The Turn to Infrastructure in Internet Governance

Never in history have conflicts over Internet governance attracted such widespread attention. High-profile controversies include the disclosures about NSA surveillance by intelligence analyst Edward Snowden, controversy over a decision by the US government to relinquish its historic oversight of Internet names and numbers, and countless cybersecurity breaches involving unauthorized access to Internet users' personal data. Much of the Internet governance ecosystem—both technical architecture and coordinating institutions—is behind the scenes but increasingly carries significant public interest implications. An area once concealed in institutional and technological complexity is now rightly bracketed among other shared global issues—such as environmental protection and human rights—that have considerable global implications but are simply incongruous with national borders. This transformation into an era of global governance by Internet infrastructure presents a moment of opportunity for scholars to bring these politicized infrastructures to the foreground. This volume brings together experts from around the world to provide coverage and analysis of infrastructure's role in Internet governance, both now and in the future.

Francesca Musiani is a researcher with the French National Centre for Scientific Research, affiliated with the Institute for Communication Sciences (ISCC – CNRS/Paris-Sorbonne/UPMC) and an associate researcher at the Centre for the Sociology of Innovation of MINES ParisTech-PSL. Francesca's research work focuses on Internet governance, in an interdisciplinary perspective blending, first and foremost, information and communication sciences with Science and Technology Studies (STS). Francesca is a former Yahoo! Fellow in Residence at Georgetown University, the recipient of the 2013 Informatique et Libertes Award of the French Privacy and Data Protection Commission, and currently a member of the French Parliamentary Commission on Law and Liberties in the Digital Age.

Derrick L. Cogburn is a pioneer in the study of Information and Communication Technologies for Development (ICT4D) and is an Associate Professor in the School of International Service at American University. He also serves as Executive Director of the Institute on Disability and Public Policy (IDPP) and the Collaboration Laboratory (COTELCO). He is a founding steering committee member of the Global Internet Governance Academic Network (GigaNet) and its former Vice Chair. He is past President of the International Communication Section of the International Studies Association (ISA) and the Information Technology and Politics Section of the American Political Science Association (APSA). In 2014, Dr. Cogburn served on the High-Level Multistakeholder Committee at NETMundial, the Global Multistakeholder Meeting on the Future of Internet Governance, and previously served on the High-Level Advisory Panel of the United Nations Global Alliance for ICT and Development. In 1995, Dr. Cogburn helped to found the Global Information Infrastructure Commission (GIIC) and became Executive Director of its first spin-off organization, GIIC Africa.

Laura DeNardis is a scholar of Internet architecture and governance and a Professor in the School of Communication at American University in Washington, DC. The author of The Global War for Internet Governance (Yale University Press, 2014) and other books, her expertise has been featured in Science Magazine, The Economist, National Public Radio, New York Times, Time Magazine, Christian Science Monitor, Slate, Reuters, Forbes, The Atlantic, and the Wall Street Journal. Dr. DeNardis is an affiliated fellow of the Yale Law School Information Society Project and previously served as its Executive Director. She is a Senior Fellow of the Centre for International Governance Innovation and holds an international appointment as Research Director for the Global Commission on Internet Governance. She holds an AB in Engineering Science from Dartmouth College, a Master of Engineering from Cornell University, a PhD in Science and Technology Studies from Virginia Tech, and was awarded a postdoctoral fellowship from Yale Law School.

Nanette S. Levinson is Associate Professor, School of International Service, American University and a Senior Research Scientist with the Institute on Disability and Public Policy (IDPP). She is Academic Director for the SIS-Sciences Po Exchange Program. A former Chair of the Global Internet Governance Academic Network (GigaNet)and of the International Communication Section of the International Studies Association, her research and publications center on internet governance; technology and innovation policy; culture, communication and development; and social change. She received her bachelor's, masters, and doctoral degrees from Harvard University where she focused on social policy analysis.