IGF-USA 2016

Event
Process	IGF
Date	Jul. 14, 2016
Region	NA
Country	United States of America
City	Washington DC
Venue	Center for Strategic and International Studies
Organizer	Internet Society US Washington D.C. Chapter
Websites	igfusa.us/igf-2016
← IGF-USA 2015 IGF-USA 2017 →

IGF-USA 2016 was held on Thursday July 14, 2016 at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C.

The Internet Governance Forum USA (IGF-USA) IGF-USA is an annual conference focused on Internet governance in the United States. It is a multistakeholder effort to illuminate issues and cultivate constructive discussions about the future of the Internet. This year's event represents an important national effort to contribute to the global IGF – the UN’s initiative on Internet governance.

Keynotes and Panels

Panels

The conference featured major keynote speakers and panel discussions focused on critical Internet policy issues including:

• ICANN Accountability

• The IANA Transition: This panel summarized the transition plan and new accountability mechanisms for ICANN. Panelists with diverse views debated whether that plan has adequately addressed concerns and questions from Congress and others. Also, each offered views on what Congress and the Administration should do next.

• Managing Opportunities and Risks of the Internet of Things (IoT) and Big Data: This panel discussed the potencial of IoT and what would be needed for it to succeed. Within IGF, the IoT Dynamic Coalition was active proposing a global framework for the IoT, discussing the management of the opportunities and risks associated with protecting IoT privacy and security while enabling innovation.

• Expanding Broadband Access: This panel discussed many gaps existing not only in basic Internet connectivity, but also in digital skills, and in applications that can make a difference to the "under connected" and the "yet to be connected" users of the United States, and from all parts of the world.

• Promoting Human Rights Online: In the wake of the terrorist attacks in San Bernardino, Paris and Brussels and the ongoing fight against ISIS, countering violent extremism (CVE) became a major policy agenda domestically and internationally. While governments have a legitimate interest in combatting terrorism, the impact of the CVE agenda on human rights online has been a motive for discussion. The debate over countering violent extremism online posed critical questions about how to balance human rights and legitimate national security interests online.

• Privacy v. Security: The debate over encryption has been about values of privacy and security. In this panel, the speakers talked about translating these values into legal standards and norms, both reflecting and protecting core U.S. values (like Privacy/Bill of Rights) and understandable at a global level. The panel began with several proposals before Congress at the time and followed with a discussion about these proposals and the ideas they raise by an expert panel reflecting diverse constituencies and areas of expertise.

• Digital Trade: This panel focused on emerging best practices to expand digital inclusion and broadband access and adoption to areas of the country that have been historically underserved, including rural, remote and Indigenous communities, people with accessibility challenges, and low income populations.

Keynotes

• Catherine A. Novelli – Under Secretary of State & Senior Coordinator for International Information Technology Diplomacy.
• Lawrence E. Strickling – Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information and Administrator, National Telecommunications and Information Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce.
• Ambassador Daniel A. Sepulveda – U.S. Coordinator for International Communications and Information Policy, U.S. Department of State.
• Lee Rainie – Director of Internet, Science and Technology Research, Pew Research Center
• David Farber – Adjunct Professor of Internet Studies and Distinguished Career Professor of Computer Science and Public Policy, School of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon University

North America, according to the ICANN Geographic Regions (ICANN Geographic Regions).

Internet Governance Forum