Development

How can technical standards bridge or broaden the digital divide?

At the Internet Governance Forum 2025 in Lillestrøm, Norway, the Freedom Online Coalition convened a diverse panel to explore how technical standards shape global connectivity and inclusion. The session, moderated by Laura O’Brien, Senior International Counsel at Access Now, highlighted how open and interoperable standards can empower underserved communities.

Divine Agbeti, Director General of the Cybersecurity Authority of Ghana, shared how mobile money systems helped bring over 80% of Ghana’s adult population into the digital financial fold—an example of how shared standards translate into real-world impact, especially across Africa. However, the conversation quickly turned to the systemic barriers that exclude many from the standard-setting process itself.

ICANN’s At-Large Advisory Committee member emphasised challenges like high membership fees, lack of transparency, English-only proceedings, and complex technical jargon.

Stephanie Borg Psaila, Director of Digital Policy at Diplo, presented detailed research mapping these hurdles across bodies like ITU, ICANN, and IETF, and called for reforms such as multilingual interpretation, hybrid meeting formats, and adjusted membership models to enable broader civil society participation.

Stephanie Borg Psaila

Security and infrastructure governance also featured prominently. Rose Payne, Policy and Advocacy Lead at Global Partners Digital, spotlighted the role of technical standards in safeguarding subsea cables—which carry 95–99% of transnational data—but also pointed to the limitations of technical solutions when facing geopolitical threats.

She underscored the urgency of updating international legal frameworks like UNCLOS and fostering cooperation between governments, the private sector, and civil society. Alex Walden, Global Head of Human Rights at Google, also reaffirmed the private sector’s role in investing in global connectivity while advocating for human rights-based frameworks and inclusive multistakeholder participation.

While the session closed on a constructive note, tensions emerged during the Q&A. Technical community members like Colin Perkins (University of Glasgow) and Harold, a technologist and civil society advocate, challenged the panel’s framing, arguing that distinctions between technical and civil society actors are often artificial and counterproductive.

Panellists responded diplomatically, acknowledging the need for more nuanced engagement and mutual understanding. Despite differing views, the forum concluded with shared commitments: dismantling barriers to participation, building cross-sectoral capacity, and grounding technical governance in international human rights from the outset.

Track all key moments from the Internet Governance Forum 2025 on our dedicated IGF page.

YouTube adds AI search results for travel, shopping and more

YouTube is launching a new AI-powered search feature that mirrors Google’s AI Overviews, aiming to improve how users discover content on the platform.

The update introduces an ‘AI-powered search results carousel’ when YouTube users search for shopping, travel, or local activities.

The carousel offers a collection of video thumbnails and an AI-generated summary highlighting the key topics related to the search. For example, someone searching for ‘best beaches in Hawaii’ might see curated clips of snorkelling locations, volcanic coastlines, and planning tips — all surfaced by the AI.

Currently, the feature is available only to YouTube Premium users in the US. However, the platform plans to expand its conversational AI tool — which provides deeper insights, suggestions, and video summaries — to non-Premium users in the US soon.

That tool was first launched in 2023 to help users better understand content while watching.

YouTube is doubling down on AI features to keep users engaged and make content discovery more intuitive, especially in categories involving planning and decision-making.

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DeepSeek struggles to launch R2 amid NVIDIA chip shortage

The launch of DeepSeek’s next-generation AI model, R2, is expected to face delays due to a shortage of NVIDIA H20 chips in China.

These chips, designed specifically for the Chinese market following US export restrictions, are essential for running DeepSeek’s highly optimised models.

The ban on H20 shipments in April has triggered widespread concern among cloud providers about the scalability of R2, especially if it outperforms existing open-source models.

CEO Liang Wenfeng has reportedly held back the model’s release, expressing dissatisfaction with its current performance.

Engineers continue refining R2, but the lack of compatible hardware poses a deeper challenge. DeepSeek’s reliance on NVIDIA architecture makes switching to Chinese chips inefficient, as the models are tightly built for NVIDIA’s software and hardware ecosystem.

Some Chinese firms have begun using workarounds by flying engineers to Malaysia, where NVIDIA chips are still available in local data centres.

After training their models abroad, teams return to China with trained systems. Others rely on gaming GPUs like the RTX 5090, which are easier to access via grey markets despite restrictions.

While Chinese tech giants ordered 1.2 million H20 chips earlier in 2025 to meet demand sparked by R1’s success, inventory is still unlikely to support a full R2 rollout.

Companies outside China may launch R2 more easily without facing the same export hurdles.

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Meta hires top OpenAI researcher for AI superintelligence push

Meta has reportedly hired AI researcher Trapit Bansal, who previously worked closely with OpenAI co-founder Ilya Sutskever on reinforcement learning and co-created the o1 reasoning model.

Bansal joins Meta’s ambitious superintelligence team, which is focused on further pushing AI reasoning capabilities.

Former Scale AI CEO Alexandr Wang leads the new team, brought in after Meta invested $14.3 billion in the AI data labelling company.

Alongside Bansal, several other notable figures have recently joined, including three OpenAI researchers from Zurich, a former Google DeepMind expert, Jack Rae, and a senior machine learning lead from Sesame AI.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is accelerating AI recruitment by negotiating with prominent names like former GitHub CEO Nat Friedman and Safe Superintelligence co-founder Daniel Gross.

Despite these aggressive efforts, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman revealed that even $100 million joining bonuses have failed to lure key staff away from his firm.

Zuckerberg has also explored acquiring startups such as Sutskever’s Safe SuperIntelligence and Perplexity AI, further highlighting Meta’s urgency in catching up in the generative AI race.

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Hawaiian Airlines confirms flights are safe despite cyberattack

Hawaiian Airlines has reported a cyberattack that affected parts of its IT infrastructure, though the carrier confirmed all flights remain unaffected and are operating as scheduled.

Now part of the Alaska Air Group, the airline stated it is actively working with authorities and cybersecurity experts to investigate and resolve the incident.

In a statement, the airline stressed that the safety and security of passengers and staff remain its highest priority. It has taken steps to protect its systems, restoring affected services while continuing full operations. No disruption to passenger travel has been reported.

The exact nature of the attack has not been disclosed, and no group has claimed responsibility so far. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed it monitors the situation closely and remains in contact with the airline. It added that there has been no impact on flight safety.

Cyberattacks in aviation are becoming increasingly common due to the sector’s heavy reliance on complex digital systems. Earlier incidents this year included cyberattacks on WestJet and Japan Airlines, which caused operational disruptions but did not compromise passenger data.

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IGF 2025: Africa charts a sovereign path for AI governance

African leaders at the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) 2025 in Oslo called for urgent action to build sovereign and ethical AI systems tailored to local needs. Hosted by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the session brought together voices from government, civil society, and private enterprises.

Moderated by Ashana Kalemera, Programmes Manager at CIPESA, the discussion focused on ensuring AI supports democratic governance in Africa. ‘We must ensure AI reflects our realities,’ Kalemera said, emphasising fairness, transparency, and inclusion as guiding principles.

Executive Director of Policy Neema Iyer warned that AI harms governance through surveillance, disinformation, and political manipulation. ‘Civil society must act as watchdogs and storytellers,’ she said, urging public interest impact assessments and grassroots education.

Representing South Africa, Mlindi Mashologu stressed the need for transparent governance frameworks rooted in constitutional values. ‘Policies must be inclusive,’ he said, highlighting explainability, data bias removal, and citizen oversight as essential components of trustworthy AI.

Lacina Koné, CEO of Smart Africa, called for urgent action to avoid digital dependency. ‘We cannot be passively optimistic. Africa must be intentional,’ he stated. Over 1,000 African startups rely on foreign AI models, creating sovereignty risks.

Koné emphasised that Africa should focus on beneficial AI, not the most powerful. He highlighted agriculture, healthcare, and education sectors where local AI could transform. ‘It’s about opportunity for the many, not just the few,’ he said.

From Mauritania, Matchiane Soueid Ahmed shared her country’s experience developing a national AI strategy. Challenges include poor rural infrastructure, technical capacity gaps, and lack of institutional coordination. ‘Sovereignty is not just territorial—it’s digital too,’ she noted.

Shikoh Gitau, CEO of KALA in Kenya, brought a private sector perspective. ‘We must move from paper to pavement,’ she said. Her team runs an AI literacy campaign across six countries, training teachers directly through their communities.

Gitau stressed the importance of enabling environments and blended financing. ‘Governments should provide space, and private firms must raise awareness,’ she said. She also questioned imported frameworks: ‘What definition of democracy are we applying?’

Audience members from Gambia, Ghana, and Liberia raised key questions about harmonisation, youth fears over job loss and AI readiness. Koné responded that Smart Africa is benchmarking national strategies and promoting convergence without erasing national sovereignty.

Though 19 African countries have published AI strategies, speakers noted that implementation remains slow. Practical action—such as infrastructure upgrades, talent development, and public-private collaboration—is vital to bring these frameworks to life.

The panel underscored the need to build AI systems prioritising inclusion, utility, and human rights. Investments in digital literacy, ethics boards, and regulatory sandboxes were cited as key tools for democratic AI governance.

Kalemera concluded, ‘It’s not yet Uhuru for AI in Africa—but with the right investments and partnerships, the future is promising.’ The session reflected cautious optimism and a strong desire for Africa to shape its AI destiny.

Track all key moments from the Internet Governance Forum 2025 on our dedicated IGF page.

Internet Governance Forum marks 20 years of reshaping global digital policy

The 2025 Internet Governance Forum (IGF), held in Norway, offered a deep and wide-ranging reflection on the IGF’s 20-year journey in shaping digital governance and its prospects for the future.

Bringing together voices from governments, civil society, the technical community, business, and academia, the session celebrated the IGF’s unique role in institutionalising a multistakeholder approach to internet policymaking, particularly through inclusive and non-binding dialogue.

Moderated by Avri Doria, who has been with the IGF since its inception, the session focused on how the forum has influenced individuals, governments, and institutions across the globe. Doria described the IGF as a critical learning platform and a ‘home for evolving objectives’ that has helped connect people with vastly different viewpoints over the decades.

Professor Bitange Ndemo, Ambassador of Kenya to the European Union, reflected on his early scepticism, admitting that stakeholder consultation initially felt ‘painful’ for policymakers unfamiliar with collaborative approaches.

Over time, however, it proved ‘much, much easier’ for implementation and policy acceptance. ‘Thank God it went the IGF way,’ he said, emphasising how early IGF discussions guided Kenya and much of Africa in building digital infrastructure from the ground up.

Hans Petter Holen, Managing Director of RIPE NCC, underlined the importance of the IGF as a space where ‘technical realities meet policy aspirations’. He called for a permanent IGF mandate, stressing that uncertainty over its future limits its ability to shape digital governance effectively.

Renata Mielli, Chair of the Internet Steering Committee of Brazil (CGI.br), spoke about how IGF-inspired dialogue was key to shaping Brazil’s Internet Civil Rights Framework and Data Protection Law. ‘We are not talking about an event or a body, but an ecosystem,’ she said, advocating for the IGF to become the focal point for implementing the UN Global Digital Compact.

Funke Opeke, founder of MainOne in Nigeria, credited the IGF with helping drive West Africa’s digital transformation. ‘When we launched our submarine cable in 2010, penetration was close to 10%. Now it’s near 50%,’ she noted, urging continued support for inclusion and access in the Global South.

Qusai Al Shatti, from the Arab IGF, highlighted how the forum helped embed multistakeholder dialogue into governance across the Arab world, calling the IGF ‘the most successful outcome of WSIS‘.

From the civil society perspective, Chat Garcia Ramilo of the Association for Progressive Communications (APC) described the IGF as a platform to listen deeply, to speak, and, more importantly, to act’. She stressed the forum’s role in amplifying marginalised voices and pushing human rights and gender issues to the forefront of global internet policy.

Luca Belli of FGV Law School in Brazil echoed the need for better visibility of the IGF’s successes. Despite running four dynamic coalitions, he expressed frustration that many contributions go unnoticed. ‘We’re not good at celebrating success,’ he remarked.

Isabelle Lois, Vice Chair of the UN Commission on Science and Technology for Development (CSTD), emphasised the need to ‘connect the IGF to the wider WSIS architecture’ and ensure its outcomes influence broader UN digital frameworks.

Other voices joined online and from the floor, including Dr Robinson Sibbe of Digital Footprints Nigeria, who praised the IGF for contextualising cybersecurity challenges, and Emily Taylor, a UK researcher, who noted that the IGF had helped lay the groundwork for key initiatives like the IANA transition and the proliferation of internet exchange points across Africa.

Youth participants like Jasmine Maffei from Hong Kong and Piu from Myanmar stressed the IGF’s openness and accessibility. They called for their voices to be formally recognised within the multistakeholder model.

Veteran internet governance leader Markus Kummer reminded the room that the IGF’s ability to build trust and foster dialogue across divides enabled global cooperation during crucial events like the IANA transition.

Despite the celebratory tone, speakers repeatedly stressed three urgent needs: a permanent IGF mandate, stronger integration with global digital governance efforts such as the WSIS and Global Digital Compact, and broader inclusion of youth and underrepresented regions.

As the forum entered its third decade, many speakers agreed that the IGF’s legacy lies in its meetings or declarations and the relationships, trust, and governance culture it has helped create. The message from Norway was clear: in a fragmented and rapidly changing digital world, the IGF is more vital than ever—and its future must be secured.

Track all key moments from the Internet Governance Forum 2025 on our dedicated IGF page.

Bridging the digital divide through language inclusion

At the Internet Governance Forum 2025 in Norway, a high-level panel of global experts highlighted the urgent need to embed language inclusion into internet governance and digital rights frameworks.

While internet access has expanded globally, billions remain excluded from meaningful participation due to the continued dominance of a few major languages online.

Moderated by Ram Mohan, Chief Strategy Officer of Identity Digital and Chair of the newly formed Coalition on Digital Impact (CODI), the session brought together speakers from ICANN, the Unicode Consortium, DotAsia, DOTAU, the National Telecom and Regulatory Authority of Egypt, and other institutions. The consensus was clear: true digital inclusion is not possible without linguistic inclusion.

‘There are over 7,000 languages in the world, yet nearly half of online content is still in English,’ said Jennifer Chung, Vice President of Policy at DotAsia Organisation. ‘This creates barriers not just to access, but to culture, safety, and economic opportunity.’

Toral Cowieson, CEO of the Unicode Consortium, explained how foundational technical issues still limit language access. ‘Digital inclusion begins with character encoding. Things like date formatting or currency symbols work seamlessly for majority languages, but often break down for minority ones.’

Manal Ismail of Egypt’s National Telecom and Regulatory Authority stressed the importance of government involvement. ‘Language remains a fundamental axis of inequality online,’ she said. ‘We need multilingual access to be treated like other digital infrastructure, alongside cybersecurity and connectivity.’

IGF 2025, Norway, Language inclusion, Diversity
A man and woman sitting in chairs

Sophie Mitchell, Chief Communications Officer at DOTAU, drew attention to the challenges in Australia, where 30% of the population is born overseas and Indigenous languages face extinction. ‘Digital access alone isn’t enough. Without relevant content in native languages, people can’t participate meaningfully,’ she noted.

Theresa Swinehart, representing ICANN, described how historical bias in internet design continues to limit multilingual adoption. ‘We’ve made technical progress, but implementation lags due to awareness gaps. It’s time to lead by example,’ she urged.

Christian Dawson, Executive Director of the Internet Infrastructure Coalition and CODI co-founder, echoed this sentiment. ‘We’re not lacking technology—we’re lacking coordination and motivation. CODI was created to connect those doing good work and help them scale.’

The panel called for a shift from the prevailing ‘English-first’ approach to a ‘multilingual by design’ philosophy, where language accessibility is embedded in digital systems from the start rather than added later. As Chung put it, ‘It’s not just about preserving language—it’s about preserving culture, enhancing security, and enabling rights.’

Audience members also offered insights. Mohammed Abdul Haq Onu from the Bangladesh Internet Governance Forum highlighted successful efforts to promote Bangla language support. Elisabeth Carrera of Wikimedia Norway noted that 88% of traffic to Northern Sami Wikipedia comes from bots and language models, not humans—signalling both the promise and risks of AI in language preservation.

As part of the session’s outcome, each participant committed to concrete follow-up actions, including raising awareness, fostering collaboration, and supporting open data initiatives. The session closed on an optimistic note, with Mohan emphasising, ‘Technology should serve languages—not the other way around.’

The panel’s discussion marked a turning point, framing multilingual internet access not as a luxury, but as a fundamental digital right with far-reaching implications for cultural preservation, cybersecurity, and inclusive economic development.

Track all key moments from the Internet Governance Forum 2025 on our dedicated IGF page.

IGF and WSIS platforms must be strengthened, not replaced, say leaders

At the Internet Governance Forum 2025 in Lillestrøm, Norway, stakeholders gathered to assess the International Telecommunication Union’s (ITU) role in the WSIS Plus 20 review process.

The session, moderated by Cynthia Lesufi of South Africa, invited input on the achievements and future direction of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), now marking its 20th year.

Speakers from Brazil, Australia, Korea, Germany, Japan, Cuba, South Africa, Ghana, Nigeria, and Bangladesh offered their national and regional insights.

There was strong consensus on maintaining and strengthening existing platforms like the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) and WSIS Forum, rather than creating new mechanisms that might burden developing countries.

Renata Santoyo, representing Brazil’s telecommunications regulator ANATEL, affirmed ITU’s coordinating role: ‘The WSIS architecture remains valuable, and ITU has been instrumental in supporting its action lines.’

Australia’s William Lee echoed this, commending ITU’s work on integrating WSIS with the SDGs and the Global Digital Compact, and noted: ‘The digital divide is now less about access and more about usability.’

Korean vice chair of the ITU Council Working Group, Mina Seonmin Jun, stressed the continued inequality in her region: ‘One third of Asia-Pacific remains offline. WSIS must go beyond infrastructure and focus on equity.’

People, Person, Cinema, Adult, Female, Woman, Male, Man, Crowd, Face, Head, Indoors, Audience, Chair, Furniture

Swantje Jager Lindemann from Germany backed extending the IGF mandate without renegotiation, saying: ‘The mandate is broad enough. What we need is better support and sustainable funding.’

Japan’s Yoichi Iida, former vice minister and now special advisor, also warned against reopening existing mandates, instead calling for a stronger IGF secretariat. ‘We must focus on inclusivity, not duplicating structures,’ he said.

ITU’s Gitanjali Sah outlined its leadership on WSIS action lines, noting the organisation’s collaboration with over 50 UN bodies. ‘2.6 billion people are still offline. Connectivity must be meaningful and inclusive,’ she said, highlighting ITU’s technical support on cybersecurity, capacity building, and standards.

Cuba’s representative stressed that the WSIS outcome documents remain fully valid and should be reaffirmed rather than rewritten. ‘Creating new mechanisms risks excluding countries with limited resources,’ they argued.

Local voices called for grassroots inclusion. Louvo Gray from the South African IGF asked, ‘How do we ensure marginalised voices from the Global South are truly heard?’ Ghana’s Kweku Enchi proposed tapping retired language teachers to bridge digital and generational divides.

Abdul Karim from Nigeria raised concerns about public access to the review documents. Sah confirmed that most contributions are published on the ITU website unless requested otherwise.

The UNDP representative reiterated UN-wide support for an inclusive WSIS review, while Mohamed Abdulla Konu of Bangladesh IGF pressed for developing countries’ voices to be meaningfully reflected.

Speakers agreed that the WSIS Plus 20 review is a key opportunity to refocus digital governance on inclusion, equity, and sustainability. The ITU will submit the compiled inputs to the UN General Assembly in December, while South Africa will include the session’s outcomes in its high-level report.

Track all key moments from the Internet Governance Forum 2025 on our dedicated IGF page.

Tower of Babel reimagined: IGF 2025 experiment highlights language barriers in internet governance

At the 2025 Internet Governance Forum in Lillestrøm, Norway, an unconventional session titled ‘Tower of Babel Chaos’ challenged the norm of using English as the default language in global digital policy discussions. Moderator Virginia Paque, Senior Policy Editor of Diplo and the only native English speaker among the participants, suspended English as the session’s required language and encouraged attendees to define internet governance and interact in their own native tongues.

That move sparked both confusion and revelation as participants experienced firsthand the communicative fragmentation caused by linguistic diversity. The experiment led to the spontaneous clustering of speakers into language groups and highlighted the isolation of individuals whose languages—such as Maltese, Samoan, Cape Verdean Creole, and Chichewa—had no other representation.

Participants reported feelings ranging from curiosity to frustration, underlining the practical importance of shared language in international settings. Yet, some also discovered unexpected bridges through linguistic overlap or body language, hinting at the potential for cross-cultural communication even in chaotic conditions.

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AI emerged as a potential remedy. Ken Huang from Lingo AI noted that while AI can process thousands of languages, its effectiveness is currently limited by a lack of diverse datasets, making it default to English and other dominant tongues. Others emphasised that while technology offers hope—like real-time translation tools—it cannot guarantee equitable inclusion for all linguistic groups, particularly under-resourced languages.

The session ultimately balanced idealism with pragmatism. While many acknowledged the convenience of English as a global lingua franca, others argued for providing multiple language options with simultaneous interpretation, as practised by institutions like the UN.

The discussion underscored the political, cultural, and technological complexities of multilingualism in internet governance, and concluded with a shared recognition: fostering a more inclusive digital dialogue means embracing both innovation and linguistic diversity.

Track all key moments from the Internet Governance Forum 2025 on our dedicated IGF page.