active member in various NetMission initiatives. She continued her involvement by joining ICANN80 as a fellow alumnus and was a fellow at APSIG2024. She has been selected for ICANN 83 as well.She is still learning and expanding her understanding of Internet governance through the perspectives of community members and end users.

Education[edit | edit source]

Barkha Manral completed her B.Sc. in Life sciences from Ramjas College, University of Delhi, India in 2017. She has dual Master degree, one in Public Administration and other in Computer Applications from IGNOU. She holds certifications like CBS (IGNOU), JNCIA-MIST AI, CISCO-NETWORKING ESSENTIALS, CISCO-INTRODUCTION TO CYBER SECURITY, and BASICS OF GIS.