Following its public presentation at the Asia Pacific Network Information Centre (APNIC) 27 Meeting at the Asia Pacific Regional Internet Conference on Operational Technologies (APRICOT 2009) and ISOC’s international processes for recognition, the Internet Society Philippines Chapter (ISOC-PH) is now inviting individuals and organizations to join and take part in drawing together the rejuvenated Chapter’s program of activities for the year. At present, ISOC-PH has three active Working Groups: the Internet Governance Working Group, the Education Working Group and the IPv6 Working Group.
Membership structure and procedures
ISOC-PH is still finalizing its membership policies and procedures. However, interested individuals and organizations may already express their interest in joining ISOC-PH.
ISOC-PH Membership is open to all Philippine citizens, residents and overseas Filipinos with dual citizenship or foreign working or residence permits.
Membership in ISOC-PH is for people who would like to serve the Internet public and ensure that the Internet remains open and universally accessible. Membership in ISOC-PH is for people who share the Purpose and Principles of the Chapter and agree to ISOC’s Code of Conduct and Core Values. These documents may be accessed thru http://isoc.ph/portal/
ISOC-PH activities
ISOC-PH has three focus areas where all members are encouraged to participate. These areas are Public Policy, Standards and Technology, and Education.
Internet Governance
Under Public Policy, ISOC-PH has established the “Internet Governance Working Group” headed by Charity Gamboa, associate of Diplo Foundation. The Working Group’s pilot project is the creation of a Philippine remote hub for the Internet Governance Forum this coming November, in coordination with the IGF Remote Participation Working Group.
Ms Gamboa explains,” I hope we can work together to make this really a “first” for the Philippines. We have gotten positive feedback about remote participation during the Feb.23-24 Open Consultations in Geneva.”
Towards the IGF Remote Participation Hub, the Internet Governance Working Group will be launching an IGF awareness campaign. Ms Gamboa describes ISOC-PH’s program “to hold an awareness campaign through talks on what the IGF is all about - this includes the IGF Athens in 2006, IGF Rio de Janeiro in 2007, IGF Hyderabad in 2008, and preparations for the IGF 2009 in Sharm al-Sheikh in Egypt. This may be gathering stakeholders of their impressions about IGF, the need to participate and what Filipinos want the UN to take into consideration with regards to Internet issues.”
Education
ISOC-PH’s focus on Education includes the “Internet Youth Working Group” headed by Aris Ignacio. Mr Ignacio has proposed that ISOC-PH take part in the Youth Summit this year, and in efforts to address the concerns of computer science educators and students, in particular on Internet technologies.
Linking the “Internet Youth Working Group” with the “Internet Governance Working Group”, Ms Gamboa adds that “Last year, during the IGF, one of the important issues raised during the Youth and IG panel was basically about child online safety (like cyber-bullying). It is a pressing issue nowadays (and talked about during the IGF08) so it might be good to elevate discussions on these areas.”
Where Education meets Public Policy, ISOC-PH president Fatima Lasay has proposed a program on “Truth and the Internet” deriving from an essay of the same title by Vinton Cerf.
“Truth and the Internet” calls for critical thinking, in all communications media and especially the Internet. Vinton Cerf wrote, “The stark juxtaposition of valuable and valueless content sets one to thinking. Here is an opportunity to educate us all… Let us make a new Century resolution to teach our children to think more deeply about what they see and hear. That, more than any electronic filter, will build a foundation upon which truth can stand.”
Ms Lasay observed, “Our colleague from ISOC India Chennai at IGF Hyderabad asked about going back to fundamentals:”what is the Internet?” a question which, in my view, ties in with one of ISOC’s surveys in 2004, “Can the network be the computer?”
The survey sought to address “raging arguments” about whether the Internet is a platform for general purpose computing or destined to only provide niche solutions for a rather narrow set of problems.
“We seem to be moving towards niche solutions, towards that ‘electronic filter’, and going away from the visions of the pioneers of the universally accessible Internet and the pioneers of the general purpose machine. I believe this shift in the understanding of the Internet has significant impact upon the freedom of its users to think critically.” Ms Lasay explains.
Here, Ms Lasay also sees “Truth and the Internet” as the ideal space to explore the User Centric Internet (UCI) initiative that calls for a renewed focus on the openness, transparency, edge-based intelligence and user choice that are at the heart of the Internet today.
IPv6
Under Standards and Technology, ISOC-PH has established the IPv6 Working Group headed by Randall Lozano. At APNIC’s Internet Governance Pulong, IPv6 Working Group member Rodel Urani explained ISOC-PH’s advocacy on the next generation Internet Protocol.
Mr Urani describes the expansion of the Internet’s utilization, from the increase in the number of mobile Internet devices and even further. “The Internet no longer just applies or is developed within our planet earth. There have been initiatives to expand getting off to Mars that will interconnect interplanetary Internet. In not a long period of time, we will be able to witness if it becomes successful - what the other planet looks like through the Internet.”
Thus, as the Internet expands in economy, distance and scale, the need for a practical and long term solution to the decreasing supply of unallocated IPv4 addresses becomes more urgent.
Get involved!
As ISOC-PH develops its line-up of programs and activities for the year, the Chapter invites everyone who cares about the Internet to get involved.
“After meeting our colleagues from ISOC Cambodia, Japan and ISOC worldwide at APRICOT 2009, we are now thinking of establishing an “International Advisory Council” for ISOC-PH,” adds Ms Lasay, “At least, a formal structure for enabling the dynamic balance of local and global insights on Internet issues for ISOC Philippines.”
Those interested in ISOC-PH’s activities and its individual and organizational membership, and those who would like to propose new Working Groups, may send an email with an introduction and expression of interest to joinATisocDOTph.
For more information about ISOC-PH, send an email to infoATisocDOTph or visit the Chapter’s website at http://www.isoc.ph/ and the Chapter’s blog at http://www.isoc.ph/portal/
Links:
Internet Society Philippines Chapter
http://www.isoc.ph/
Internet Society
http://www.isoc.org/
Truth and the Internet by Vint Cerf
http://www.isoc.org/internet/conduct/truth.shtml
ISOC Member Surveys
http://www.isoc.org/members/surveys/
ISOC User Centric Internet
http://www.isoc.org/pubpolpillar/usercentricity
IGF Hyderabad, India: Taking Stock and the Way Forward
http://www.intgovforum.org/cms/hyderabad_prog/TSAWF.html
IGF Remote Participation Working Group
http://www.igfremote.org/
The Internet Governance Forum
http://www.intgovforum.org/cms/
