Exploring the Future of Internet Governance at IGF 2024

By Hounaz Beheshti, Policy Advisor Media & Human Rights, and Christina Triantafyllidi, Head of Global Partnerships and Strategic Development 

The Internet Governance Forum (IGF) 2024 offered a platform for crucial conversations about shaping a fair and inclusive digital future. IGF serves as a cornerstone for addressing challenges in connectivity, inclusion, and equitable governance of the internet. In the context of a rapidly evolving digital landscape, the forum’s role is indispensable. However, while the discussions this year focused on critical areas such as disinformation, digital inclusion, and the ethical use of artificial intelligence (AI), emphasizing the importance of amplifying underrepresented perspectives, particularly those from the Global South, like previous years the forum appeared to prioritize high-level policy discussions, often missing broader and diverse sectoral representation that could add valuable insight to policy conversations. Participation of diverse voices—from tech leaders to civil society organizations (CSOs) and human rights defenders—is essential to drive collaborative solutions that uphold human rights and promote innovation. 

Defending Voices and Expressions in Africa and the Middle East
One of the most pressing themes at IGF2024 was the increasing misuse of cybercrime laws and digital regulations to stifle free expression, particularly in Africa and the Middle East. Marginalized communities often bear the brunt of these restrictive measures, which threaten civic spaces and hinder advocacy efforts. Similar incidents reported during multiple editions of IGF in recent years have heightened concerns and highlighted the urgent need for stronger protections for civic spaces and proactive measures to resist censorship. In this context, it is essential not to overlook the issue of self-censorship, often driven by restrictive measures embedded in policy frameworks that fail to safeguard critical voices in all their diversity. 

Another major concern raised was the prevalence of dis-, mis-, and mal-information, which is increasingly viewed as the primary threat to a healthy information ecosystem, endangering access to reliable information. While the internet governance community heavily relies on fact-checking as a meaningful solution to the challenges posed by disinformation, research suggests that fact-checking alone is not always effective, particularly in cases where audiences are deeply invested in the sentiment behind a piece of information. For this reason, RNW Media has incorporated methods of offering counter-narratives to safeguard information integrity, address disinformation, and foster discussions that embrace a plurality of viewpoints to drive meaningful change.  

AI and Disinformation: Safeguarding Electoral Processes
AI’s role in shaping elections emerged as both a challenge and an opportunity. While AI technologies have been harnessed to improve voter engagement and accessibility in some regions, their misuse for spreading disinformation and enabling algorithmic bias poses significant risks. The year 2024 saw multiple global presidential elections. In this context, transparent platform governance and ethical AI practices proved vital for safeguarding media and information integrity, as well as ensuring access to reliable information—key pillars in upholding democracies. IGF 2024 highlighted how widespread layoffs in tech companies have hampered efforts to monitor electoral processes, emphasizing the need for sustained investments in tools that promote information integrity. As media development organisation and a representative of voices from the Global South, we see the urgent need to bridge the gap between global and local internet governance policies and implementation measures. Ethical standards of transparency and accountability must be integrated into AI practices worldwide, not just in the leading digital sphere. 

Bridging Gaps in Internet Governance
The forum emphasized the importance of multistakeholder collaboration in fostering trust and accountability within the digital ecosystem. Several sessions pointed to significant representation gaps, particularly from civil society and marginalised communities, as critical challenges to address moving forward. “We’re scratching the surface,” remarked Anriette Esterhuysen, a human rights advocate, computer networking pioneer, and Chair of the IGF Multistakeholder Advisory Group, highlighting the urgency of governance models that prioritize equity and meaningful inclusion. 

In response to these challenges, RNW Media collaborates with its global network, The Vine, to explore how local digital spaces intersect with those of more technologically advanced regions. By examining the flow and circulation of disinformation on specific topics within diverse contexts, RNW Media sheds light on its connections to similar issues in better-protected digital environments and the significant spillover effects that arise. This approach not only fosters a deeper understanding of the global disinformation landscape but also supports the creation of tailored, inclusive strategies that can combat digital rights challenges globally. 

Bridging the Digital Divide: Empowering Media for Inclusion 

Addressing the digital divide—including the affordability and accessibility of the internet—was a recurring theme at the forum. While it is essential for governance discussions to prioritize the inclusion of voices from all sectors and regions, developing the capacity of influential groups, such as independent media and public interest journalists, is equally critical. These groups have the potential to impact their communities, fostering greater inclusion and representation. 

Inclusive moderation strategies that encourage participation exemplify innovative, cost-effective approaches to promoting digital inclusion. At RNW Media, our work on media viability focuses on equipping independent media with the tools and skills needed to leverage digital technologies for greater societal impact. Additionally, we provide financial support and technical guidance to initiatives that use digital media to address human rights challenges. A prime example of this commitment is our Innovation Fund project, a sub-granting mechanism through which we support digital media initiatives annually.  

Moving forward, an essential consideration in the role of media in bridging the digital divide is empowering minority voices by providing them with the tools and skills necessary to harness media in advancing their causes. However, as minorities establish their presence online, they face greater adversities than other groups, including hate speech and bullying, which makes it critical to safeguard their mental health and well-being through ongoing support. This underscores the importance of integrating the rights and protective measures for marginalized groups into policy and funding frameworks for internet governance. 

RNW Media’s Role and the Path Forward 

As a participant at IGF 2024, RNW Media aimed to play an active role in championing underrepresented voices and fostering meaningful discussions. In a space where civil society organizations were noticeably underrepresented, we focused on amplifying perspectives from the Global South by highlighting issues related to media viability and information integrity. 

Looking ahead, we are eager to engage in multi-stakeholder and multilateral collaborations that prioritize a comprehensive approach to AI governance. These efforts should emphasize both the ethics of AI and the ethical use of AI in the work of independent media and public interest journalism.