IGF 2012 Workshop Proposal :: (No: 163) Governing identity on the Internet

Status:

IGF Theme(s) for workshop:

  • Emerging Issues
  • Security, Openness and Privacy
  • Taking Stock and the Way Forward

Main theme question address by workshop: Emerging Issues (Question 1); Security, Openness and Privacy (Question 1, 2, 3)

Concise description of the proposed workshop:

From federated, single-sign-on websites to Whois systems for Internet resources, countless individuals and private and government organizations have a stake in digital identity information and its governance. While territorially-based governments have historically played a central role in their citizens' identity, private decentralized service providers and users might be considered the de facto managers of identity information on the Internet. The changing production and consumption of digital identity is reflected in the emergence of proposed governance arrangements. An example is the United States government's effort to stand up a private-sector led identity governance institution (the National Strategy for Trusted Identity in Cyberspace). Is identity governance necessary? How will (or can) identity governance be accomplished, what are the risks and benefits? Are domestic or regionally based approaches to governing identity a reasonable approach given a transnational Internet? Which stakeholders will determine the standards and policies for how digital identity information is conceptualized, created, validated, transmitted, utilized, or protected? This workshop, involving practitioners and governance experts, explores this active yet under examined area of Internet governance. The format of the workshop will include short position statements from the panelists followed by a question and answer session facilitated by a moderator involving the audience.

Background Paper:

Name of the organiser(s) of the workshop and their affiliation to various stakeholder groups:

Brenden Kuerbis, Citizen Lab, Munk School of Global Affairs, University of Toronto and Internet Governance Project, Syracuse University (academic/civil society)

Christine Runnegar, Internet Society (technical community)

Have you, or any of your co-organisers, organised an IGF workshop before?: Yes

Please provide link(s) to workshop(s) or report(s):

http://www.intgovforum.org/workshops_08/showmelist.php?mem=9
http://intgovforum.org/Rio_event_report.php?mem=23
http://www.intgovforum.org/workshops_08/showmelist.php?mem=10
http://www.intgovforum.org/cms/index.php/component/chronocontact/?chronoformname=Workshopsreports2009View&curr=1&wr=76
http://www.intgovforum.org/cms/component/chronocontact/?chronoformname=WSProposals2010View&wspid=147

Provide the names and affiliations of the panellists you are planning to invite:

We have made initial contact with the following individuals concerning their organization's participation. We will adhere to the IGF's multi-stakeholder principle in inviting panelists.

Scott David, Open Identity Exchange (business)
Jeremy Grant, National Program Office, National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace, NIST, United States Dept of Commerce (government)
Brenden Kuerbis, Citizen Lab, Muck School of Global Affairs, University of Toronto (academic/civil society)
TBD, Trust and Identity Initiative, Internet Society (ISOC) (technical)

Name of Remote Moderator(s):

To be determined. However, both organizations have prior experience facilitating remote participation.