Troubling trends have emerged that could endanger the openness and consistency of the Internet’s underlying infrastructure and erect barriers to some of the content and transactions it conveys. 

 

Unfortunately, there is no consensus about the nature, scope and potential impact of this Internet fragmentation, much less how the problem is best addressed.

 

To help build a shared understanding and advance the emerging conversation about this global challenge, the World Economic Forum’s Global Challenge on the Future of the Internet initiative invited three leading experts –William J. Drake, International Fellow and Lecturer, University of Zurich, Switzerland; Vinton Cerf,

Vice-President and Chief Internet Evangelist, Google, USA; and Wolfgang Kleinwachter, Professor for International Communication Policy and Regulation, University of Aarhus, Denmark – to produce a white paper that lays out the issues. 

 

The paper maps the landscape of Internet fragmentation and cites 28 examples arising from technical, governmental and commercial trends.

 

The report concludes that meeting the challenge of Internet fragmentation will require vigilance, analysis and international cooperation involving all relevant stakeholders.

 

Over 2,500 leaders from business, government, international organizations, civil society, academia, media and the arts are participating in the 46th World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland, on 20-23 January.