From the ground up: protecting an open Internet

Stepping into the Asia Pacific Regional Internet Governance Forum (APrIGF) 2025 space as a Fellow was an informative experience. 

For me, it was about finally earning my stripes on the regional stage. 

It wasn’t just about listening to panels; it was about gaining a genuine, grounded understanding of the people, the politics, and the passion that drive Internet governance in our Asia Pacific region. That grounding is something I’ll carry forward, and it’s convinced me more than ever that we need to show up – and speak up.

The sheer breadth of discussion was massive, but one thing cut through the noise: we are in a specific, and truly pivotal, moment in time. 

Twenty years ago, the United Nations (UN) convened the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), a gathering of leaders which set up the foundations for global Internet governance. This included the concept of multistakeholderism, which sees diverse groups participate in Internet governance on equal footing, and the establishment of the Internet Governance Forum, where that multistakeholder approach is brought to life. 

These principles are scheduled to be reviewed in December and voted on by UN member states. But the WSIS+20 review isn’t just another UN process; it's a battle for the soul of the Internet.

The decisions made this year will shape the future of the Internet for generations to come. Hearing that from voices across the Asia-Pacific, from small island states to major economies, hammered home the high stakes.

This urgency crystallised a concern I think about a lot in my work. 

We're living in a time where users are not engaging as much with the open Internet. Their experience is increasingly mediated by third parties. 

As I noted during our conversations at the APrIGF: “The way users interact with the Internet is changing. They used to build websites and type in URLs. Now, in some cases, users are interfacing entirely with AI, which is doing all of the work for users, and embedding bias in the process.”

This isn't just about convenience – it abstracts us from the beautiful, decentralised structure of the Internet itself.

We can't let the foundational layers of the Internet, the Domain Name System (DNS) and open protocols, become invisible or irrelevant. These layers play vital roles: the DNS serves as the Internet’s directory that translates human-readable website names like www.internetnz.nz, into machine-readable numerical IP addresses. Meanwhile, open protocols are universal communication rules of the Internet (for example, TCP/IP, HTML, WiFi) – they are publicly available, non-proprietary standards that allow different systems to communicate seamlessly.

That’s why, as someone in the DNS sector, I believe it’s vital we champion interacting directly with the structure that enables our ecosystem.

So the core message I’m bringing home is simple: the work InternetNZ does to champion the multistakeholder model is critical to protecting the open, decentralised Internet. 

It’s not just a nice idea. For all its messiness, the multistakeholder model is our best tool for keeping the Internet open, secure, and interoperable. It ensures that technical communities, civil society, and voices from Aotearoa have a seat at the table.

No one else has our perspective. No one else has our goals. If we’re not in the room, our voice is missing. 

There are some groups, including UN member states, who believe Internet governance should be multilateral (governed by governments) rather than multistakeholder (governed by civil society, the technical community, academia, and governments together). 

These influences would shift the power away from the people and put the decentralised model of the Internet at great risk. This kind of model could undermine the very foundations of the Internet, resulting in every country experiencing a distinct version of the Internet. Risking economies, social isolation and our global connection. 

My time as a Fellow taught me that showing up isn’t just beneficial, it’s essential. 

Let’s continue to show up, speak up, and work to protect an Internet that remains a force for good for everyone.